CRN’s weekly wrap up of government tenders and channel wins returns for 2023. We’re only one month into the new year and opportunities to work with the public sector have hit the ground running.
The federal government needs support researching quantum communications technologies, replacing the electoral commission’s payroll system and has posted an opportunity for channel partners to join its panel for helping agencies build websites on the whole-of-government content management system GovCMS.
Western Australia has asked channel partners to help build a centralised pet registration system for 137 local councils to track the ownership, transfer and sterilisation of our furry friends; making real the McGowan-government’s 2017 promise to crackdown on puppy farming.
Outside of tender-world, South Australia Police is pressing for more permissive access to cellular location data in emergencies, arguing proposed law changes don’t go far enough and the bitter, suspended vendor behind NSW's iVote has told election authorities to “study” a Swiss-run “public intrusion test” of its e-voting technology from 2019 as a way to improve “voter and system integrity.
Requests for tenders
In the Federal Government, the Department of Defence is looking for researchers to work on quantum communication technologies. The tender asks for proposals from “industry, academia and government-funded organisations" on quantum-secured communication; quantum time transfer; quantum memories and repeaters; free-space quantum communications; quantum-enabled RF communications; and quantum-enhanced classical communications. Some of these fields are already deployable: quantum technologies are in use as random number generators for classical encryption schemes, and quantum key distribution is a nascent product segment. Defence expects the projects to take between one and three years, and fall within a budget of $500,000 to $800,000. The tender closes on 20 February.
The Australian Electoral Commission has issued a tender to replace the payroll system it uses to compensate the more than 100,000 temporary workers employed during federal elections. The payroll system replacement is part of a broader - and ongoing - once-in-a-generation core IT systems overhaul - codenamed Indigo - that will ultimately replace 93 systems over seven years. The tender closes on 20 February.
Channel partners have until 28 February to apply for the Digital Transformation Agency’s Digital Marketplace. DTA is seeking providers of: strategy and policy, user research and design, agile delivery and governance, software engineering and development, support and operations, content and publishing, change and transformation, training, learning and development, marketing, communications and engagement, cyber security, data science, emerging technologies, ICT managed services, ICT Risk Management and audit activities, digital Sourcing/ICT procurement, platforms Integration, service integration and management (SIAM) and ICT Labour Hire.
The Department of Finance has issued a tender to join its GovCMS Drupal services panel. GovCMS is an AWS-hosted whole-of-government content management system that hosts more than 370 website sites for agencies such as Services Australia, The Australian Taxation Office, and the Australian Army. Finance also issued a tender last year to uplift GovCMS’s security. Channel partners have until 31 March to apply to join the panel.
In NSW, eHealth has issued a tender for Microsoft Teams and session initiation protocol devices. According to the tender, “the objective is to offer an eHealth-branded service to all Health NSW staff who require a physical handset/device in order to operate.” Channel partners have until 21 February to apply.
Venues NSW has posted a request for expressions of interest in providing a new ticketing platform. The platform will be used for facilitating the management, sale and delivery of general admission, reserved seats and special package tickets at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sporting Club of Sydney and Allianz Stadium. The opportunity closes on 8 February.
Transport for New South Wales has issued a tender for a cyber security advisor. The contract lasts for three years, including two extensions of one year each. The tender closes on 6 February.
Icare has issued a tender for a managed security services provider. The MSSP will provide cyber threat intelligence, social media and dark web monitoring, insights on security posture, alerts and responses to events in the case of an incident and a 24/7 security operational centre across all of the security services offered. The tender closes on 6 February.
In West Australia, the Department of Education has issued a tender for the provision of a complaints and investigation case management system. The tender closes on 9 February.
In Victoria, the Royal Children’s Hospital needs a new identity management system to replace its current one: Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager 2010. The solution will be used to create users and delete them based on daily information from the hospital’s ‘authoritative database’. The hospital wants the new system to automate the termination of access to IT systems and facilities upon the change of status of a user and to offer stronger data security. The tender closes on 17 Febuary.
Department of Education has issued a tender for Google Workspace for Education. It requires four-year licences for staff and students, along with associated support, platform assessment, and training services. The tender closes on 14 February.
The Department of Energy, Environment & Climate Change has issued a tender for finance accounting and enterprise resource planning ERP software. The tender closes on 9 February.
The Department of Transport has issued a tender to replace its workspace management system. The tender closes on 9 February.
In South Australia, City of Tea Tree Gully has issued a tender for a continuous security compliance monitoring tool. The solution will scan the council’s devices, systems, and platforms for vunerabilities. The tender closes on 7 March,
In Tasmania, the Department of Health has issued a tender for an electronic meal management system. Channel partners have until the 15 of March to apply.
In Queensland, the Department Of Education, Training and Employment has issued a tender for the provision of a web content filtering managed service. The tender closes on 27 February.
The Department of Education, Training and Employment has issued a tender for an online grants management solution. The tender closes on 17 February.
In Western Australia, the Department of Local Government and the Department of Sports and Cultural Industries have issued a tender to make real the McGowan-government's 2017 promise to crack down on puppy farming. The successful applicant will string together 137 local governments’ pet registration systems together; helping track the ownership, transfer and sterilisation of our furry friends and making it harder to get away with illegal breeding. Channel partners have until 21 February to apply.
Channel wins
In the the Federal Government, IBM Australia has reached a five-year, $725 million whole-of-government agreement with the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), following the first iteration of the arrangement in 2018. The agreement aims to give government agencies easier and more cost-effective access to IBM products and services, including hardware, software, cloud services and professional services. Agencies can request quotes for IBM products and services via government hardware, software, cloud and digital marketplaces.
In NSW, Optus has scored a $895,477 contract with the NSW Electoral Commission to provide Meraki hardware for I&TaaS.
IoT solutions provider Peclet Technology has scored a $1 million contract with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. According to the contract, the services include “data technology solutions to enable the planning, implementation, and adoption of circular economy initiatives across NSW.”
In Victoria, Singtel-owned Dialog IT has scored a $165,000 contract with the Major Road Projects Authority to conduct data analysis to deliver business solutions.
NetApp has scored a $3.3 million contract with Cenitex to provide Tier 2 storage--as-a-service. Cenitex provides shared ICT services to Victorian government agencies.
Melbourne-headquartered Kiandra IT scored a $214,500 contract with Victoria Police to develop a scheduling tool for courses, session, instructors, classrooms, facilities, squads and classes. Victoria Police currently has an organisation-wide scheduling tool called resource and rostering application but has decided it would benefit from having one dedicated to education and training.
IT services provider Outcomex scored a $101,667 contract to upgrade Box Hill’s two data centres, and all of its all wired and wireless network infrastructure across its five campuses. The contract includes upgrading the TAFE’s routers, switches, wireless access points, wireless LAN controllers, network security software, firewalls, VPNs and VOIP services.
In Tasmania, Melbourne-headquartered independent software vendor and IBM platinum partner ISW has scored a $76,634 contract with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania to develop an IBM-based ‘oyster supply chain traceability solution’.
In West Australia, CDM has scored a $105,263 contract to with Main Roads Western Australia to supply two HPE blade servers.
In South Australia, Wallis Nominees has scored a $2.2 million contract to modernise Homestart Finance’s data warehouse, including providing business analysis, business intelligence design, development, architecture, and testing, BI deployment and project management services.
Viceversa has scored a $1.3 million contract to provide an online planning and design code solution to the Department for Trade and Investment.
In the Northern Territory, student management system provider VETtrak scored a $19,259 licence renewal contract with the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities.
Winnellie-based reseller Area9 IT Solutions scored a $40,689 contract with the Department of Education to provide 5000 Adobe creative cloud subscription licences. The contract comes with two 12 month extensions.