Warsaw (Puls Biznesu) – Although the listed IT provider Emax offered to execute the project for PLN 600,000 (EUR 154,700), a mysterious Handsoft won, which demands PLN 3.6m.
Handsoft, which is new in the IT business, won the PLN 3.6m order although its listed rival was six times cheaper. The Public Tender Office (UZP) agreed. Handsoft won over such giants as Siemens, Prokom, Computerland and Emax. The forest authorities are buying computers in a PLN 30m project. Lasy Panstwowe, the state forest authorities, are modernizing their most important computer system, the forest register, which is used by over 7,000 workers with hand-held computers.
In the beginning of March, “Puls Biznesu” informed that Lasy Panstwowe signed agreement with Handsoft to transfer the forest register onto new hand-held computers to be bought in the future. The authorities had tried to buy software with hardware twice before (there were 3,000 computers mentioned) but the tenders were cancelled after protests were raised. Rivals said at that time that it was a nonsense to buy software for computers which were not bought yet.
In their application to UZP, Lasy Panstwowe explained that Handsoft was the only company to be able to implement the project because it created the forest register application, it has codes to part of applications and is the author of 100 percent of the software. They added that the value of the agreement would not exceed PLN 2.5m. Handsoft was founded in 2002 while the application of Forest Register – in 1996. In addition, Lasy Panstwowe signed an agreement worth PLN 3.6m, and not PLN 2.5m as promised.
“The other companies, which say that they may do the project for PLN 600,000, are underestimating the price. They hope to generate enough income in selling the computers, which are much more profitable”, Adam Rybicki, Handsoft CEO said.
“Two Handsoft employees worked in other companies before. They built the system”, Mariusz Blasiak, IT director in state forest said.
(PLN 1 = EUR 0.258)