Ovum becomes an official UK government supplier

The analyst and consulting company joins the HEDRA consortium on S-CAT

For immediate release, 23 June 2003. Ovum, the analyst and consulting company, announced today that it has been listed on S-CAT, the UK government’s official services catalogue, as a member of the HEDRA Consortium.

Ovum’s inclusion in S-CAT as a HEDRA Consortium member builds on the company’s strong working relationships with government departments and agencies: it enables Ovum’s clients to access its unparalleled depth of IT and Telecoms knowledge within their existing procurement processes and utilising S-CAT.

“Joining the HEDRA Consortium will give us greater visibility within the public sector, while keeping our focus on our core strength: our expertise in telecoms and the software and IT services industry,” says Duncan Brown, consulting director with Ovum.

“We’re benefiting from the experience of the consortium in dealing with government procurement processes and we are bringing to the group our very deep and very highly-regarded expertise in technology.”

The HEDRA Consortium is included in every category within S-CAT. This broad coverage allows customers to select Ovum’s services across a number of categories, not just Category 16 “Business Information and Research Services”.

Ovum has established a strong competence in advising the Office of Government Commerce and other government departments and agencies in IT and telecoms markets. Its expertise has most notably focused on policy formulation, policy and initiative evaluation and funds investment strategy.

Its clients in the public sector include the DTI, the Cabinet Office and the OGC, the Hong Kong and Australian governments, the European Commission and agencies such as Scottish Enterprise and Invest Northern Ireland.

The HEDRA consortium is a leading management and technology consulting partner for organisations providing services to the public. “Ovum has a strong public sector practice, so there’s a very good fit between the consortium and Ovum’s services and client base, says Duncan Brown”.

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About Ovum

Ovum, the analyst and consulting company, is the largest European headquartered advisor on telecoms, software and IT services.

Resolutely independent, Ovum advises large corporates, IT and software vendors, IT service providers, telecoms operators, regulators, service providers and equipment suppliers. It analyses the commercial impact of technology and market changes and has a real strength in advising on the developments where telecoms, software and IT services interact.

Ovum takes a global perspective on leading-edge developments from our offices in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Its experts spot the short-term issues that will have an immediate impact on markets and organisations and advise on the longer-term 'visionary' aspects which form the basis of strategic planning.

More information on Ovum, its customers and its independence is available at www.ovum.com/about/

About the HEDRA Consortium

HEDRA operates as prime contractor of the HEDRA Consortium, previously the Cathedral Consortium. The consortium is a group of specialist businesses offering services to government through the catalogue purchasing arrangements of the Office of Government Commerce.

For further information

Sandrine Webster, Media Relations
Tel +44 (0)20 7551 9238
Email snw@ovum.com