Vertex, a leading international business process outsourcer, today announced it has signed a seven year, $75.5 million contract with Merrillville, Ind., based energy provider NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) to provide Customer Contact Center services.

NiSource, an energy holding company, through its subsidiaries, provides natural gas, electricity, and other products and services to 3.8 million customers located within the high-demand energy corridor stretching from the Gulf Coast through the Midwest to New England. Vertex has successfully managed a significant portion of the Customer Contact Center functions for NiSource since July 2005 as a subcontractor to IBM.  The new agreement establishes a direct relationship between NiSource and Vertex until 2015.

The contract calls for Vertex to manage customer service inquiries associated with service calls, including connections and disconnections, billing queries, emergency service, energy assistance programs, payment arrangements and billing exception handling at NiSource’s Columbia Gas distribution companies. Approximately 250 dedicated Vertex employees will continue to provide these services out of a Vertex-owned facility in Smithfield, Pennsylvania.   

“NiSource is pleased to be continuing our strategic relationship with Vertex, enabling both our companies to achieve business goals while continuing to deliver quality service to NiSource customers,” Violet Sistovaris, Senior Vice President of Administrative Services for NiSource, said.

Commenting on the contract, John Hall, Vertex’s Managing Director of Utilities, concluded, “It is wonderful news that NiSource has chosen Vertex to deliver this large-scale contract. Over the past three years, Vertex has developed an in-depth understanding of NiSource service requirements. We are looking forward to building on that experience to deliver enhanced services to their customer base.”