Global management-software company SAP will expand its products and services in the public sector.

According to Gartner, an IT research and advisory company, private firms’ budgets dedicated to IT in 2009 will remain at last year’s levels worldwide. However, SAP expects Polish companies’ IT budgets to slightly decrease, said Grzegorz Rogaliński, head of SAP Polska.

The company sees an opportunity in the public sector, which has a stable, dedicated budget for IT investments.

“The money for big IT investments is already destined for these projects. It comes mainly from EU funds and must be used for these purposes this year and in the coming years,” Rogaliński explained.

SAP Polska is planning to participate in several public tenders this year. “Not only will we participate, but we are hoping to win many of them,” said Leszek Bartłomiejczyk, the director at SAP Polska responsible for the public sector.

One of the major public IT projects that SAP wants to carry out is the implementation of electronic tax returns.

“The project’s goal is not only to make taxpayers’ lives easier. It also comprises management of tax data,” said Bartłomiejczyk, who estimates the value of the project at zł.800 million.

“Other projects that we will fight for include municipal tax and revenue management, creating a common electronic platform for the Polish health service and a complex logistics solution for the Defense Ministry,” said Bartłomiejczyk.

SAP Polska is also interested in providing IT solutions for the management of university campuses and projects associated with the police, border patrol and fire service.
For 2008, SAP Polska reported revenues of €90.1 (zł.413.4) million, 21.7 percent higher than in 2007.