Santos's chief information officer, Einar Vikingur, said CSC had been its IT outsourcer for four years and it was time to introduce some commercial pressures. Mr Vikingur said while price was important, Volante had won the business based on its service delivery capabilities. "We wanted to achieve a step change in service and Volante competed strongly in that regard," he said.

Mr Vikingur added Santos has already spent a significant amount on technology upgrades this year and next year would be a year of consolidation. He said there would be a shift in focus towards the IT needs of Santos's staff such as geologists, explorers and geophysicists.