This was especially true in supporting new product development and deployment
and reducing time to market for such developments. Another factor which had to
be taken into account was that Norwich Union had formed an agreement with an Indian software company and therefore the programme had to accommodate the integration of a global supply chain of systems design, build and deployment.

IBM supported Norwich Union extensively with this programme and David Dockray was a member of the senior level steering committee until his retirement from IBM in 2007. The form of contracting for this support involved not only a proportion of payment by results, but also deferral of such payments until verification of sustainability could be accomplished – all of which was achieved. The Wall Street Journal commented that this was the ‘largest consulting services deal signed since the IBM/PwCC merger’.