Call For Entries: 12th Annual Canadian Information Productivity Awards Opens 2004 Competition Designed to Attract the Very Best in Canadian IT Innovation

	For More Information: Contact: norm.kirkpatrick@C.I.P.A..com (905) 695-6590

April 1, 2004, Toronto, Canada: Canadian Information Productivity Awards (C.I.P.A.), Canada’s leading national IT and innovation awards program announces the opening of its 12th annual competition. C.I.P.A., in collaboration with sponsors, national industry associations, and business partners, honours organizations in Canada that have benefited from IT and innovation implementation excellence, coast to coast.

“The power of the C.I.P.A. program resides in its inclusive nature, open to all organizations across Canada in both the public and private sectors. And with IT as the prinC.I.P.A.l global driver of innovation and competitiveness, Canadians and Canada can benefit from the spotlight that the C.I.P.A. competition places on in-Canada implemented IT solutions,” said Norm Kirkpatrick, President of C.I.P.A. “C.I.P.A. strives to celebrate and share excellence, recognizing visionary organizations that have developed bold, enterprising IT solutions that generate visible operational improvements or make a substantial contribution to the Canadian economy or society.”

The mission of C.I.P.A., managed by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, is to recognize organizations that have developed innovative results-based technology solutions in the areas of customer care, operations and efficiency and organizational transformation.
“A C.I.P.A. award is coveted by business and not-for-profit organizations alike as it identifies an organization as not only a recognized leader in innovation but a leader in productivity growth as well. The combination of the two signifies a strong foundation for success in today’s competitive marketplace” says Alain Beaudry, Managing Director, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, managing sponsor of C.I.P.A..

Past C.I.P.A. winners include financial institutions, governments and government agencies, a wide range of businesses, and national not-for-profit organizations. 2003 award winners included an IT staffing specialist company, a healthcare agency, a construction company, a cattle tracking agency, a national clothing manufacturer, a land management office, a global financial institution, a land registry office, a telephone company, a transportation company, a transaction processing company, a regional health authority and a provincial government.

In a continuing effort to evolve with the adoption of new technology and its applications, C.I.P.A. is introducing two new entry categories to reflect current project trends in the Canadian landscape. “Mobile Solutions” will address the emergence of innovative wireless and mobile technologies being implemented by users in a variety of industry applications targeted at (for example) better enabling the delivery of a product or service to the point-of-need. A new category focused on “Innovation” is being announced to enable recognition of any exceptional project that personifies the essence of innovation in its design.

The C.I.P.A. 2004 call for entries is now open from April 1st to May 31st, 2004 for all private and public sector organizations and companies in Canada to submit their innovative IT implementation projects for consideration of a C.I.P.A. Award of Excellence.

A full description of C.I.P.A. entry rules and categories can be found at www.C.I.P.A..com

 

C.I.P.A. 2003 award winning projects included:

• EllisDon Corporation for a web-enabled construction project management tool that allows project staff and partners to work collaboratively via the Internet to manage critical aspects of a construction project, from planning through to post-construction audit.

• Alberta Health and Wellness for a web-based newborn metabolic screening tracking system that is improving the quality of life of children and dramatically reducing healthcare costs by ensuring every newborn receives metabolic screening within its first seven days of life.

• The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency for a web-based cattle identification system that uses ear tags bearing unique ID numbers to record the 'herd of origin' for each of Canada's cattle and bison, a critical piece of information used by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to contain potentially devastating reportable diseases and major food defects.

• CNC Global Limited for an integrated set of web-based CRM and workforce management applications, used to manage all staffing placement and administrative activities - including customer job postings, candidate resume submissions, recruitment process outsourcing, consultant management and partner management - and provide an online, self-service solution

• Mark's Work Wearhouse Ltd. for a new, thin-client POS system deployed throughout a 330+ chain of clothing stores across Canada eliminating the need for in-store processors, significantly reducing hardware, software, training and maintenance costs and providing a richer, more efficient application environment for employees and customers in its stores

• The Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines for a Web-based land parcel information management system in a provincial government recording office, that makes digital colour maps and information on 180,000 mining claim units and 220,000 other land tenure parcels available over the Internet to mining and exploration companies anywhere in the world at any time - and at no cost

• RBC Financial Group for a new global market risk management system utilizing advances in data warehousing, business intelligence and application integration technologies that has completely revolutionized the way to measure, manage and mitigate risk on proprietary trading portfolios managed in its major trading centers in Toronto, New York, London and Sydney

• Service New Brunswick for an innovative software tool set that provides a flexible 'transaction processing framework' to enable the government to deploy over-the-counter, telephone, and web-based service delivery offerings quickly, while substantially reducing training, operations and support costs

• TELUS Mobility for a new national billing and customer service system that is integrating account information of millions of clients across Canada drawn from three merged companies to significantly enhance internal operations, strengthen dealer loyalty and help 1,700 frontline employees deliver better client support

• The Québec Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Parks for a highly secure, web-based land registry information system for use by 73 offices and eight regional operation centres across the province in conducting land registration transactions and carrying out activities required to maintain, update and distribute land registry information for use by notaries, lawyers, surveyors, muniC.I.P.A.lities and the public

• TRIMAC for a unique enterprise resource planning system for bulk-truck transportation that manages its business more effectively, reduces operational costs and improves the safety of its fleet and drivers and integrates with the internet for order entry, fulfillment and invoicing, to deliver greater value to the customer

• Terra Payments for an automated risk management system for international payment transactions that approves or declines every payment transaction in real time, and tracks each transaction throughout its lifecycle to improve the quality of the real-time decisions by exploiting patterns associated with legitimate versus fraudulent transactions.

• The Fraser Health Authority for a solution that transmits patient reports and digital photos to consulting nurses and doctors at a central facility, reducing and eliminating expensive and time-consuming trips by patients to hospitals, lowering health care costs, improving operational efficiency and lessening strain on patients.

A full description of C.I.P.A. entry rules and categories can be found at www.C.I.P.A..com

About C.I.P.A

The Canadian Information Productivity Awards (C.I.P.A.) is a celebration of IT and innovation implementation excellence in all types of organizations across the country. Entering its 12th year of operation, it is one of the largest business awards programs in Canada and is recognized as the premier showcase for Canadian IT and innovation.

Cap Gemini Ernst & Young is the managing sponsor of C.I.P.A. with industry support from Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd., Microsoft Canada Co., Sharp Electronics of Canada Ltd. and other leading organizations.

C.I.P.A. applications are accepted from across the country through an alliance with the OCTAS Awards, managed by the Fédération de l'informatique de Québec, and in collaboration with ITAC (Information Technology Association of Canada), CIPS (Canadian Information Processing Society, CATA (Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance) and CME (Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters).