BT pulls out of £1bn Courts IT race

Telco will no longer lead consortium but will take subcontractor role with Atos Origin

Supplier BT has pulled out of the running for the Department for Constitutional Affairs' £1bn Disc programme.

BT will no longer compete as a prime contractor in the Development, Innovation and Support Contracts (Disc) competition, but will support Atos Origin, another shortlisted bidder.

Disc is made up of two contracts, one for applications and one for infrastructure. Out of the eight companies originally shortlisted for the deals last August, only five remain. Atos Origin, Logica and IBM are bidding for applications. EDS and Atos Origin, now supported by BT, are bidding for infrastructure.

Disc will supersede IT contracts for DCA headquarters, Crown and County Courts and Magistrates' Courts as they expire between 2006 and 2008. It includes the development of a common infrastructure and business and administrative software.

A spokesman for BT said: 'There is frequently re-group amongst interested bidders for major contracts. In this instance BT felt it made more sense not to lead a consortium.'