Outsourcing Deal Gives P&G Clout With HP Execs

Instead, they most likely work directly with someone in the top levels of HP's executive ranks.

The Cincinnati-based consumer product maker's clout with HP might make some of the latter's other customers a bit jealous, but the two corporations are in the midst of a 10-year, $3 billion mega-outsourcing deal that carries high stakes for the bottom lines of both parties.

The contract, signed in 2003, called for HP to take over P&G's IT infrastructure and hire some 2,000 of the company's IT workers.

In a presentation at Computerworld 's Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference here earlier this month, Jim Fortner , vice president of IT development and operations at P&G's business services division, said constant communication between executive suites is imperative in such large and costly deals.

For instance, Ann Livermore , executive vice president of HP's enterprise business, travels to P&G headquarters about six times a year to take part in a joint review of the vendor's performance. HP CEO Mark Hurd attends those meetings about twice a year.