Jeremy Rockliff

Premier of Tasmania



16 August 2021

Michael Ferguson, Minister for Science and Technology

Making it easier for ICT businesses to transact with Government

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is the strongest supporter of our ICT sector, which provides more than 9,000 jobs in Tasmania and many thousands more indirectly.

As the single biggest purchaser of ICT goods and services in the State, the Tasmanian Government is making it simpler and easier for local ICT businesses to transact with Government, create new jobs and stimulate the economy to deliver growth.

Fulfilling the commitment made in our First 100 Day Plan, from today, we are delivering significant and sensible changes to the way Government procures ICT products and services to better meet the needs of industry and agencies.

Initiatives in the Technology Services Procurement Framework include:

  • A more contemporary and balanced approach to ICT contracting;
  • Removing default provisions seeking unlimited liability from suppliers, with a contemporary contractor policy based on risk- sharing;
  • Better connecting suppliers of technology services with Government agencies via the new Technology Services Multi-use List; and
  • Providing a new Whole-of-Government common-use hardware contract (the C150 contract) that will facilitate an agile approach to purchasing hardware.

A Request for Tender for the next C150 panel contract will be released by Treasury on Saturday, 21 August 2021, on the Tasmanian Government Tenders website. Developed in response to industry feedback, this tender uses the new contracting framework and reflects a new and more balanced approach to liability and risk. The Tender will close on 17 September, 2021.

Following the evaluation process, the C150 Panel will commence on 1 January, 2022.

This sweeping review of ITC contracting comes on top of our updated Buy Local Policy, which has enhanced opportunities for local suppliers and includes a new test for competitive procurements worth $100,000 or greater, as well as raised the low-value procurement threshold from $50,000 to $100,000. This allows more flexibility to directly approach Tasmanian businesses where local capability and capacity exists.

More information on the Technology Services Procurement Framework is available here: https://www.purchasing.tas.gov.au/contracts/technology-services-multi-use-list



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