Procurement: everyone wants the best, but it may be just as always…Max Wolf | 06.07.2020
The public sector always acts as a stabiliser of the economy during the crisis, providing support, including in the form of public procurement, sectors of the economy that are most severely affected. Want
to believe that this time, in the period of the coronavirus pandemic, the line finally reached it. And there’s a chance that support will be really powerful and targeted. In any case, so much detail
the situation hasn’t discussed not only at the level of the first persons, but in the open space, where on 11 June, the Ministry of communications is almost entirely posted the text of the speech of one Shadaeva at a meeting with
The President of the Russian Federation for ICT and communication.
The Minister has estimated the lost income of the IT industry approximately 80 billion roubles, and offered to compensate them for the expense of government orders. According to one Shadaeva, to restore industry
you need to consider the experience of 2014, when domestic IT businesses out of the crisis difficult, and the demand for IT solutions and services was restored a few years. However, thanks to the support of
domestic players and the industry then came out of a difficult situation more Mature: the share of expenditure on domestic software and services associated with its introduction, has doubled over the past five
years.
This was mostly caused by the prohibition of purchases of foreign software by government agencies. However, he did not touch the state-owned companies – the last one was commissioned to develop a plan for gradual transition to the domestic and
the words of one Shadaeva, such projects have been drawn up. They contain the amount of 80 billion rubles, that is, just as much as, according to estimates by the Ministry of communications, will need to compensate for lost income
Russian IT companies.
The question of what happens with government contracts right now that happened in the period of transition to the isolation and whether or not the Russian IT providers feeling that the lost income associated with
a decrease in the activity of state agencies, publishing IT News discussed directly with relevant senior managers. In conversation participated: Leo Grinin, Deputy Director of the Department and GR
e-procurement “marvel-Distribution; Sergey Kasantsev, Deputy head of Department on work with the public sector, “Maiofis”; Natalia Zubkova, Deputy General
Director of “Norbit” (part of LANIT group); Andrey Burin, head of the Department on work with the public sector, “Fors-development Center” (GK FORCE), Sergei Popov, Deputy General
Director of “Iteca”.
Well-known suppliers of equipment, system software and complex custom enterprise solutions – whether they had perceived major changes?
Natalia Zubkova (“Norbit”)”Changes in working with contractors operating according to the norms of 44-FL, we feel closer to the end of the year, because the contracts are concluded for the whole year.”
In “marvel-Distribution” is also not noticed a General decline in business activity, at least by those government agencies which directly cooperate partners of the distributor. Logical
to assume that the previously ordered equipment has already been budgeted and required by the organizations is quite urgent.
So the overall situation should arise in favor of the organizations, as the most stable partners of the business. In “Itako” I believe that in the current conditions of the market of state orders will keep the pace
growth even in the case that commercial customers will significantly reduce the share of IT costs.
All depends on the specific state organization. Somewhere in April is actively looking for equipment to enable remote work, and somewhere at the same time began to seriously
to save. And, for example, passenger transport because of the significant reduction in income forced faced with reduced budgets. Nevertheless the IT providers understand that soon (maybe
next winter) significantly tightened the reporting requirements and to justify every IT project at the conclusion of the contract and upon delivery will have even more carefully, sure, Ms. Zubkova.
But morally it companies to changes in is always ready. In “Iteka”, in particular, do not doubt that in almost any situation will be able to implement what is planned.
Sergey Popov (“Iteka”)”Over the years, we have experienced more than one crisis, and even in the most difficult conditions fulfill its contractual obligations”.
In General it can be noted that if the maintenance of current activities to organizational structures remain critically important, the pilot project has somewhat lost its relevance.
Sergey Kasantsev (“Maiofis”) “Regime of isolation has shaped the procurement of new tasks to ensure remote work, it pushed back the timing of new pilots and testing”.
In “Forse” the main change is called a new remote form of interaction – companies have remotely to provide virtually the entire spectrum of IT services including migration between
different heterogeneous environments, performance optimization and partial or full transition to a hybrid cloud platform.
Is, on the one hand, positively influenced the availability of many employees of government agencies and increased the flexibility of the processes of approval and delivery of certain phases of the project. In “Norbit” note in
particular, that blurred the boundaries of the working day and at the established online communication has become easier to discuss many issues. In addition, the pandemic helped to weaken rules 44-FZ – for
rapid acquisition of necessary goods, works and services through public procurement.
However, the question of the effectiveness of remote communication, negotiation and decision-making remains open and depends on the specific situation and the employee of the state-owned customer. In particular, due to the mode
the isolation was difficult to get a visa first persons to closure of a number of socially significant projects. The latter hung to the lifting of restrictions.
Thus, the time savings in travel and increased the rate of meetings, and the simple operational connection to the negotiations of all necessary individuals to simplify life for the IT suppliers, but not all
division of customers ready for this kind of work. In addition to the first persons, significantly retarding the situation specificity of the workflow of the commissions on acceptance of work.
IT-providers are almost unanimous in increased competition for future contracts. Some companies seek to obtain them not only for profit, but to save the team.
Hence the willingness of the individual participants of competitive procedures to dump to the last, regardless of how it will affect the quality of the project and the timing of its implementation.
In “Maiofis” lament for the disappeared and the channels of promotion in the form of off-line conferences, where it was possible to communicate personally with the customers. Today suppliers have to develop new schemes
of communication and other remote methods of persuasion of customers. In the “Force” claim that got some experience and even joined the Treasury several major contracts entered
through online communication.
Of the negative factors impacting on profitability of IT companies, increasing competition superimposed new requirements customers about providing them with a longer grace period and costs
to establish remote working for its staff. Complicated work on the preparation of projects and pre-project surveys, and in some cases because of the conditions of isolation or
stop activity of the enterprises it was simply impossible.
Despite all these nuances, some IT players are confident that the share of government contracts will increase in the foreseeable future.
Leo Grinin (“marvel-Distribution”) “In every crisis an active user of technology is the state that is needed to support the economy. Thus, it is crucial to strengthen import substitution and to provide real support in the form of government contracts to domestic companies.”
In “Norbit” I think that at least this year the increase in the share of public procurement in the turnover of IT companies is not going to happen, as not much growth in IT costs and haven’t heard about the upcoming increase
IT budgets of customers. In “Itako” I believe that in addition to the public sector have a chance to grow and projects for industrial companies. In “Maiofis” we hope to rectify the situation to
the end of the year, but do not expect changes on its results. An obvious gap between the actual launch of new pilot projects in the beginning of the year and the simultaneous increase in interest of customers to advanced digital
technology should lead ultimately to a growth in the implementation of IT projects in the second half. And in the “Forsa” expect the demand for new digital platforms and services that will benefit
for the implementation of the national project “Digital economy”. This will increase the importance of public procurement.
Andrey Burin (“Force”) “Our company aims to support the increasing volume of public procurement exclusively, we are always trying to diversify its business, and commercial customers for us no less important and promising.”
On the question of whether IT companies in the current situation and in the future to do without state orders, the panellists responded that in theory it’s possible, but only for niche players, for example,
oriented to the automation of retail or other industries where you can rely solely on large commercial structures. For IT companies more versatile to do without a government order
it is almost impossible.
In “Itako” I think that because government agencies require a very wide range of IT solutions for automation, integration, efficiency and are interested in including the latest
instruments such as technology AI, machine learning, biometrics, and so forth, as a customer the public sector is of great interest to an equally wide range of IT companies, being, in fact,
an important element for the development of the IT market.
What will be the state order in the coming years? Will he be able to compensate for lost revenues from the IT-suppliers will either fall out with them (at least for some companies), can be assessed closer to the
the end of the year. Try not to miss this moment and, based on data from the well-known Russian companies working with the public sector, to keep readers informed of events.
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