Fujitsu Caribbean (Trinidad) Limited has entered into a master agreement for managed service with the National Insurance Board of Trinidad and Tobago’s (NIBTT) EMPOWER project designed to address strategic organisational needs and the business requirements of several key areas of the NIBTT.

Outlining the agreement in a news release, Fujitsu said the EMPOWER project is critical to advancing NIBTT’s Vision 2024 strategic plan.

The NIBTT, the release said, “has embarked on a digital transformational journey which will bring about greater operational efficiencies with a clear customer-centric focus”.

As the NIBTT evolves to meet the changing needs of all stakeholders, digitisation of many of the organisation’s operations is a core driver for service delivery and growth.

The agreement is being seen as a significant milestone for the EMPOWER project.

“Having engaged in a structured and rigorous procurement process for a leading digital services partner for this solution, Fujitsu Caribbean (Trinidad) Limited emerged as having the requisite level of technical, business skills and experience to satisfy the requirements, and to deliver the functionality and efficiencies intended for the EMPOWER project,” the release explained.

“The NIBTT is a 50-year-old organisation, and we are highly paper-based, but our transformation through the EMPOWER project is going address our pressing needs for improved operational efficiency,” the release quotes NIBTT executive director and EMPOWER project sponsor Niala Persad-Poliah.

“I have no doubt that our partnership with Fujitsu Caribbean (Trinidad) Limited will yield the results necessary to propel the NIBTT in achieving its vision of being an innovative provider of relevant national insurance,” Persad-Poliah added.

Fujitsu’s CEO, head of Caribbean and Latin America, Mervyn Eyre, lauded the partnership.

“We are so proud to have the opportunity to play a major role in NIBTT’s Empower transformation programme and to be able to contribute to Trinidad and Tobago’s wider digital journey,” he said.

“Fujitsu’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. In fulfilling this purpose in Trinidad and Tobago our mission is to ensure the well-being of its citizens by supporting the Government’s ambition to provide a reliable and effective national insurance system that protects against economic and social distress. In lieu of this, I am delighted that after a rigorous evaluation process Fujitsu has been selected to be NIBTT’s co-creation partner to modernise its core systems to provide a new digital platform that empowers its people to transform the customer experience and add further value to citizens in their life journey,” Eyre said.

Fujitsu’s vice-president sales, East Caribbean, Jean-Paul Dookie, said that by modernising its core applications NIBTT will be able to better serve its customers through world class experiences and build deeper trust with all its key stakeholders in providing national insurance services.

“The solution will help them to automate labour-intensive processes, create and adapt and scale its digital services as industry standards and customer needs evolve and respond quickly to regulatory changes,” Dookie said.

“With the combined capabilities of Fujitsu and the Oracle suite of applications, NIBTT can jump-start its digital-first services through best of breed digital innovation, while keeping customer engagement at the heart of its business. Through their vision and foresight, NIBTT are changing the game for national insurance services across the region by leveraging digital technology to put people at the centre of all they do,” Dookie argued.

Among the many benefits of the EMPOWER project will be self-service options for customers, employees and employers (online claims submissions, access to contribution statements, etc), digital channels of service delivery, reduced time for the settlement of claims and easier access to information.

Over the next 18 months, the NIBTT will be implementing major deliverables of the EMPOWER project, on a phased roll-out basis, to all stakeholders.