The Victorian Government has doubled the size of its eServices Panel to 368 companies following a review by Victorian Minister for Technology, Gordon Rich-Phillips.  The successful IT suppliers will be notified from Wednesday 2nd November onwards.

Companies on the eServices Panel will be eligible to bid for contracts to provide ICT services to Victorian Government Departments and Agencies until June 2014, with the possibility of 2 one-year extensions to 2016.

This announcement will be welcomed by the Australian Information Industry Association, who had lobbied for changes to be made to the panel when was originally announced some months ago.  Importantly, Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips has committed to a joint government-industry working group to further improve the eServices Panel and to ensure that Victoria remains globally competitive.
 

Link to the Announcement

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2377-victorian-government-announces-new-and-expanded-eservices-panel.html

Author: Mike Pym, Director, Pym’s Technology Lawyers. A member of the Panel of Expert Bloggers on commun-iT and an expert on www.aiia.biz

Disclaimer: This is general information only. It is not legal advice, and is not a substitute for legal advice. Specific advice should be sought to take into account your particular circumstances. Pym’s Technology Lawyers Pty Ltd is a specialist IT and commercial law firm. It has liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Yesterday, 14 July 2011, the Victorian Government Minister for Technology, Gordon Rich-Phillips announced that the Victorian Government's eServices Panel would be re-opened for unsuccessful tenderers to re-apply and for new tenderers to apply.

eServices Panel

The eServices Panel is one of the most important IT panel contracts in Victoria and is used by Victorian Government Departments' to obtain IT services.  There are hundreds of IT suppliers on the current panel, and scores of current IT suppliers were excluded from the new panel.

Announcements

The Minister also announced that:

• The Department of Treasury and Finance will provide additional details about evaluation criteria to assist new tenderers and companies that were unsuccessful to re-apply;
• There will be a more streamline and transparent process for Victorian Departments who want to seek an exemption for selecting IT suppliers who are not on the eServices Panel;
• a joint industry-government working party would be established to provide advice on the future approach and operation of the eServices Panel.

New Evaluation Criteria for eServices Panel

This announcement will be most welcome to the numerous IT suppliers who were unsuccessful in bidding for the eServices Panel, particularly those suppliers who on on the current panel.  It will be interesting to see what the new evaluation criteria are, and in particular whether the terms and conditions of the eServices Panel IT contract will be varied to become less onerous, addressing one of industry's key concerns with the eServices Panel.

With government procurement increasingly coming under the spotlight, the announcement of the joint IT industry-government working party sets up a sound basis for going forward.

Link to Announcement.

Author:  Mike Pym, Pym's Technology Lawyers