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JAMAICAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Another Exporter Takes Flight
(An Article published in the Exporter, Issue #1, 1998)

CCC has helped launch another fledging exporter. Two years ago, Heron Technology Corp. (HTC) had never sold its products outside Ontario. Today, the Markham software developer has a successful installation of its Patient Administration System software up and running in five hospitals in Jamaica.

"We got the RFP in April, 1995, through the efforts of the Canadian High Commission in Jamaica," said Ron Hebert, President of HTC, an 11 year old firm. "We were excited about the prospect of selling in a foreign market, but we had absolutely no experience. A friend of mine who works in a provincial trade agency told me about CCC and how they could help us."

Mr. Hebert contacted M.A. Majeed, of CCC's International Operations Division, who quickly set to work transforming Heron into an exporter. "As a very small company with five employees, HTC realized that it would need help to get the recognition it needed in order to conclude a sale to the government of Jamaica," said Mr. Majeed. "CCC's involvement provided just the sort of credibility the firm needed."

HTC is far from the only company specializing in hospital information systems, and the company had several U.S. and Canadian competitors on the tender. To enhance its chances for success, HTC established a business relationship with a local Jamaican firm, Interface Consultants Limited. In June, 1995 CCC submitted a joint bid to the Jamaican Ministry of Health on behalf of HTC and Interface Consultants.

"CCC was a great help to us," said Mr. Hebert, "and even more so after we were selected. They were a great help in assembling the contract, and advised the client that a letter of credit would be the best means of payment, so we had no concerns in this regard."

The $US 300,000 contract also called for substantial progress payments. Without CCC's involvement, Heron Technology would have been obliged to post corresponding bank guarantees, which would have tied up its working capital.

PHASE I UP AND RUNNING

"We have the Patient Administration System up and running now in the five hospitals," said Mr. Hebert, "which is Phase I of the Jamaican Health Ministry's program. Two of our staff are in Jamaica conducting training, which is part of the contract. Everything has gone very smoothly, partly because the hospitals all had a very good manual system in place, which makes it easier to computerize."

With its successful implementation of Phase I, HTC will be a very strong contender for the much larger Phase II, which covers the remaining 15 hospitals in Jamaica. "Of course we hope to win Phase II as well", said Mr. Hebert. "If we do, all the hospitals in the country will be using a standard patient administration system, which will be a unique situation. Even within Ontario, hospitals use a variety of systems, making it difficult to share information."

The Jamaican project has already opened some doors for HTC in the Caribbean, with potential for new sales in Trinidad, Barbados, the Bahamas and Cuba. As Mr. Majeed notes, the sale to Jamaica could well be the first step in the development of a major new Canadian high technology exporter.

"This sale to Jamaica gives HTC a showcase system for the area," said Mr. Majeed. "I'm sure that CCC will be working with them in the future".

Ron Hebert can be reached by e-mail at ronh@herontech.com.

More information on the JMOH Implementation