Perth-based software developer HarvestRoad has bagged a four-year, $11 million contract with Mexico-based Latin American Institute of Educational Communication (ILCE) to provide its Hive software for a digital repository system.
The deal is the developer's largest contract to date, following a trial which began in October last year.
Hive is a federated digital repository software system which lets users collect and share learning objects used in the delivery of online educational courses.
Starting in February, a Teacher's Network would be developed and an interactive distance e-learning online concept dubbed Capacinet, the company said.
The Teacher's Network would provide interactive distance learning resources to 1.2 million teachers in Mexico. Capacinet would deliver online courses into projects within sectors of e-government, e-Health and e-Education.
As part of the contract, HarvestRoad would also help establish a standards laboratory for e-learning in Latin America, said Grame Barty, executive chairman and HarvestRoad founder.
Barty said HarvestRoad was given the chance to bid for the contract when the Mexican Education Department visited Australia in early 2003 and was alerted to the developer's technology.
"They became aware of our capability when meeting some clients. We started talking to them in March last year," he said.
The Mexican government has signed a memorandum of understanding for educational capability with the Australian Federal government for transfer of skills in learning content and educational research.
Using the software, ICLE would be able to collect, manage and re-use thousands of learning objects and act as an educational service provider to other educational institutions in Latin America, said Barty.
He added that due to the "disparity" of these markets, the software is ideal for the education sector on the continent.
Barty said ILCE was a "significant reference account" and followed a deal it won last year with the Correspondence School of New Zealand.
The company had also won a three-year agreement for Hive with Surf, an organisation in Holland that represents all educational markets there, Barty said.
Around 90 percent of HarvestRoad's business is generated from international markets.
The developer has been in operation since 1996 and made its maiden profit for the half year ending 31 December 2003, said Barty.
For the half year ending 31 December 31, the company had sales revenue of $3.5 million, and hoped its revenues would exceed $6 million by 30 June 2004.
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