Two companies presented offers in the tender for the Internet service carried out by the Ministry of Education (Meduca). This is the public act for the “Tendering, installation, configuration and implementation of the Internet access service for educational centers at the national level.”
The opening of envelopes with the offers presented took place on April 22, with the participation of the Ufinet Consortium for Schools (composed of the companies Ufinet Panamá, S.A. and Ufinet Latam S.L.U.), in addition to Cable & Wireless Panamá, S.A.
The first to present a proposal was the Ufinet Consortium for Schools, which offered the Internet service for an amount of $59,360,700.00, while Cable & Wireless Panama, S.A. presented an offer for $ 44,771,760.00.
The Minister of Education, Lucy Molinar, reported that this tender was a “bet that was made for correction, which cost blood, sweat and tears, but what was going to cost us 1,500 million will cost 44 million, and that fills us with great pride.”
Molinar indicated that the tender was for a better price and, in this case, the lowest proposal was presented by the company Cable & Wireless Panamá, S.A.
Originally, the reference price that was handled for this tender was $59,360,700.00, as indicated on the Panama Shopping portal. The term of the contract will be 2,125 calendar days, that is, 5 years and 8 months.
This tender presented complications due to various situations during the process.
According to the specifications, this tender seeks to improve Internet access in the country’s 3,102 schools, increasing speed and guaranteeing universal coverage.
Currently, Meduca uses the Internet service to meet the needs of administrative and academic activities in schools nationwide.
According to the specifications, sites should be provided with better Internet links, by means of fiber optics or, in places where this is not possible, by means of low-orbit satellite links or microwaves. Technologies should also be used to increase the speed of access for users and reduce the costs of links.
Internet speed will increase up to 100 times, reaching 1,000 megabits, and universal coverage will be guaranteed, including hard-to-access schools. In addition, sustainable energy will be implemented through photovoltaic systems in 991 schools, as well as safety and protection for students through a content filtering system.
The service must also guarantee compatibility with networks, software, interoperability, management, monitoring, capacity and performance.
In the case of the 991 educational centers that do not have electricity, the supplier must provide solar panel systems with sufficient capacity to charge up to 10 computers connected simultaneously, which could represent an investment of $4.4 million.
For schools located in rural areas, the contract states that the provider must establish configurations on the equipment that allow communities to use the service outside of school hours. Community Internet access will be allowed from Monday to Friday, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.; on Saturdays from 1:00 p.m., and throughout the day on Sundays.
It should be remembered that this tender for the Internet had been suspended following recommendations presented by the Directorate General of Public Procurement (DGCP).