In June, without any notice, the Polish police signed PLN 32m (EUR 9.8m) agreement with IBM to develop the Central Access System (CSD) allowing policemen to contact with data bases. The development provides for integration of the internal police network with the external network. This is a revolution for policemen who today use one computer for internal network and another one to use Internet.
So far, HP and Oracle have been the winners of big police contracts.
“Policemen say they let a third big IT player into to reach some balance. But why have they done it without any tender and with such conditions?” one of the upset parties asked.
Rivals believe that the contract is unfavorable for the police because the equipment is too expensive and lets the US giant easier compete in further negotiations, to develop it further, to conduct guarantee repairs and for the service.
“It has not happened yet that a contract to develop a system is entrusted not to the company which had realized the first stage of it but to its subcontractor”, IBM rival comments.
It was Polish Sygnity who realized the first stage of CSD. According to “PB” sources, Sygnity was very upset when the police signed a contract directly with the Americans. Microsft is unhappy, too, because IBM did not agree to put many of its products in its offer.
(PLN 1 = EUR 0.307)