Brasília, June 24, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - National software manufacturers want fairer criteria that include them in the Brazilian government's bidding processes for the purchase of products and services. This theme was the object of a meeting, Monday (23), in Brasília, between the Minister of Science and Technology, Roberto Amaral, and representatives of the software sector.

Márcio Girão, representative of the Society for the Promotion of Excellence in Brazilian Software (Softex), believes that, by reducing restrictions in the bidding process, the government can benefit domestic companies, which, for the most part, are made up of small and medium-sized firms. In his opinion, there are requirements that eliminate the participation of Brazilian companies.

According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), based on data referring to 2001, the Brazilian domestic market is responsible for an annual activity of US$ 8 billion. Of this total, domestic software firms capture only 20%, and, according to Girão, only a government policy could increase this percentage.

Industrialists believe that the national software industry is capable of absorbing a larger portion of this market, as well as expanding activities on the international market. Currently, companies form groups to establish themselves abroad, an operation that requires heavy financial commitments, according to industry owners. For this reason, representatives of the sector also desire a specific credit line for activities on the international market.

The industrialists also presented the Minister with a proposal to manufacture national educational software, to promote the recycling of teachers and the education of students. "We want to help to promote more than digital inclusion; rather, cultural inclusion, in which access to the digital world is just a means to attain this inclusion," he said. (DAS)