John M. Lervik
CEO,
Fast Datasearch

1. Why was Contraco hired?
What problems had to be solved by Contraco?
Which tasks had to be carried out?
We didn’t hire them, they found us. T-Online was looking for a Search Engine Software and hired Contraco to fulfill this task. They then found us and we became partners. They improved our software by adding some of their own software to it and now they are one of key reseller. Contraco is one of the few Master VAR Partners.

2. Why were these tasks given to Contraco and not carried out internally?
As already mentioned above, we didn’t have the manpower to get these tasks done fast enough. Due to contraco´s close cooperation with T-Online, working with contraco also reduced risks for FAST.

3. Why did you decide to work with Contraco?
Why wasn’t a competitor chosen?
Because they have a very unique expertise, having operational experience running search products, and very strong relationships to large corporate customers.

4. What role did Contraco fulfill?
They added their knowledge and some of their own software to our´s to make it complete and effective for T-Online.

5. How long has Contraco been a partner to FAST?
Our Partnership started back in 2000, and is in its 6th year.

6. How many Contraco staff worked for you?
Between 5-10 people. It is an on-going activity. And they are still extending their capabilities.

7. Where did they work?
Where were the Contraco staff located?
Mostly in Germany but also Korea and the US.

8. How did FAST work with Contraco?
I mainly communicate with Frank Meltke their CEO. He personally handles any issues I may have. We are in touch on a week-to-week basis via phone or email.

9. What did Contraco accomplish?
They succesfully installed our Search Solution into T-Online and Deutsche Telekom, one of the largest Internet Service Providers in the world.

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Marc Jordan
Director Operations,
Dowty Automotive Motors Ltd.

1. Why was Contraco hired?
What problems had to be solved by Contraco?
Which tasks had to be carried out?
To design and implement Balanced Scorecards that had not only a financial matrix, but also an operational matrix. That was linked to an improvement strategy. This system allows comparison between different companies of the Smith Group,
looks at where the best practices are in each company, and allows sharing of best practices.

2. Why were these tasks given to Contraco and not carried out internally?
Because it was a pan-European task rather than single country-based. It was about bringing together many countries, and contraco has a lot of experience in managing global projects.

3. Why did you decide to work with Contraco?
Why wasn’t a competitor chosen?
They were by far the best proposal we received, and the most experienced professional service provider.

4. How long did Contraco work for you?
During which time period did Contraco work for you - from when to when?
For 3 months they worked intensely on our projects (Design of Scorecard). In the last 2 weeks they came back and implemented the Balance Scorecard.

5. Where did they work?
Where were the Contraco staff located?
The Project team was located all over the world, but their core team established a working office in London.

6. How did the organization and communication work with Contraco?
I was the responsible Project Manager for my group and everything ran pretty much through me. The contact person at Contraco was Andreas Schaale. The communication was excellent and a lot of fun. I was impressed about his ability to adapt to change. He always had an excellent reality about what we needed to get done and how to accomplish it.

7. What did Contraco accomplish?
They succesfully implemented the Balanced Scorecard.

8. Are you satisfied with the results?
The results exceeded our expectations

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Scott Wingo
President & CEO,
Channel Advisor Corp.

1. Why was Contraco hired?
What problems had to be solved by Contraco?
Which tasks had to be carried out?
We were looking for someone who knew the European market and who would support a rapid roll out. We needed someone who would plan the whole thing out for us and tell us exactly what needed to be done to get our product on the market internationally.

2. Why were these tasks given to Contraco and not carried out internally?
Contraco are the local experts. We worked with the company Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture) as a partner and they recommended Contraco to us. They had told us that they were the company to work with because they really have an incredible expertise in regards to bringing a product onto the international market.

3. Why did you decide to work with Contraco?
Why wasn’t a competitor chosen?
We thought that they fitted best with our company. We also looked at other companies but none were as good as Contraco. They have a larger grasp and bigger perspectives.

4. Where did they work?
Where were the Contraco staff located?
They were spread all over the world. Some are in Germany and some in UK, Korea and USA.

5. How did organization and communication work with Contraco?
We primary contact was contraco´s Project Manager, Thomas Ziesch, I was very satisfied with the communication and coordination - it works really well. Conraco is very focused on good communication and change management as part of their Delivery methodology.

6. Are you satisfied with the results?
Yes. We hired them because we felt they knew the local market and they also proved that to us. They have done market researches and strategies for us and we are very satisfied.