The Tender Review Authority recently put an end to a dispute that lasted approximately four years regarding which company would undertake the management of the State's electronic transactions, a service through which payments of taxes, contributions, vehicle licenses, extrajudicial fees, municipal fees and other government charges are processed.
According to the Authority's decision (HERE in Greek), the contract, which is expected to be signed in the near future unless any other developments prevent it, has been finally awarded to Vivabank Single Member Banking S.A., the universal successor of Viva Payments Services S.A.
It is noted that a bid for the service was also submitted by JCC Payment Systems Ltd, which has been managing the electronic transactions of the State since 2010, but the Accountant General's Office decided to award the Tender for the "Provision of Electronic Transaction Processing Services of the State" to VivaBank, whose bid had emerged as the most advantageous from an economic point of view based on price.
It is worth mentioning that, based on what is recorded in the decision of the Tender Review Authority, VivaBank 's bid amounted to €4,094,216.60, while JCC Payment Systems Ltd's bid amounted to €4,970,451.59.
As for the duration of the contract to be signed, based on the terms of the tender announced in January 2022, it will be for a period of 67 months, of which one month for the technical preparation of the interface with the Payment Gateway (PGW) 'Ariadne', four to six months for the interface with the PGW 'Ariadne' and 36 months for the provision of services for the processing of electronic government transactions, with the right for two twelve-month renewals.
More about VivaBank
InBusinessNews, on the occasion of the decision of the Tender Review Authority, sought out and briefly presents the profile of Vivabank Single Member Banking S.A., which will soon take over the electronic transactions of the State.
According to what is stated in official bulletins, as well as on the company's website, Viva is the first Tech Bank in Europe for businesses, serving 29 countries through its pan-European critical infrastructure for payment and banking services.
The company offers omnichannel payment acceptance, tax stamping, deposit accounts, card issuance and a wide range of financing solutions - including working capital and reservation discounting - providing businesses in every industry with access to the tools they need to operate effectively, with a single partner.
Based on cloud-native technology, Viva pioneered the development and implementation of Tap on Any Device technology, allowing payments to be accepted on any Android or iPhone device, while connecting directly to all major international and local card schemes, local payment systems and alternative payment methods across Europe.
It is also worth mentioning that the company is an official member of Visa and Mastercard for acquiring & issuing services.
A major European project
The company also recently undertook, together with European Dynamics, a leading e-government and digital transformation company, the implementation of a major European project.
Specifically, and as announced, the two companies undertook, from the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union - DG TAXUD, the implementation of the project of the development, operation and maintenance of the central payment platform of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), one of the EU's flagship climate initiatives.
This mechanism ensures that imported carbon- intensive goods are charged a carbon cost equivalent to that paid by EU producers under the EU Emissions Trading System, which entered into force on 1 January 2026, initially covering imports of cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen.
The new platform will process the purchase of certificates for thousands of businesses across the 27 member states, supporting a key part of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
According to the announcement, European Dynamics will be responsible for the architecture and development of the platform, as well as its integration into the EU's customs and tax systems, leveraging three decades of experience in developing large-scale digital infrastructures for European institutions and governments.
On its part, Viva will provide the bank accounts required for DG TAXUD and the Member States, as well as the regulatory-compliant payment infrastructure, including SEPA connectivity, to execute all incoming and outgoing Account-to-Account payments, leveraging its pan-European critical infrastructure for payment and banking services.
It is noted that the contract will be executed in two phases - development and testing of the platform, followed by launch and ongoing support - with the system becoming fully operational on 1 February, 2027, when the sale of certificates will begin.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
