Accenture will provide Xcel Energy with application management services under a multi-year application outsourcing agreement. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Under the agreement, Accenture will provide application maintenance and software development for Xcel Energy’s customer care, meter systems and human resources/payroll applications. Xcel Energy will leverage Accenture’s deep experience in the utilities sector and in application outsourcing services to increase its operational performance and enhance its customer service.

Xcel Energy’s application management -- previously outsourced to a third-party service provider -- will be transitioned to Accenture over the next four months.

Accenture is also helping Xcel Energy augment its electric grid through the development and implementation of SmartGridCity in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder will become a proving ground for the smart grid, a power system that combines traditional and new technology to manage the flow of energy more effectively than previously possible. SmartGridCity is designed to provide more reliable energy while enabling residents and businesses to optimize the use of renewable energy sources, increase energy conservation options, manage their energy bills more effectively and minimize their collective environmental footprint.