Two international firms are now competing to snatch a multimillion dollar contract which is expected to modernize the IT infrastructure of the country’s justice system. Renowned companies- ISYX Technologies and Asseco Group have passed to the financial stage of the bid.
In January 2017, Office of the Attorney General floated an international bid for the development of the National Integrated Justice Information System.
Upon the invitation, nine notable international firms in information and technology industry expressed their interest. Companies such as Tecno Brain, Huawei, ZTE Corporation, Tech Mahindra, ISYX Technologies, and Asseco Group participated in the bid.
ISYX along with its local partner AFRICOM Technologies came at the top of the ladder during the technical evaluation stages. ISYX is an information technology (IT) solutions provider company working mostly in Asia and the Middle East. It also manages service providers; design of ICT infrastructure and information security solutions, IT consulting, business process consulting, BCP-DR solutions, enterprise resource planning solutions, analytics, enterprise mobility and enterprise management.
On the other hand, Asseco Group is among the top IT companies in Poland and currently working with the Information Network and Security Agency (INSA) on modernizing country’s billing system. It has more than 25 years of experience in providing IT solutions in Central and Eastern Europe. It also supplies software to vendors in Europe, taking the sixth place in the Truffle 100 ranking, according to its website.
The evaluation of the bid was conducted by experts from Information Network and Security Agency (INSA). The invited companies will work on consulting, implementation as well as the development of the system.
According to industry sources, the latest bid will cost at least 15 million dollars and additional 30 million dollars for purchase of hardware.
The program is fully funded by the Ethiopian government.
The implementation of the system aims to employ technologies in the management of the information of the justice system, which until now is characterized by the complete absence of management information systems, according to bid document.
More than ever, there is a growing need now for statistical data and management information system within the police, prosecution, courts, correctional institutions and other justice institutions, reads the document.
The absence of well organized data center and information system affects every aspect of the effort to bring about a qualitatively better administration of justice in the country.
The project aimed at creating integrated justice information system in every ladder of the justice system of the country. It will implement information & communication and technology in justice institutions at both the federal and regional levels.
By Dawit Endeshaw
