YOUR ELECTRONIC ENTRY IN THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

The D’Hub Developer’s Concept Challenge (the “First Contest”) is a contest where participants must propose and develop an innovative design and associated Proof of Concept (POC) to meet the defined service delivery requirements of a particular Ministry, Department or Agency (MDA). The digital solution as expressed by the POC must present or define the approach to solving or addressing the problems outlined by the MDA in an innovative and effective manner. It should illustrate how the required electronic interactions will be completed by its users, making their interactions with government, meaningful, seamless and efficient.

The D’Hub Developer’s Implementation Challenge (the “Second Contest”) is a contest where, based on the developed and presented Proofs of Concept (PoCs) arising out of the First Contest, one of the developers for each Challenge will be recognized as the winner and asked to undertake the development and implementation of the PoC into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

In respect of the First Contest, you must submit a written application that demonstrates how a user can utilize your solution. The solution that you develop (from here on called the “Entry”) will be evaluated by judges, who will choose the winner(s) in accordance with these Official Rules. The prize(s) will be awarded to the participant(s) with the highest score for the judging criteria. See below for further details.

1. BINDING AGREEMENT:

In order to enter the Contests, you must agree to these Official Rules (“Rules”). Therefore, please carefully read these Rules prior to entry to ensure you understand and agree. You agree that submission of an entry in the Contest(s) constitutes full agreement to these Rules. You may not submit an entry to the Contest(s), and you are not eligible to receive the prizes described in these Rules unless you agree to these Rules. These Rules form a binding legal agreement between you and iGovTT with respect to the Contest(s). During this agreement, you may be referred to as ‘You’, ‘Applicant’, ‘Participant’, ‘Entrant’ or by similar nomenclature as the context so requires.

2. ELIGIBILITY:

2.1 To be eligible to enter the Contest(s), you must be:

a. A citizen of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; or
b. A legal resident of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; and
c. Domiciled in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; and
d. A minimum of 18 years of age as at the date of the launch of the First Contest;and
e. An individual or ateam comprising no more than six persons who all meet the other requirements contained herein; and
f. A registered member of the Developers’ Hub.

2.2 Employees, interns, contractors, and official office-holders of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and partner organizations, affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees, advertising and promotion agencies, representatives, and agents (“Contest Entities”), and members of the Contest Entities and their immediate families (parents, siblings, children, spouses, and life partners of each, regardless of where they live) and members of the households (whether related or not) of such employees, officers and directors are ineligible to participate in these Contests. The Facilitator reserves the right to verify eligibility and to adjudicate any dispute at any time.

2.3 If you enter as a team (a “Team”), the Team must appoint and authorize one individual as a representative (the “Representative”). The Representative and each Team member must individually meet all eligibility requirements, including those defined in 2.1. By entering as a Representative, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to act on behalf of your Team, that each member of your Team has reviewed and accepted these Rules, and that you have the consent, authority and rights to fulfil all obligations for participation in the Contest(s), including but not limited to those necessary to grant the rights set forth in these Terms and Conditions.  Members of Teams may be required to sign additional agreements acknowledging, and confirming Facilitator’s rights arising in these Terms and Conditions during the Contest Period and prior to being eligible to receive a prize.

2.4 Applicants cannot participate in more than two (2) Challenges, and are restricted to one (1) submission only in respect of each Challenge.

3. FACILITATOR:

The Contests will be implemented by the National Information and Communication Technology Company Limited (iGovTT), a company incorporated under the Companies Act of the Laws of Trinidad and Tobago with its registered office at Lord Harris Court, #52 Pembroke Street, Port of Spain for and on behalf of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

4. CONTEST PERIOD:

The First Contest begins at 8.00 am on July 24^th, 2023 and ends at midnight on August 25^th, 2023  (“First Contest Period”).

5. ENTRIES:

5.1 To enter the First Contest, visit the D’Hub website located at https://dhub.mdt.gov.tt/about-dhub-challenges/ (“Contest Site”) and follow the instructions for submitting the Entry. The Entries must meet the following requirements:

a. It must be submitted via the Application Form posted on the Contest Site.
b. It must be submitted in English;
c. It must not be a previously submitted Entry.
d. Its content must not be derogatory, offensive, threatening, defamatory, disparaging, libelous or contain any content that is inappropriate, indecent, sexually explicit, profane, indecent, torturous, slanderous, discriminatory in any way, or that promotes hatred or harm against any group or person, or otherwise does not comply with the theme and spirit of the First Contest; such determinations shall be at the Facilitator’s discretion.
e. It must not contain content, material or any element that is unlawful or otherwise in violation of or contrary to applicable laws.
f. It must not contain any content, material or element that displays any third party advertising, slogan, logo, trademark, or otherwise indicates a sponsorship or endorsement by a third party, commercial entity, or that is not within the spirit of the First Contest, as determined by the Facilitator, in its discretion.
g. It must be an original, unpublished work that does not contain, incorporate or otherwise use any content, material or element that is owned by a third party or entity.
h. It cannot contain any content, element, or material that violates a third party’s privacy, or intellectual property rights.

5.2 Entries are void if they are in whole or in part illegible, incomplete, damaged, altered, counterfeit, obtained through fraud, or late. All entries will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry, and the potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder for that email address. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to an email address by an Internet service provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning the email address for the domain.

5.3 During the First Contest Period, the Facilitator, its agents and/or the Judges (defined below) will be evaluating each Entry to ensure that it meets the Requirements. The Facilitator reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant who submits an Entry that does not meet the Requirements.

6. JUDGING:

6.1 Each entry will be judged by a panel of professionals and one or two Representatives of the Challenge Owner. The selection of Judges will aim for a diverse panel of judges that represents various perspectives, such as academia, NGO’s, government officials, other industry specialists. This diversity will enrich the evaluation process by bringing different insights, experiences, and viewpoints to the evaluation process.

6.2 For the First Contest, the Judges shall apply the following criteria outlined in the table below:

*Scroll Horizontally to view the entire table on Mobile*

6.3 The proposals will be evaluated according to the foregoing criteria by giving a score in the range of 0-5. Explanation of each of the score is provided in the table below. Each criterion will be evaluated with a single integer. Final evaluation will be the sum of scores for the three criteria. The resolution of any ties in scoring will be at the discretion of the Judges using information submitted as part of the entry.

6.4 On or about 1 September 2023, the potential top three (3) winner(s) for each Challenge will be selected and notified by telephone and/or email at the Facilitator’s discretion. If a potential winner does not respond to the notification attempt within five (5) days from the first notification attempt, then such a potential winner will be disqualified, and an alternate potential winner will be selected from among all eligible entries received based on the judging criteria described herein. With respect to notification by telephone, such notification will be deemed given when the potential winner engages in a live conversation with the Facilitator or when a message is left on the potential winner’s voicemail service or answering machine by the Facilitator, whichever occurs first. All notification requirements, as well as other requirements within these Rules, will be strictly enforced in favour of the Facilitator. In the event that no entries are received, no prize will be awarded. Determinations of judges are final and binding.

6.5 For the Second Contest, the Judges shall apply the following criteria outlined in the table below:

* Scroll Horizontally to view the entire table on Mobile*

6.6 The PoC’s will be evaluated according to the following criteria by giving a concrete score in the range of 0-5. Explanation of each of the marks is provided below. PoC’s are going to be evaluated in four categories (Alignment, Progress, Pitch and Challenge Specific Criteria) by assigning a concrete mark in each of the category. The resolution of any ties in scoring will be at the discretion of the Judges using information submitted as part of the entry.

6.7 Evaluation of challenge-specific criteria will depend on the specific criteria developed for each challenge in the requirements specifications.  Range of 0-5 can be assigned based on the performance of the developers or developer’s team in meeting those specific criteria. Challenge specific criteria will be formed upon the challenge selection process or be chosen from the predefined list of priorities from the government side, if they are applicable:

a. Be enabled by the introduction of the Interoperability Solution
b. Improves the utilization and utility of the national e-identifier
c. Be built on open source software in accordance with open standards
d. Will likely be a mobile application but other types of solutions may be requested

7. TIMELINES

7.1 The following timelines outlined in the table below shall apply to the Contest as far as possible:

* Dates are approximate and subject to change

7.2 Submission Deadlines are understood as mandatory. At the close of the Call for Solutions, applications will no longer be accepted.  However, the Facilitator reserves the right to extend the deadlines and communicate this information properly, publishing the changes on the website, application platform and other dissemination channels.  

8. AWARDS FOR CONTEST WINNERS:

The Facilitator may award the sum of TT50,000.00 to a maximum of three awardees in respect of each Concept Challenge. The Award of TT350,000.00 will be made for the implementation of the MVP. Payment of the awards will be made upon completion of the milestones defined in the relevant contract.

9. GENERAL CONDITIONS:

All laws and regulations apply. The Facilitator reserves the right to disqualify any entrant from the Contests if, in the Facilitator’s sole discretion, it reasonably believes that the entrant has attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contests by cheating, deception, or other unfair playing practices or annoys, abuses, threatens or harasses any other entrants, the Facilitator, or the Judges.

10. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS:

By submitting an Entry to these Contests, the entrant warrants and represents that they own or have the right to use the intellectual property in the Entry for the purpose of the Entry. Further, the entrant agrees that if any portion of the Entry should be deemed to be owned by the entrant that they will, as a condition of entry, grant the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GoRTT)  a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display and create a derivative work from, any Entry that the Participant submits solely for the purposes of allowing the Facilitator to test and evaluate the Entry for purposes of the Contests and to advertise, display, demonstrate, or otherwise promote the Contests. The participant specifically agrees that the GoRTT shall have the right to use, reproduce, publicly perform, and publicly display the Entry in connection with the advertising and promotion of the Contests via communication to the public or other groups, including, but not limited to the right to make screenshots, animations and video clips available for promotional purposes. For the avoidance of doubt, the GoRTT does not claim ownership in the Intellectual Property rights presumed to be vested in the entrant and any rights of the GoRTT are limited to the aforementioned license for the aforementioned purpose(s) specified herein.

12. PRIVACY:

Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Facilitator may collect, store, share, and otherwise use personally identifiable information provided during the registration process and the Contests, including, but not limited to, name, mailing address, phone number, and email address. The Facilitator will use this information in accordance with the Data Protection Act and its Privacy Policy including for administering the Contests and verifying Participant’s identity, postal address, and telephone number in the event an entry qualifies for a prize.

13. PUBLICITY: 

By accepting a prize, the entrant agrees to the Facilitator’s and its agencies’ use of their name and/or likeness and Entry for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

14. WARRANTY, INDEMNITY AND RELEASE:

 14.1 Entrants warrant that their Entries are their own original work and, as such, they are the sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submitted Entry and that they have the right to submit the Entry in the Contests and grant all required licenses. Each entrant agrees not to submit any Entry that (1) infringes any third-party proprietary rights, intellectual property rights, industrial property rights, personal or moral rights or any other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, privacy, publicity or confidentiality obligations; or (2) otherwise violates the applicable law.

14.2 To the maximum extent permitted by law, each entrant indemnifies and agrees to keep indemnified Contest Entities at all times from and against any liability, claims, demands, losses, damages, costs, and expenses resulting from any act, default, or omission of the entrant and/or a breach of any warranty set forth herein. To the maximum extent permitted by law, each entrant agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Contest Entities from and against any and all claims, actions, suits or proceedings, as well as any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) arising out of or accruing from:

(a) any Entry or other material uploaded or otherwise provided by the entrant that infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, trade dress, patent or other intellectual property right of any person or defames any person or violates their rights of privacy,

(b) any misrepresentation made by the entrant in connection with the Contests;

(c) any non-compliance by the entrant with these Rules;

(d) claims brought by persons or entities other than the parties to these Rules arising from or related to the entrant’s involvement with the Contests; and

(e) acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in any Contest-related activity or participation in these Contests.

14.3 Entrant releases the Facilitator from any liability associated with:

(a) any malfunction or other problem with the Contest Site;

(b) any error in the collection, processing, or retention of entry information; or

(c) any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any prize or winners.

15. ELIMINATION:

Any false information provided within the context of the Contests by any entrant concerning identity, mailing address, telephone number, email address, ownership of right or non-compliance with these Rules or the like may result in the immediate elimination of the entrant from the Contests.

16. INTERNET:

Contest Entities are not responsible for any malfunction of the entire Contest Site or any late, lost, damaged, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, undeliverable, or destroyed Entries or entry materials due to system errors, failed, incomplete or garbled computer or other telecommunication transmission malfunctions, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, typographical or system/human errors and failures, technical malfunction(s) of any telephone network or lines, cable connections, satellite transmissions, servers or providers, or computer equipment, traffic congestion on the Internet or at the Contest Site, or any combination thereof, including other telecommunication, cable, digital or satellite malfunctions which may limit an entrant’s ability to participate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Contest Entities undertake to permit such resubmissions and extend such deadlines as might be reasonable in the Facilitator’s discretion, in the event of a malfunction in the Contest Site, provided that such malfunction has arisen through no fault of the entrant, as verified by the Contest Entities.

17. RIGHT TO CANCEL, MODIFY OR DISQUALIFY:

If for any reason the Contests are not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contests, the Facilitator reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contests. The Facilitator further reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the submission process or any other part of the Contests or Contest Site. Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any website, including the Contest Site, or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contests may constitute a violation of criminal, and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, the Facilitator reserves the right to seek damages from any such entrant to the fullest extent of the applicable law.

18. NOT AN OFFER OR CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT:

Under no circumstances shall the submission of an entry into the Contests, the awarding of a prize, or anything in these Rules be construed as an offer or contract of employment with either the Facilitator or the Contest Entities. You acknowledge that you have submitted your Entry voluntarily and not in confidence or in trust. You acknowledge that no confidential, fiduciary, agency or other relationship or implied-in-fact contract now exists between you and the Facilitator or the Contest Entities and that no such relationship is established by your submission of an Entry under these Rules.

19. FORUM AND RECOURSE TO JUDICIAL PROCEDURES:

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by, subject to, and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, excluding all conflict of law rules. If any provision(s) of these Terms and Conditions are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect. To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, seek injunctive relief or make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this Contest are hereby excluded, and all Participants expressly waive any and all such rights.

20. ARBITRATION:

By entering the Contests, you agree that exclusive jurisdiction for any dispute, claim, or demand related in any way to the Contests will be decided by binding arbitration.

21. CONTRACTING:

The selected Concept Award winners and Implementation Award winners may be invited to sign contractual agreements. Once the award winners are announced, the Facilitator will engage the winners to establish agreements for the PoC or MVP development process. These agreements will determine the terms of the development processes, including key milestones, performance measurement, and Intellectual Property (IP) matters.