IBM and Bechtle, a IBM business partnner, have won a $115-million contract with the European Commission for System x and Flex Systems servers and services, the largest server contract ever awarded by the EC.

IBM and Bechtle have already provided more than $2.6 million in systems and services to date, and expect over the lifetime of the contract to deliver more than 6,100 servers and supporting services to European Union institutions and agencies in the 27 member states.

The contract bidding process was managed by DIGIT, the IT directorate general of the EC, and is designed to establish a framework contract for the acquisition of x86 server systems with associated equipment, maintenance, upgrades and professional services. Other competitors for the contract included Hewlett Packard, Dell, Fujitsu, and Bull.

The contract is “inter-institutional,” meaning that most of the other EU bodies will use the framework for buying their x86 servers in upcoming years. This includes the European Parliament, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, and Europol.

Bechtl configures and prepares the servers at its headquarters in Neckarsulm, Germany, replacing the previous contractor, which supplied HP servers.

The EC is the executive body of the EU, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union’s treaties and the day-to-day running of the EU.

[Image courtesy: IBM]