The Federal Network Agency is looking for a new service provider for sending faxes. Interested parties have until February 15 to submit their offer – not in writing, but only electronically.
The Federal Network Agency is actually largely responsible for digitization in Germany. However, a new tender is now causing ridicule: the authority is looking for a new service provider for sending faxes.
Federal Network Agency is looking for a fax service provider: volume of 3,000 to 4,000 faxes per month
One might think that this type of communication has long gone out of fashion. But not for the Federal Network Agency. According to the tender, a “supplier for the provision of fax services” will be sought from April 1st. The authority assumes a volume of 3000 to 4000 incoming and outgoing faxes per month. In addition, “an expansion of the fax capacity after announcement by BNetzA in the event of foreseeable peak loads in reception and/or dispatch” must be possible.
But that’s not all. The authority also expects the provision of 9999 fax numbers and German support. The fax equipment should also be coupled with TLS-encrypted SMTP and FTP connections – i.e. exclusively digital.
Network scoffs at the Federal Network Agency
In particular, the term of up to 60 months – i.e. five years – causes a lot of laughter on the Internet. Left-wing member of the Bundestag Anke Domscheit-Berg shared a screenshot of the tender on Twitter and commented on it with quite a few smiling smileys.
So if you run a company that specializes in sending and receiving faxes and would like to work in this industry in the long term, you can apply to the Federal Network Agency until February 15th. On Twitter, a user already senses a “bomb deal” at market prices of five cents per faxed page.
However, if the applicants tear for the position, it could actually lead to a tough bidding war. Because the Federal Network Agency emphasizes a decisive criterion for the award of the authority in its call for tenders: “Price”.
Source: Federal Network Agency tender