The Department of Finance is looking to hear from system integrators (SIs) that have the capability, capacity, and experience to support the federal government’s delivery of its Shared Services Transformation Initiative (SSTI).
The whole-of-government initiative is being delivered to “establish common enabling tools and services that will increase the capacity of the Australian Public Service to respond to priorities of government”.
“Shared service models help governments and organisations drive productivity increases by reducing system duplication, enabling improved data collation, and providing consistent customer experiences,” Finance stated in its call for expressions of interest (EOI).
“The Australian government Shared Services Program aims to consolidate, standardise, and automate the delivery of core transactional corporate services across non-corporate Commonwealth entities.
“To achieve this all agencies, need enhancements to the core underpinning technology and streamlined business process to deliver their key responsibilities to government and their staff.”
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The first tranche of the SSTI will be the delivery of the federal government’s new SAP-based government enterprise resource planning system (GovERP). The project was recently handed AU$35.6 million for the next year during Budget 2020.
According to the EOI, the SI will be expected to assist with the design, build, and test of the SAP S/4 HANA platform using the GovERP Template, which is currently being developed by Finance as a reusable solution during the rollout of the program and is due to be ready for deployment during Q4 FY20-21.
The design, build, and test process will initially involve 15 agencies, but Finance anticipates the SI will be required to provide ongoing deployment support to additional agencies and assist in the refinement and improvement of the GovERP Template, the EOI said.
Finance also listed other job requirements that will need to be carried out by the SIs in the EOI. These include migrating data from existing core ERP systems to the SAP platform; “uplifting” the capabilities of agencies to ensure that they will be prepared when “cut over” to GovERP occurs; and providing general support services, including change management and training.
The EOI is stage one of a possible two-stage procurement process that could involve a subsequent invitation-based request for tender (RFT), Finance said.
The deadline for EOI submissions is 25 January 2021.
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Meanwhile, the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) is calling for more digital businesses to join its Digital Marketplace panel all while service integration and management is added as the newest category for government to procure services from.
The DTA has gone to tender seeking sellers who can meet its assessment criteria in one or more areas. These include strategy and policy; user research and design; agile delivery and governance; software engineering and development; support and operations; content and publishing; change and transformation; marketing, communications, and engagement; cybersecurity; data science; emerging technologies; IT managed services; IT risk management and audit activities; digital sourcing and IT procurement; and platforms integration.
Marked to be in operation until 23 February 2022, the Digital Marketplace is touted by the agency as being “an online procurement platform that makes it easier for all levels of government and digital businesses to work together”.
