Info Tech’s Bid Express Service Proves to Be Hurricane Proof

GAINESVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Info Tech’s Bid Express Service provides secure internet bidding and openings for agencies across North America, supporting critical business operations even when natural disasters are imminent. In September, Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane and one of the most powerful Atlantic storms to ever hit the United States, caused more than six million people in Florida to evacuate their homes, left more than 15 million without power and did more than $55 billion in damages. During this horrific storm, the Bid Express service did not miss an agency’s bid letting or contract opening due to interruption of service. For agencies outside of Florida, it was business as usual.

Monday, September 11, and, Tuesday, September 12, the worst days of the storm for Gainesville, bid lettings and openings continued for the Bid Express service without delay. Nearly 30 lettings and openings occurred over the two days.

West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) could not delay bid openings due to bond commitment deadlines. WVDOT let 46 proposals with 134 submitted bids for over $650 million. Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) had 11 proposals with 46 submitted bids for over $300 million. Info Tech’s Bid Express withstood the test of nature’s fury.

With authorities warning of the dangers of Hurricane Irma, Info Tech closed its Gainesville office but the support team mapped out a strategy for continued support services, relying on wireless broad-band internet and cell phones. When Gainesville began losing power and heavy rains caused local flooding, Info Tech’s customer service was answering the calls from agencies around the country.

"With several bid openings scheduled during and immediately after the hurricane, Info Tech wanted to be sure we were available to support our Bid Express bidding community,” stated Ozette Brown, Director of Bidding services. Ozette continued, “Several agencies and bidders shared their surprise and gratitude for our responsive customer support despite the local impact of Hurricane Irma."

The Bid Express service is a cloud-based Software-as-a-service (SaaS) product with the necessary redundancies to withstand the force of a hurricane. As Mike Coleman, Proposal Development Specialist, WisDOT, put it, “Info Tech can now claim the Bid Express service is hurricane proof.”

As a SaaS product, Bid Express operates within Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS takes extensive precautions to ensure that the service will remain fully operational, with no loss of service to Info Tech’s hosted applications even during a major weather event or natural disaster. AWS replicates critical systems with multiple Availability Zones across 12 regions within the United States. “Our customers require Info Tech to provide services they can count on any time and all the time. Many of our services are mission critical for our customers and our core values ensure dedicated, quality customer support,” states Will McClave, Info Tech President, Info Tech Systems.

About Info Tech, Inc.

Info Tech offers a variety of products and services to facilitate and expedite infrastructure e-Construction across the U.S. and Canada. By involving all stakeholders, Info Tech products and services increase communication and collaboration for more effective capital program management. Founded in the 1970s, the company initially focused on statistical and economic consulting services, developing the first computerized methods for detecting collusive behavior in sealed bid markets. As a result, Info Tech became the pioneer in computerized techniques for detecting fraudulent business behavior in various industries. Info Tech is headquartered in Gainesville, FL.

Contacts

Info Tech, Inc.
Ron Gant, 352-381-4458
ron.gant@infotechfl.com
or
Daina Woodman, 352-381-4729
daina.woodmand@infotechfl.com