The IT services firm continues its large-deal push under CEO Ravi Kumar even as US healthcare spending remains subdued
Cognizant has secured a multi-million-dollar deal worth roughly $500 million from US health insurer Centene, according to a person familiar with the matter. Centene, an existing Cognizant client, will use the company’s TriZetto platform to manage high-volume medical billing, claims adjudication, and customer call centre operations. Cognizant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Part of a Broader Large-Deal Strategy
Landing deals worth $100 million or more has become a central priority for CEO Ravi Kumar as the company navigates an uncertain macroeconomic environment. Cognizant closed 28 large deals in 2025, with total contract value up nearly 50% from the previous year. That momentum carried into 2026, with seven large deals and one mega deal exceeding $500 million signed in the first quarter alone — a more than 70% jump in large-deal contract value year-on-year.
A Long-Standing Relationship
Cognizant’s ties to Centene date back over a decade. It signed a roughly $2.7 billion deal with HealthNet in 2014 covering consulting, claims management, IT, and customer service, which was restructured after Centene acquired HealthNet in 2016 due to overlapping systems.
Healthcare Remains Core to Cognizant’s Business
Healthcare currently contributes about 29% of Cognizant’s revenue, just behind financial services at 30.4%. The deal arrives as US healthcare companies pull back on discretionary spending, making large cost-optimisation and vendor-consolidation contracts especially significant, even though such deals typically take longer to ramp up and invite intense competition among IT vendors.
A Wider Industry Trend
Cognizant is not the only one competing for such big AI-based projects. Recently HCLTech announced a five-year $1.14 billion deal with a European company focusing on AI and Tata Consultancy Services declared $800 million AI-based deal with SKF with its Q1FY27 results.
