Dell to buy Perot Systems

Dell has launched an agreed offer to buy computer services firm Perot Systems Corp in a cash deal valued at £2.7 billion.

Perot, which generates about half of its £1.9 billion revenues from the healthcare sector, is regarded as well placed to benefit from the £20.5 billion the US federal government has committed to digitise health records.

In the UK, Perot Systems is best known as a sub-contractor to BT in the delivery of the National Programme for IT in the NHS in London. BT awarded Perot an £108m implementation deal in December 2004.

The six and a half-year deal was to cover project management, care redesign, clinical best practice solutions, and product implementation and configuration services.

This June, it was announced that Perot will help implement Meditech at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, on behalf of FileTek UK.

London is also the base for Perot Systems’ international operations. In 2008, the company announced a large-scale deal with the Jordanian government to develop and implement the open source Vista electronic health record.

Earlier this month Perot announced a 10-year deal to provide IT outsourcing and electronic health records implementation for India’s Max Healthcare, its first Indian customer.

Michael Dell, the founder of Dell, is reported to have signalled an interest in large acquisitions since his return as chief executive two years ago.

In the UK, Dell is a key hardware, and desktop services supplier to the NHS, which has been a beneficiary in the increased investment in health service IT systems.