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The Port of Rotterdam Authority has contracted FIQAS Software as the supplier of the invoicing system for Port Dues following a European tendering process. With FIQAS’ PortAbillity® solution, ship visits to the Rotterdam port area can be translated into an automatic, real-time statement. Once validated by the Port Authority, this statement is promptly converted into an invoice. The contract was signed on October 22, and the solution is set to be operational in Q1 2019.
As Europe’s largest port, the Port of Rotterdam hosts around 30,000 seagoing vessels and 100,000 inland vessels annually. Port dues, costs related to ship visits, represent the main source of revenue for the Authority. These charges also enable the Authority to manage aspects such as environmental impact, commercial attractiveness (competitive positioning), and optimal use of port infrastructure.
The Authority aims to streamline an efficient and reliable process with customer-centricity in mind. In mid-2017, an EU tender was issued for a port dues system that would eventually encompass all aspects of port charges related to ship visits, including sea port dues, quay, buoy, and piling dues, waste contribution, and inland port dues, including discounts. After the tender process, FIQAS, an experienced specialist in tariffing, invoicing, and debtor management for companies dealing with complex processes and significant data quantities, was awarded the contract.
The new port dues system developed by FIQAS is named PortAbillity®. It consists of a web-based declaration portal that communicates with modules from the established off-the-shelf invoicing platform Abillity®. The solution encompasses the process from data collection and augmentation, validation and calculation, to invoicing, presentation, and reporting. The Port Authority is anticipated to implement the PortAbillity® system in Q1 2019.
Both the Port of Rotterdam Authority and FIQAS are looking forward to a successful and long-term collaboration.
Paul Smits, CFO Port of Rotterdam Authority: “The new port dues system significantly improves the user-friendliness of the sea port dues declaration process for our customers. Additionally, it provides increased efficiency in our internal processes and offers better steering information for the Authority. With FIQAS’ system, the invoicing of port dues becomes a highly automated and real-time process, placing Customer Self Care at its core.”
Rob Geleijn, CEO FIQAS Software: “We are incredibly proud to be awarded this contract. Our work involves not merely implementing a replacement system but collaborating closely with the Port Authority to redesign the port dues process. The ultimate result will offer financially sound and user-friendly functionality. This provides FIQAS with the opportunity to explore a new market with PortAbillity®. With this promising outlook, we are energetically committed to our ‘port work’!
