Dept of Defence extends Unisys IT support contract

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news The Department of Defence (DoD) has announced it will extend its contract with Unisys that sees the US-based firm’s local subsidiary provide IT support services at locations across Australia.

Unisys said it has signed a two-year contract extension, worth around $74m, to provide IT support for 100,000 end users at approximately 450 sites.

Under the contract, which runs until October 2018, Unisys will continue to provide IT support to all sections within the DoD, as well as for joint service and international military exercises, such as Talisman Sabre, and emergency disaster responses including floods and bushfires.

According to the defence department, the move is due to a “significant” ICT transformation program currently underway.

The DoD said in a statement that, because of the “focused and sustained effort” required by this process, it has extended the contract under the existing ‘Unisys Regional ICT Services Agreement’.

“A decision on the longer-term delivery of ICT services through a Distributed Computing Bundle will be made over the next 24 months,” the department added.

Since first signing the contract in 2008, Unisys said, it has standardised the department’s IT support processes.

Further, the firm provides a “flexible workforce model based on man-hour capacity and prioritised services” that brings the DoD price predictability, the ability to better focus workforce efforts, and transparent reporting.

“We are delighted to continue our work with the Australian Department of Defence,” said Lysandra Schmutter, Public Sector Lead, Unisys Asia Pacific. “Our renewal with the [DoD] is a testament to the value we collectively have brought to provide a high quality of services and insights to support the critical operations across their bases nationwide.”

“Our focus is on the critical role of base operations in Defence and ensuring they are executing efficiently and effectively at all times,” she added.

Unisys further stressed its history and experience working with public sector organisations, saying more than 300 government agencies worldwide use Unisys solutions.

Within Australia, Unisys supports both Federal and State government departments and agencies including the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Australian National Audit Office and the Queensland Department of Education and Training.

Image credit: Department of Defence