Bill Express, the bill payment agency owned by GraceKennedy has assumed exclusive management of Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS’) 15 customer service centres in Jamaica, making it the third agency to do so since 2006.

Yesterday, Gracekennedy and JPS executives signed the three-year contract that gives Bill Express the “largest bill payment community in Jamaica”.

The deal will have JPS absorbing the cost of paying bill of customers, which means that payments made at JPS locations won’t attract the $40 fee typically charged by Bill Express at its locations.

“It is still free to pay the bills at JPS. For our customers its a guarantee that they can pay for free,” Obiglio old the Business Observer. “It is not cheaper than the previous operation, its the same cost. It’s a matter of delivering a great service to our customers and to guarantee that our customers have a payment place where they don’t have to pay to pay our bills.”

Obiglio said that given that all Jamaicans are customers of JPS, Bill Express, which is managed by GKMS, could reach more Jamaicans with its other services, which includes payment of bills for over 30 other merchants, while JPS can outsource an important part of its business to a trusted supplier.

“Bill Express is not new for JPS. They have been collecting JPS bills for over 10 years so its not a new partnership. I think collecting the bill for JPS is not a business by itself. It only becomes a good business if you add other services and Bill Express has that willingness to expand into offering more services to JPS customers,” Obiglio said.

According to Courtney Campbell, chief operating officer of GraceKennedy Investments, the move continues Bill Express’ expansion into the bill payment landscape across the region.

“Our vision is to make Bill Express the leading bill payment solution entity in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. The consummation of this agreement represents an important step towards achieving that goal,” said Campbell. He said there is also the option for persons in North America to pay their bills in Jamaica through any Western Union location overseas.

Neither party would disclose the amount of the investment in the contract, each citing a non-disclosure agreement.

JPS had first outsourced its customer services offices to Paymaster in 2006 but left the business two years later. In 2008, Jamaica National Building Society took it over. Now, Bill Express will make the third company to take on the operations.