Following a suspense filled tendering process, Thum + Mahr wins the contract with Dalet OpenMedia

Both of the Deutsche Welle sites - Berlin (DW-TV) and Bonn (DW-RADIO and DW-WORLD.DE) – will be equipped by the end of 2007 with decentralised, but interconnected Newsroom systems, establishing the very first tri-media Newsroom for radio, television and webcasting in Germany, with around 1000 workstations. Following a complex contract award procedure in accordance with EU guidelines, Deutsche Welle chose T+M using the OpenMedia product as the general contractor. The victory, decided on a system of point scoring, was determined amongst other reasons by a combination of product evaluation and the perceived risk in system integration. In comparison with other competitors T+M was a major player, but above all, earned important points under the risk analysis section. T+M’s many years of experience in IT system integration with various software products, along with almost 15 years of support for the digital production and playout systems at DW, proved to be a compelling reason for the decision.

At the same time this is another important step in the television business for T+M, since the work involved to create the required workflow for the Berlin part of the project called for complete system interface engineering for third party products, such as video management, editing and graphics systems. This impressive project benefited from meticulous project management and team involvement on both sides, together with an excellent working relationship with Dalet and others.

In a surprise move, opposition proceedings were lodged by a competitor. The Federal Cartel Office, however, ratified the DW decision in all respects and rejected the claim. With the matter settled, nothing else stood in the way and the project, which included a maintenance contract running to 2016, went ahead.

Starting in June 2006, the project is due to run to the end of December 2007.