San Francisco  - Computer maker Dell is to buy technology services company Perot Systems for 3.9 billion dollars in a bid to gain a foothold in the lucrative sector of IT consulting, the company announced Monday.

The bid price of 30 dollars a share represented a 68-per-cent premium on the share price of the company founded in 1988 by former independent presidential candidate Ross Perot.

The Plano, Texas-based company provides consulting and technology services to more than 1,000 enterprises, with some 50 per cent of its revenues derived from the health care industry and another 25 per cent from the government. Analysts said the company's business could get a huge boost if proposals for health care reform are passed into law.

In a conference Dell founder Michael Dell said Perot would remain in Plano and that it hoped to hold on to the company's management as it seeks to make Perot the "anchor" of Dell global IT services business.

This would help Dell, currently the world's number two computer maker behind Hewlett Packard, smooth out inconsistent revenue from hardware sales with the more lucrative and steady consulting income that helps it competitors like HP and IBM.

"We will leverage Perot's services capability across Dell's customer base," said Dell. "This acquisition makes great sense."  dpa