Microsoft and the Organization of American States (OAS) have partnered to promote the adoption of Internet-based systems among Latin America's municipalities and public-sector agencies, they said Wednesday. Microsoft, through its Latin America division, is contributing $6 million worth of software and IT services to this e-government initiative. Meanwhile, the OAS, through its Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD), is providing personnel and administration services to the initiative, which, along with contributions from other participants, have been estimated to have a value of about $3 million, said Rafael Pérez, regional director of government and education at Microsoft Latin America.
The OAS/IACD will review proposals from government agencies and municipalities throughout Latin America. The initiative will sponsor 94 implementations that break out as follows, according to Pérez:
- 20 portals
- 20 systems for citizen access to public services
- 50 systems for managing community Internet kiosks, such as PC software configurations and Internet access policies
- Two e-procurement systems
- Two systems for managing the administration of public schools
Municipalities and agencies can find out more information about the process to draft and submit proposals at the IACD's Web site (www.iacd.oas.org).
While Microsoft and the OAS/IACD will shoulder part of the cost of each implementation, governments will also be expected to invest in the projects, Pérez said. For example, governments will need to provide the necessary hardware and related infrastructure for the system. They will also need to commit the necessary personnel to oversee, design and operate the system. And they will have to cover training and consulting costs beyond $25,000, which is the maximum Microsoft will cover in training and consulting per implementation.
"Often when you announce you're going to donate something, many takers show up," he said. But in this initiative, only municipalities and agencies willing to commit the necessary resources to the success of the projects will be chosen, he said.
The main goal sought with this initiative is to foster the creation of e-government systems that will improve the delivery of services to citizens in the region, he said. For Microsoft, the initiative is also a way to extend its presence in the region's public sector and show that it can deliver e-government systems, he said.
Among the competitors Microsoft faces in the public sector is open source software, particularly the Linux operating system.
Microsoft and the OAS/IACD about two years ago collaborated to create a portal called Portal Educativo de las Américas (The Americas Educational Portal) to give access to educational resources to OAS member countries.
Quelle: InfoWorld
