ISLAMABAD, June 28: Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has signed contracts with 22 local software companies to help them achieve ISO-9001 certification and selected eight software firms for consultancy.

PSEB would provide financial assistance to the selected software houses to achieve ISO certification. The contracts are expected to be completed by November.

An average increase of 20 per cent is expected in the annual exports of software companies that would achieve ISO standards.

PSEB is aiming to help 80 software companies to achieve ISO-9001 during 2002. Some 108 IT companies have applied for the initiative since November 2001. The completed forms have been submitted by 68 companies.

The companies which have signed the contracts include: Gulfnet, E-Tek Solutions, Syscomp, Fair Factor Force, Trivor Soft, Compucraze, E-Strats, Aksa Software, Advance Computing Engineering Solutions, Datels Pvt Ltd, Habib Rafiq Technologies, Descon IT24, Taza tech, Nicon Soft, Gold Soft, 10-2-10, Creative Chaos, Sun Soft, Y-Evolve, Millennium Systems and Integrated Systems Research.

The eight selected consultancy firms are: NUST Quality Management Consultancy Services, PRICE Water Coopers, Quality Management Systems 9000, House of Quality Karachi, Quality Professionals Lahore, Qualitas Systems Karachi, Path Finder Consultants and Pakistan Institute of Quality Control.

Contracts with eight other software companies are expected to be signed within the next two weeks, including Software Technology Innovators, Badar Soft Karachi, Ideal Solutions, ACS, Autosoft Dynamics, Tower Technologies, SA Soft and Digital Processing Systems.