Leaner SchlumbergerSema Wins Dallas Services ContractLeaner SchlumbergerSema Wins Dallas Services Contract

A recently restructured SchlumbergerSema said Tuesday that it has won a $40 million deal to provide IT outsourcing services to Dallas County in Texas. Under the five-year deal, SchlumbergerSema will manage server, mainframe, and help-desk systems for the county, which includes the city of Dallas.

The services will support many of the county's numerous Web initiatives. Among those initiatives are giving residents the ability to pay taxes online with a credit card and renew vehicle registration electronically.

SchlumbergerSema, the IT services arm of Schlumberger Ltd., also will provide application development, IT consulting, and quality-review services over the life of the contract, which includes 14 separate service-level agreements.

SchlumbergerSema last month said it would restructure to focus more closely on providing services to the oil, gas, and energy markets and building its presence in markets where it already enjoys regional strength. The company has a significant presence in Texas because of its oil and gas business. As part of the shakeup, SchlumbergerSema says it may divest some lines of business that have limited growth prospects, including software-development services for the struggling telecom industry.

As a result of the moves, the company says it expects to take a fourth-quarter charge of more than $3 billion and reduce its worldwide staff by about 3,300 employees. The company plans to announce fourth-quarter earnings Jan. 22.

The agreement also will help Dallas County become Homeland Security-compliant. SchlumbergerSema is creating a tracking system that county officials can use to gather and disseminate information on suspected instances of bioterrorism.