The Earthquake Commission (EQC) of New Zealand and IBM have inked a 10-year, $13.09 million deal to replace the commission’s existing claims management system with a new Web-based claims management and customer service software solution. The system is likely to be operational by the end of this year.

Under the terms of the deal, IBM will deploy, host and manage claim processing software solution (ClaimCenter) developed by Guidewire, a U.S.-based IT solutions provider, for the commission. In addition, the company will be responsible for making essential changes to Guidewire’s system depending upon EQC’s requirements.