The OPT-NC Continues to Support the Local Economy by Awarding Contracts During the Health Crisis
In a context of health and economic crisis where support for businesses is more essential than ever, the OPT-NC Board of Directors (BOD) scheduled for March 17, 2021 was held to allow for the awarding of IT service contracts totaling over 2 billion FCFP.
A Board of Directors Meeting, chaired by Yoann LECOURIEUX, took place yesterday in the Council Room of the Dumbéa Town Hall in the strict respect of health measures as the layout of the venue allowed.
This Board Meeting, which approved four deliberations, including two deliberations awarding contracts for computer services to several local companies, were approved due to the needs of the OPT-NC, but also to continue the public institution's support to the local economy during lockdown.
IT Services Contracts Awarded for More than 2 Billion FCFP to Local Companies
In order to support the implementation of its ISDS (Information Systems Master Plan), the Information Systems Department (ISD) of the OPT-NC has planned an IT services plan for 2021-2025, which was presented to the Board of Directors on November 4.
This plan covers 4 areas of services required by the ISD:
- Support to the project management (MOE),
- The maintenance in operational conditions (MCO) of complex systems,
- Third-party application maintenance (TMA),
- Third party application revenue (TRA)
Open calls for tender were therefore launched at the end of 2020 to meet the needs of the office's IT department.
Many of the missions planned under these public contracts will start at the end of March 2021, allowing the local service providers selected to continue their professional activity despite the crisis.
After analysis and advice from the bidding committee on February 23, 2021, the Board of Directors approved the deliberations related to the following services:
- computer assistance divided into 14 lots for a total minimum amount of more than 1 billion FCFP, i.e. 1,080,640,000 FCFP excluding tax.
- third-party application maintenance (TMA) for total minimum and maximum amounts of approximately 1 billion FCFP, respectively 976,199,248 FCFP excluding tax and 1,252,429,488 FCFP excluding tax.
A Tender Committee was Held
It should be noted that a tender commission (CAO) of the OPT-NC was also held on March 17, 2021 under the chairmanship of Aymeric LOSTE, at the end of the board of directors meeting.
The CAO allowed to award 7 contracts, 3 in the field of means and real estate and 4 in the field of telecommunications, for a total of 290 million FCFP to the benefit of local companies.
Postage rate increase postponed
Approved by by the OPT-NC Board of Directors on December 19, 2019, and then adopted by government order, the measures for the revaluation of postage rates involve the simplification of rate schedules and a catch-up of rates frozen for more than 15 years.
These changes make it possible to ensure the sustainability of the universal postal service in a context of accelerating decline in mail volumes, and to continue to modernize offers and services to meet customers' uses and needs.
In order to allow for a gradual readjustment, it has been decided to change the postage rates in three successive annual increases (on May 1, 2020, May 1, 2021 and May 1, 2022).
Business customers account for the majority of the volume of mail sent locally, in particular 9 customers who account for most of the volume (Government of NC, CAFAT, banks, ENERCAL, EEC and CDE). Private customers are less affected by the increase in postage rates due to the limited number of stamps purchased (less than 10 stamps per year on average).
In 2020, to take into account the crisis related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first rate increase, initially scheduled for May 1, 2020, has been postponed to July 1, 2020. This decision was appreciated by our customers. The postponement of the implementation of the new prices has had an impact on mail and parcel revenues in 2020 estimated at around 60 million FCFP.
Today, in view of the new economic and health situation linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, and following the example of the previous decision, the postponement of the implementation of the second postage rate increase from May 1, 2021 to July 1, 2021 has been approved. This measure will impact mail and parcel revenues for 2021 by 55 million FCFP.
As an illustration, the rate of the local stamp less than 20 gr (red cagou) currently at 140 FCFP would remain in force until June 30, 2021 and would evolve to 180 FCFP on July 1, 2021.
