This press release responds to a statement from Udecott that can be found here.

TSTT wishes to affirm that there was no “technical glitch” on its e-Tender platform, which resulted in our client, UDeCOTT’s inability to see one of the bid submissions in relation to the central block at the Port of Spain General Hospital.

A due diligence assessment conducted by TSTT’s ICT infrastructure and cyber security engineers revealed that UDeCOTT’s inability to access the bid submission for Universal Structures Limited was caused by a temporary disruption in internet connectivity with the vendor’s Internet Provider when the vendor was uploading its company’s bid submission. TSTT is not that vendor’s Internet Service Provider.

TSTT’s e-Tender platform is built on the tenets of transparency, fairness, accountability, and security. Developed in accordance with international best practices, e-Tender operates in full compliance with national legislation and has successfully addressed some of the perennial challenges associated with traditional tendering.

e-Tender is a robust software that is backed by one of the most certified data centres in the region – TSTT’s TIA-942-B Rated 3, DCOS Maturity Level 3, and SOC Type 2 data centre.

It is critical for TSTT to reiterate that the connectivity issue or “technical glitch” was external to TSTT and the e-Tender platform. Any such attribution is unfounded.

Given recent reports and attempts to challenge the integrity of the platform and the tendering process, TSTT has engaged an external independent party to confirm that all documents were lodged before the closing time and that the process was transparent.

TSTT is committed to upholding the tenets upon which the e-Tender platform was built and will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure the same.