Information Society – IT projects worth € 500 million by the end of the year

With a storm of announcements of 40 new projects, with a budget of 500 million euros, the Information Society SA (IS) will run to the finish this year. The main arm of the country for the implementation of digital transformation projects already has about 50 contracted projects, totaling 600 million euros, while in the last two years it has proceeded to 70 program contracts, amounting to 2 billion euros.

The above numbers are indicative of the leap that our country has made towards the digital transformation. The challenges of the coming years are enormous in terms of quality and speed of implementation, as the Recovery Fund brings an avalanche of projects, with tight schedules. As Mr. Stavros Asthenidis, CEO of IS, said during an event organized by the company within the 85th Thessaloniki International Fair, “IS is on the verge of implementing Recovery Fund projects totaling over 2.5 billion euros. A package of projects that will be more than double the previous business plan of the company “.

More flexibility and autonomy in the Information Society SA (IS)

In order to implement the projects envisaged by the Digital Book and the “Greece 2.0” project with speed and quality, the Minister of State and Digital Governance, Mr. Kyriakos Pierrakakis, announced changes in the operation of the Information Society (IS), in the context of of the same event.

Our country, according to the minister, is in front of a huge package of digital projects that will reach a total of 6 billion euros in the coming years. The large volume of projects combined with the demanding schedules create the need for fast and transparent tender procedures, as well as for properly trained staff.

Characteristic of the challenge is the fact that the country’s technology companies have absorbed in the last 30 years, about 5 billion euros from European programs, while within the next five years 6 billion euros will have to be absorbed.

The next step will be for Greece to follow the European practice, which is based on framework agreements in the field of information technology, effectively committing human resources to developers and ensuring flexibility in relation to what is then required through the executive contracts.

Particular emphasis will be placed on strengthening the autonomy of IS, as well as on how to pay for the projects being auctioned, in order to avoid delays and problems in the operation of IT companies.

Mr. Pierrakakis characterized the Recovery Fund as a first Marshall Plan for IT and stressed that in combination with the new financial possibilities, ie the existing and the new NSRF, national resources, but also new tools, such as PPPs, create a great financial source, “which enables us to implement not only what is necessary, but also what is desired”.