Dr Mónika Iszály
Project leader, GIRO Elszámolásforgalmi Zrt.
The introduction of the central infrastructure in GIRO When I joined the GIRO team in May 2017, the only thing I knew was that I had to coordinate the introduction of the central infrastructure of instant payments. I was naturally aware that this was a high-value priority project, but I only realised what this actually meant much later. When I arrived, the preparatory project was drawing to a close, and work on the requirements specification was well under way. I did not have much time to acquaint myself with my new workplace since the call for tenders had to be sent out to the potential suppliers in mid-June. I remember that we prepared and encrypted the electronic document packages for each supplier, and after we pushed ‘Send’ on the emails we knew that this small step meant a huge shift towards the future, and we only suspected the length of the road we had just entered and the obstacles that lay ahead. From a professional perspective, one of the most exciting and memorable parts of the bidding process was the contract negotiation. We worked hard for two months, negotiating with the supplier five days a week, 8–10 hours a day, sometimes even on weekends. There is no doubt that we laid the foundations of good cooperation during the project there and then. After the contract was signed, the joint work started among experts, too. We travelled to Nets’ Copenhagen head office several times to discuss the issues in person. I believe that although videoconferencing and discussions over the phone are efficient, lasting
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