Federal Government agencies now have a centralised way in which to purchase telecommunications management services, with the establishment this week of a new panel featuring seven suppliers.
The so-called Telecommunications Management Panel covers services including the integration and management of telecommunications services, and some other specific telco and converged IT-related services; such as managing mobile phone fleets, improving billing and inventory management, procuring telecommunications help desk support and so on.
The panel was put out to tender in August 2010, following a consultation process run by the Federal Government’s peak IT strategy branch, the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO).
Yesterday, AGIMO published the successful suppliers who will now form the panel. The list includes traditional telcos like Telstra and Optus, systems integrators and hardware suppliers like NEC and Fujitsu, and a diverse mix of other companies including Consultel, Bridge IT Engineering and Boeing Defence Australia.
“It is the first time agencies will be able to procure the management layer of underlying telecommunications products and services through a whole of government panel arrangement,” AGIMO first assistant secretary John Sheridan wrote on the agency’s blog.
“The panel will help Australian Government agencies procure services to supplement their internal capabilities. This arrangement will also achieve savings and efficiencies through the procurement process and better utilisation of aggregated buying power.”
Sheridan also noted that a number of other companies might be added to the panel in the near future, as negotiations and contractual arrangements were finalised.
Agencies covered under the Financial Management and Accountability Act (1997) will be forced to use the panel, which runs for an initial three years (with two optional one-year extension periods), while other agencies and state governments may also use the panel.
Image credit: Mike Gieson, royalty free