For the month of February 2004
Commission File Number 1-14858
CGI Group Inc.
(Translation of
Registrant’s Name Into English)
1130 Sherbrooke Street West
5th Floor
Montréal, Québec
Canada H3A 2M8
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F Form 40-F |X|
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ____
Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an attached annual report to security holders.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ____
Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report or other document that the registrant foreign private issuer must furnish and make public under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the registrant is incorporated, domiciled or legally organized (the registrant’s “home country”), or under the rules of the home country exchange on which the registrant’s securities are traded, as long as the report or other document is not a press release, is not required to be and has not been distributed to the registrant’s security holders, and, if discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form 6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes No |X|
If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-___.
Enclosure: Press Release dated February 16, 2004.
This Form 6-K shall be deemed incorporated by reference in the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-8, Reg. Nos. 333-13350, 333-66044, 333-74932 and 333-112021.
| PRESS RELEASE | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Montreal, Quebec, February 16, 2004 – National Bank of Canada (TSX: NA) and CGI Group Inc. (CGI) (TSX: GIB.A; NYSE: GIB;), today announced the signing of a 10-year commercial agreement to provide payroll services to National Bank corporate clients. With this new agreement, the National Bank, under their brand, will market payroll services to its clients. CGI remains responsible for creating, maintaining, hosting and managing the back office for the business processing of the bank’s 8,000 payroll clients.
CGI will be streamlining the current systems offering an enhanced, state-of-the-art infrastructure allowing businesses to benefit from a reduction in costs and gain administrative efficiency. Moving forward, CGI will continue to invest in R&D for payroll services.
This agreement does not translate into incremental annual revenue for CGI. However, as it is a 10-year deal, CGI estimates that it increases its backlog for the same activities from CDN$25 million to $200 million.
“Our goal as a financial services partner is to help our corporate clients grow their businesses. By providing them with tools that can help automate business processes that are not core to their business we are fulfilling our mandate. Payroll is one such area. Through payroll services, our clients can, for example, have their staff paid by direct deposit. Also, they do not have to worry about tax time paperwork,” said Tony Meti, senior vice-president, corporate and international services of the National Bank.
Michael Roach, CGI’s president and chief operating officer added: “We are very pleased to expand our relationship with the National Bank. We feel confident that our payroll solutions provide great advantages for companies. Today, close to 18,000 businesses are relying on CGI for their payroll processing. It is one of the fastest growing areas within the BPS space as companies strive to obtain increased productivity at a lower cost in less time.”
About
the National Bank of Canada
National
Bank of Canada is an integrated group which provides comprehensive financial services to
consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in its core market,
while offering specialized services to its clients elsewhere in the world. The National
Bank offers a full array of banking services, including retail, corporate and investment
banking. It is an active player on international capital markets and, through its
subsidiaries, is involved in securities brokerage, insurance and wealth
management as well as mutual fund and retirement plan management. The National Bank has
assets of over $82 billion and, together with its subsidiaries, employs close to 17,000
people. The Bank’s securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (NA:TSX). For
more information, visit the Bank’s website at www.nbc.ca.
About CGI
Founded
in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent information technology and business process
services firms in North America. CGI and its affiliated companies employ approximately
20,000 professionals. CGI provides end-to-end IT and business process services to clients
worldwide from offices in Canada, the United States, Europe and centers of excellence in
India. CGI’s annualized revenue run rate is currently CDN$2.8 billion (US$2.1
billion) and at December 31, 2003, CGI’s order backlog was CDN$12.2 billion (US$9.3
billion). CGI’s shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB) and are
included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index as well as the S&P/TSX Capped Information
Technology and MidCap Indices. Website: www.cgi.com.
Forward-Looking
Statements
All
statements in this press release that do not directly and exclusively relate to historical
facts constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of that
term in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section
21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These
statements represent CGI Group Inc.‘s intentions, plans, expectations, and beliefs,
and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, of which many are
beyond the control of the Company. These factors could cause actual results to differ
materially from such forward-looking statements.
These factors include and are not restricted to the timing and size of contracts, acquisitions and other corporate developments; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; market competition in the rapidly-evolving information technology industry; general economic and business conditions, foreign exchange and other risks identified in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) in CGI Group Inc.‘s Annual Report or Form 40-F filed with the SEC, the Company’s Annual Information Form filed with the Canadian securities authorities, as well as assumptions regarding the foregoing. The words “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “foresee”, “plan”, and similar expressions and variations thereof, identify certain of such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. In particular, statements relating to future revenue from outsourcing contracts are forward-looking statements. CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
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For more information:
National Bank of Canada
Denis Dubé, director, public relations
(514) 394-8644
CGI
Investor relations
Julie Creed, vice-president, investor relations
(312) 201-4803
Ronald White, director, investor relations
(514) 841-3230
Media Relations
Eileen Murphy, director, media relations
(514) 841-3430
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| CGI GROUP INC. (Registrant) | |
| Date: February 16, 2004 |
By /s/ Paule Doré Name: Paule Doré Title: Executive Vice-President and Chief Corporate Officer and Secretary |