Six bidders have been shortlisted to assist in the construction of the E-Government Internet portal, Government announced on Friday.

E-Commerce consultant to the Ministry of Telecommunications and E-Commerce Nigel Hickson said the shortlisted companies had been selected from 18 submissions which were received last month.

The shortlisted companies will make presentations to the project team in April.

A Government statement said Mr. Hickson was impressed with "the effort and imagination shown by the international players" which "clearly demonstrated the high regard they had for Bermuda and its E-Government project".

"This is a testament to the clarity of the vision that Government has demonstrated for the development of E-Government and E-Business in Bermuda," he said. The shortlisted entries are: Microsoft Consulting (working with local partners), IBM (working with Bermuda Computing Services), SBI (working with Plumtree), TeleBermuda International (working with Vignette) Logic Communications (working with QuoVadis) and Cable & Wireless.

Government announced its plans for a portal in January.

it is intended to bring together the wide range of Government websites currently online onto one site and to enable Government to conduct more business online. Telecommunications and E-Commerce Minister Renee Webb said then that the portal would "propel Bermuda into the premier league of E Government jurisdictions".

She said that the first phase of the portal - the migration of all public Government information onto the Portal - will be complete by the early summer."