On Monday the deadline passed to get in bids in the race to supply former telecoms monopoly TPSA with a billing system. Five companies submitted offers: Amdocs, IBM, HP, EDS and Cap Gemini Ernst and Young.
However there are only two suppliers of the technology to be found in the five offers. The first is from Amdocs which is the largest producer of billing software in the world and the second is from Kenan.
In the next few days TPSA will be announcing a timetable in the run up to the decision. The system should be working by the end of this year although the internet based part, the IP, is expecting to be on line by September.
Therefore there is little time for TPSA to make its choice and a decision is likely this month.
Kenan, which until recently was a subsidiary of Lucent Technologies, uses Portal Software technology for IP billing solutions.
Its product was offered by Cap Gemini and EDS. Neither HP or IBM have proposed a software supplier.
All of the major international concerns will subcontract work to Polish suppliers. Amdocs will subcontract to Spin which was recently bought by Prokom whilst Cap Gemini will likely chose Gliwice based Wasko.
Most analysts think that the victor will be one of these two companies with the US — Israeli Amdocs being the favourite.
Amdocs is the largest supplier of billing software in the world. It has already bid for a tender alongside Katowice based Spin in the case of the billing contract for all of TPSA clients.
Gdynia based systems integrator Prokom recently bought 51 percent of Spin.
It is however possible that France Telecom, the strategic investor in TPSA, could throw its lot in with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.
However the tender is said to be likely to be won on strictly the benefits of the offer as service to the business clients of the telecoms giant is too important to make a mess of.
Piotr Komorowski, director of the IT management section of TPSA is overseeing the tender.