2.22 Under the contract with Siemens, some Agency staff were expected to transfer to Siemens. Permanent staff could opt to remain with the Agency or transfer to Siemens. The Agency gave an undertaking to accommodate individuals' wishes, provided these fitted with the operational objectives of both the Agency and Siemens. Under the contract with Siemens, terms of employment were to be at least as advantageous as under the Agency.
2.23 Organising the transfer required significant effort from all parties. Between April and May 1998 all staff in the Agency were interviewed to determine individual preferences. By October, the Agency had agreed with Siemens a list of staff transfers for all its regional offices. All 400 staff expected to transfer to Siemens had opted to do so. Transfers were to take effect as each office implemented the new system, and no redundancies would be required.