CANTO Weekly Newsletter- BNAmericas 10/03/17

The Jamaican government launched a request for information (RFI) for a public investment management information system, as part of its ongoing fiscal governance overhaul.

The RFI’s goal is to collect information for a later selection of a web-enabled platform that will be the basis of the management system, according to a tender notice.

The chosen solution will work as a repository of information on all the stages of public investment projects, including tracking progress, Jamaica’s ministry of finance and public service said.

Interested firms can respond to the RFI in a letter by mail to the address shown below, fax or e-mail by March 24, 4pm local time. The letter must be accompanied by a copy of the firm’s registration certificate.

For clarifications and further details, as well as the RFI response, the email is spstp@mof.gov.jm.

The Procurement and administrative manager

Strategic Public Sector Transformation Project

5^th Floor, Ministry of Finance and the Public Service

30 National Heroes Circle

Kingston, Jamaica WI

Phone: 922-8600

Fax: 932-5977

Email: spstp@mof.gov.jm

Cuba bets on ICT for economic development – Cuba

The Cuban government has acknowledged that information technology is a strategic sector to help boost the country’s economic development.

At a recent cabinet meeting, government ministers discussed the implementation of an “integrated policy to improve the computerization of society,” a set of actions aimed at promoting access to ICT.

“Various different actions have been carried out to organize computerization in the country; Nevertheless, a comprehensive policy is required that… prioritizes information and communications technologies (ICT) as a strategic sector for the nation that contributes to the growth of the economy with the consequent impact on the development of society,” Leonardo Andollo Valdés, second head of the permanent commission for implementation and development was reported as saying by state newspaper Granma,

The aim is for ICT to guarantee security in cyberspace against threats of any kind, allow development of human capital and boost access of the public to new technologies, he added.

Cuba will launch a countrywide platform to promote generation of content and ensure dissemination and raising of awareness of this content in order to strengthen national identity and preserve Cuban social values, according to the daily.

In addition, the authorities will work on developing and modernizing technological infrastructure, paying special attention to the deployment of broadband networks and the production of ICT devices in the country. Cuba recently opened its first laptop and tablet factory, which uses technology from Chinese electronics company Haier.

The government also underscored its commitment to the promotion of the ICT applications industry, which will be guided according to the country’s needs for computerization and requirements for economic development.
Altice sees 6% revenue rise in Dominican Republic in Q4 – Dominican R.

Altice Group‘s Dominican Republic operations posted 6% year-on-year growth in revenue in 4Q16 in constant currency to 189mn euros (US$200mn).

Altice entered the Dominican Republic market through the US$1.4bn acquisition of mobile operator Orange Dominicana from France’s Orange in 2014 and the US$400mn buyout of cable TV, broadband and mobile operator Tricom. It still operates under both brands in the country.

Altice’s Dominican Republic operations saw adjusted Ebitda climb 4.4% to 97.1mn euros, with a margin of 54.1%.

Mobile subscribers fell to 3.75mn from 3.89mn in 4Q15, of whom 78% were prepaid, down marginally from the 79% seen in 4Q15.

The quarter ended with 368,000 fiber and cable-based revenue generating units (RGUs), up 32% compared to 4Q15. Pay.TV subscriptions rose to 140,000 from 128,000 at end-2015.

Altice announced in November last year that it would invest more than 20bn Dominican pesos (US$429mn) over the next three years.

According to regulator Indotel, Altice’s Orange brand is the second largest mobile operator in the Dominican Republic with a market share of 40% behind Claro, which has 53%. Tricom is the fourth biggest player, with a market share of 3.34%.

In November some 23% of the 8.67mn mobile users in the country were prepaid.

At the group level, Altice, which also operates in France, the US, Israel and Portugal, posted a 2.2% hike in revenues for the quarter to 6.09bn euros.

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ICT tender: Trinidad needs risk management system for trade ministry – Trinidad & Tobago

The government of Trinidad & Tobago is seeking a risk management system for its trade and industry ministry (MTI).

The country’s central tenders board launched a call to select a consultancy to be responsible for designing and deploying the solution that will be used by the ministry’s customs and excise division and eventually by other ministries and agencies.

The implementation will conform with the World Customs Organization (WCO) Risk Management Compendium and the system should be able to identify sources of information, define data collection principles, cross-reference, evaluate; process and validate data and intelligence in a mainly computerized environment, according to a tender notice.

Eligible firms must express interest by April 13.

Envelopes with the submissions must be addressed to the Chairman of the Central Tenders Board at the address shown below and must include a company profile, including a signed transmittal letter and summary of relevant experience in related projects.

Further details can be found here, here or by writing to mofctb@gov.tt or to PIUSEW@gov.tt.

Central Tenders Board

116 Frederick Street

PORT OF SPAIN

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Tel: 1-868-625-3565

Fax: 1-868-625-1809

Cabify speeds up in LatAm amid Uber’s troubles – Regional

Spain’s ride-hailing firm Cabify wants to gain traction and expand its base of users and drivers as rival Uber faces pricing pressures and mounting criticism over the way it treats drivers and handle operations.

Created five years ago, Cabify has been expanding at a monthly rate of 80% in the number of rides it provides in Brazil, where it arrived last July.

The company has just announced its fifth Brazilian city, Santos, while another one (Campinas) is to be added before the end of the month, Cabify Brazil head Daniel Bedoya (pictured) told BNamericas.

The Spanish group landed in Latin America four years ago, and its main operations are in Mexico, where it is present in 10 cities.

In comparison, Uber has already surpassed the threshold of operating in 100 Latin American cities four years after arriving in the region.

But Uber’s rapid expansion and success have come with a bitter price, both in Latin America and elsewhere. Aside from legal and regulatory challenges it has faced, Uber has recently seen an increasing pressure on the price side coming from growing competition, including revamped taxi services.

The result is a tough situation in which it needs to offer competitive prices while maintaining the quality of service it has used to differentiate itself from taxis and paying fair wages to drivers.

Users in Brazil, for example, have voiced discontent over what they see as the declining quality of the service coinciding with a swell of new drivers as a result of workers downsized amid the country’s recession.

Amenities like water and candies are now hard to find in the vechiles. Drivers, on the other hand, complain about low fares for kilometers travelled, long journeys and security issues, such as threats from taxi drivers.

Recently, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick entered in a row and yelled with a driver in New York, who complained about the company’s pricing policy and leaked the conversation he recorded with a dash cam. Kalananick later apologized to the driver and to Uber’s staff, writing that he needed “leadership help.”

“The secret of this model is being able to optimize demand, holding down the number of entrant drivers and cars circulating, while not affecting the waiting time of users. This also secures a good compensation to drivers,” Cabify’s Bedoya said.

Cabify has 100,000 registered drivers in Brazil, although Bedoya would not reveal how many are active. He said over a million people have downloaded the app.

Last April the company raised US$120mn in a Series C round of investment that valued the firm at US$320mn. More recently, it announced a global facelift, starting with a new logo and, soon, a friendlier interface. Changes will also be made in the way the company markets and communicates to the global public as part of a yearlong process, Bedoya said.

As Uber’s experience shows, time is money and success often comes with a price.