Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a procurement contract with software development company Trinidad Wiseman to develop a portal for exporting companies, designed to facilitate fast information exchange between businesses and the state.

According to the ministry, once completed, the portal will allow companies to fill out their profiles with details about their target markets and the value proposition of their exported products or services.

Based on this information, the state will proactively offer tailored export-support services, such as visits, trade missions, fairs, training programs, seminars, sales leads, market information materials and other opportunities.

Priit Kallakas, director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' economic diplomacy department, told ERR that currently, state services for exporters are fragmented across different institutions and systems. Additionally, there is no centralized system for delivering market information and business opportunities to companies.

"This issue was already highlighted in a 2021 report by the National Audit Office, as well as in feedback from companies and business organizations," Kallakas added.

He stressed the export portal will enhance Estonia's entire business diplomacy system, with key priorities including the automation of information exchange and the "once-only" principle, meaning that companies will not have to repeatedly submit the same data to the state.

"Exporting companies are involved in the development process to ensure the portal meets their needs," Kallakas said. He added that integrating various websites and customer management systems will reduce the administrative burden on businesses and prevent duplication of efforts among different state institutions.

When asked why the portal's development is expected to cost as much as €3 million, Kallakas explained this figure represents the maximum budget of the framework contract. The precise cost estimate will be determined after a business analysis is conducted as part of the procurement process.

"Based on the analysis, we will decide on the exact technical solution and project scope. Depending on these factors, the final cost may be lower," the ministry representative said.

At present, the ongoing maintenance costs of the portal remain unclear. Kallakas said these costs will be determined once the technical solution is selected. However, he noted that since the export portal will consolidate several existing information systems, it is expected to reduce future operational expenses.

The official confirmed no new employees will be hired for the portal's implementation, as one of its primary goals is to automate services, including service delivery itself. The portal will integrate existing services into a single platform.

"This tool will be used by all economic officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors, honorary consuls, export advisors at the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS) and other EIS employees involved in export services," he added.

The export portal is part of a broader set of e-services for businesses, which the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications is coordinating under a unified digital gateway for entrepreneurs on the Eesti.ee platform.

Kallakas noted that businesses can already access information about state support measures on Eesti.ee, apply for funding, grant authorizations to employees and gain access to state information systems. In the near future, additional services will be introduced, including an overview of companies' outstanding obligations to the state and improved access via the m-government mobile application.

The export portal's development is funded through the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Facility (Next Generation EU). The portal is expected to be launched for businesses in the first quarter of 2026.

Trinidad Wiseman OÜ, the company developing the portal, is majority-owned by Jaan Pillesaar. Previously, Pillesaar was a major donor to the Eesti 200 party, but in recent years, his donations have gone to the non-parliamentary party Parempoolsed.

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