Norwegian Police Authority selects IFS Applications distribution, e-business solutions

IFS today announced that the Norwegian Police Authority has signed a contract for IFS Applications. The component-based applications will eventually be used by approximately 15 000 employees throughout Norway for requisitions and orders via the Internet. The Police Authority is one of the first government bodies to implement a modern e-business solution. The initial value of the order is approximately NOK 5 million.

The solution is being implemented to streamline material and resource management throughout the entire Police Authority. IFS Applications will form the business applications backbone, while the e-business portals will be utilised internally for inter-office communication and externally to interface with suppliers and partners.

The Police Authority`s Procurement Department (PMT) has invested heavily to leverage the benefits and rationalisation gains that are inherent in the e-business functionality, and has therefore set up a Web store where material and uniforms can be ordered and distributed. The solution includes IFS` components for distribution, maintenance, financials, project management, portals and Web store.

The contract was won in competition with 14 other suppliers, of whom three were shortlisted. "We wanted to be equipped for the future. That`s why we opted for IFS Applications. The solution will provide us with a better overview of everything from purchasing to distribution, more efficient control, and increased user-friendliness," PMT Director, Tor A Lokken, commented, who stressed the fact that with integrated business applications in place, the foundations have been laid for e-business. "There is an increasing demand from our politicians that the benefits associated with e-business be leveraged to a greater extent by government bodies. At PMT, we want to be well positioned in this respect," Lokken emphasizes.

Magnar Bjork, business area manager at IFS Norway, added, "The agreement with PMT is a good example of the fact that flexible technology and knowledge of the customer`s business are important elements in streamlining and simplifying the public sector. In the solution purchased by PMT, e-business forms the basis for efficient joint procurement internally as well as with suppliers and partners. It is a practical matter of finding simple methods for computerizing unwieldy, expensive manual work processes such as monitoring and requisitioning, lending and controlling an organisation`s own material. IFS Applications is a standard system, but it fulfils customer requirements for smooth distribution throughout an extensive organisation and provides an easy-to-use interface in the form of portals that are recognisable from using the Internet. In the present case, we are talking about 15 000 users dispersed throughout the entire country, which also says a lot about the potential of this agreement."

PMT administers police materiel valued at NOK 130-140 million annually, as well as uniform procurement for the Prison Service, the Customs Service and other government institutions.