The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport and Aviation signed an $8.3 million contract with an international revenue management company, Datatorque, for the modernization of the Road Traffic Department.

Approximately 13 months ago, the Ministry of Transport and Aviation in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, were searching for a company to carry out the complete automation of the Road Traffic Department and after receiving bids from at least eight companies, it was announced on Wednesday that a company called Datatorque will be in charge of the modernization of the department.

Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said the Road Traffic Department for years has been faced with many logistical difficulties and the new upgrade will be beneficial to the entire country.

“This is a critical generative revenue for the state but importantly, it will allow for more ease of access by the public,” he said.

“This is one of the government entities that daily, a huge percentage of our population accesses in terms of the services and it is plagued with a large number of logistical difficulties and interruptions and it’s not efficient. This is the first time that we are now looking to create a more customer friendly operation for the Bahamian public.”

Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis stressed the grave significance of having the department’s system at international standards.

“Modernization is necessary in order to better provide service for the public in a timely and convenient matter and to maximize the revenue due to the public purse,” said Minister Halkitis.

“This modernization project aims to achieve both of these objectives. This programme is the latest that the government of The Bahamas under the current administration has undertaken with the aim of ensuring that all revenues due to the public purse are collected and fully accounted for. It follows upon modernization reforms at the Real Property Tax Department, Business License Department and the modernization project now in the advance stage of implementation at the Bahamas Customs Department.”

Datatorque representative Raymond Marshall said the company will carry out the automation process through software, hardware, training for employees and multiyear support in maintenance.

He expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to partner with the government.

“We are honoured to participate in this project along with the Road Traffic Department,” he said.

“The modernization will consist of implementation and configuration of software, hardware, training and other things. The objective is to revolutionize the service provided at the department.”

The process of the automation of the Road Traffic Department will commence this week.

In total, Datatorque said the estimated completion time is within the next 19 months.