The Federal Government has named six companies which will assist its departments and agencies in datacentre migration services, as it prepares to take a more unified approach to the way in which it provides IT infrastructure services.
The Department of Finance and Administration kicked off the procurement effort for the five-year panel in late September last year, noting the eventual panel contract would see companies provide highly specialised infrastructure work.
“It is mandatory for Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA) agencies to use this panel, and optional for agencies under the Commonwealth Authority and Companies Act 1997 (CAC). State government agencies can use this panel,” said the Government in a statement issued by the office of Special Minister of State Gary Gray.
The companies on the panel are Colliers International Project Services, Dell, Dimension Data, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard and The Frame Group. A small number of companies may be added to the panel in the near future, as negotiations and contractual arrangements are finalised.
“Recently I announced the panel for the provision of data centres to Australian Government agencies. The panel I announce today will assist agencies to move into those data centres,” Gray said.
“While it is not a frequent occurrence, moving between data centres can be a complex exercise. Most agencies have limited experience in undertaking such an activity. The companies on this panel will work with agencies to plan and execute such moves ensuring minimal impact on services to the Australian community.”
The news represents a further step towards implementing the Government’s overarching datacentre strategy, which was revealed by then-Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner in March this year.
At the time, Tanner promised the Government would not concentrate all of its resources in one giant datacentre. The plan is intended to cut as much as $1 billion out of the Government’s datacentre bill over the next 15 years — currently, the overall cost stands at $850 million a year.
“I’m also pleased to announce that Enterprise Data Centre’s facility in Mitcham, Victoria, and Equinix’s facility in Alexandria, New South Wales and Australian Data Centres in Mitchell, ACT have been added to the previously announced Data Centre Facility Panel,” Gray said.
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