CSC WINS STATE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS VALUED AT $100M TO PROVIDE GLOBAL VISA INFORMATION SERVICES.

Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC) has been awarded two 10-year contracts by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, to assist U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide in providing visa information and support services. Both contracts have a one-year base period and nine one-year options, and have a combined value of more than $100 million if all options are exercised.

Under the contracts, CSC will implement e-government solutions to improve visa processing and issuance services in countries around the world. The company will operate customer contact centers with integrated voice response systems, live operators, automated fax-back systems and web services to support a variety of consular office services, including the issuance of visas for travel to the United States. "We are enthusiastic about providing this service to the State Department," said Steve Kalish, president of CSC's Civil Group. "We're confident in the abilities and experience of our team, and we look forward to making worldwide travel a less complicated experience."

Visa information services were initiated in Mexico in December from a new customer relations management center with approximately 300 agents providing direct assistance to citizens of Mexico seeking visa information and appointments. Operations are to begin in Central America in February and the Benelux countries this spring, followed by Germany this summer. CSC will provide a single point of contact and information for visa services with consistent and guaranteed timeliness, accuracy and quality of service.

The State Department supports consular offices and missions overseas in providing national citizens of each country with information on how to apply for individual visas needed to visit the United States. The Bureau of Consular Affairs, faced with burgeoning numbers of clients and the reality of an ever-shrinking workforce, recognized the value and the impact that technology could make. The Bureau envisioned providing visa applicants in each country with improved delivery of information, electronic scheduling of appointments and improved quality of service to make the visa applications process more user-friendly and efficient. That vision required a variety of electronic solutions based on flexibility, ease-of-use and acceptability within the country being served.

Under the leadership of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the CSC team is putting in place solutions that will enable the embassies and consulates to better manage their visa issuance responsibilities through both electronic and customer-focused solutions. Teaming with CSC is TeleTech Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: TTEC) of Denver, Colo., a global leader in customer management and B2B infrastructure services.

TeleTech operates more than 19,000 state-of-the-art customer interaction workstations and employs more than 22,000 people in 11 countries, supporting more than 25 languages. Through 45 customer interaction centers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia they provide over 18 years of experience successfully delivering end-to-end, scalable solutions, including CRM strategy development, facilities build-out, quality assurance monitoring, and disaster recovery services. Their expertise in providing customer relations centers, integrated voice response support, multi-channel solutions and a full range of CRM services will ensure that the best solutions are readily available to meet any and all challenges.