More word on CORI's future from Muttart

I had a conversation today with Bob Wyatt, the ED of the Muttart Foundation, and I have a bit more information about options or at least about the scope of options and the time frame they are going to look at them in.

First a few facts that emerged from the conversation:

As mostknow HOMES is owned 50/50 by Hull Homes and Muttart

They are not currently inclined to simply hand the system
over to those that would like to run it on their own.
They would want a licensing fee and they are currently
trying to figure out what that might look like.

The board at CORI is still meeting and is considering
options as is the board of Hull AND the Muttart board.

Bob tells me that they have had a number of people
and groups approach them with various concepts to
keep a version of HOMES going.

The HOMES system is built in old technology that is
VERY cumbersome to change. Even changing the spelling
of a single heading can take hours as compared to
minutes with the newer programming systems.

What pulled HOMES down was a failure of a plan to
rebuild it from the ground up
in a modern language. (Lots of Money!).

So what’s up? Well the deal to keep it running
until August is intended to give all comers until
June to get proposals and pitches together so they can take
them to all the boards and see what flies.

Among the options are:
Several commercial Venders are looking at
pitching a takeover.

The CORI board itself is looking at a new business
plan where they drop training entirely and just run
the database (price point to be worked out).

Several “large charitable organizations” are looking
at contributing to the re-build if they can get a 1/3
interest in the result.

An off-shore company has offered to do the rebuild as
long as they get full rights to use and sell in perpetuity.

Bottom line is that these options will all be
stewed over and out to the boards in June so that
what will be can be by August (or whenever they need to
extent it to make it work.

My advice at this point is to let them duke it out and see what rises out of the ashes. We can still look at other systems but we do not need to decide tomorrow.

Any Thoughts?

What are you looking at in the way of systems??

Mike Boyes

Mike Boyes