65/2009
8 October 2009
The Rudd Government today announced it will establish new whole-of-government arrangements for the procurement of desktop computing equipment and telecommunications products and services.
Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance and Deregulation said the decision reflected the Government’s commitment to achieving savings and efficiencies through better utilisation of aggregated buying power.
“The current arrangements for the procurement of desktop computing equipment and telecommunications products and services are completely devolved,” Lindsay Tanner said.
“Recent scoping studies undertaken by the Rudd Government have shown that greater coordination in the purchasing of these goods and services has the potential to achieve significant savings.”
The new arrangements for desktop computing equipment and telecommunications products and services will include whole-of-government panels and contracts. The first of these arrangements for desktop computing equipment, telecommunications invoice reconciliation services and internet-based network connections will be in place by the end of the 2009-2010 financial year.
To meet requirements in the interim period, the Department of Defence has recently announced a request for tender to form a panel for the provision of desktop computing equipment.
“Agencies with an immediate requirement to purchase desktop computing equipment will be eligible to utilise the Defence panel until whole-of-government arrangements are in place,” Lindsay Tanner said.
Further arrangements for telecommunication management services and commodities, such as mobile phone handsets, are planned for deployment through the 2010-2011 financial year.
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| Media Contact: | Website: |
|---|---|
| Tim Naughtin - 0438 265 065 | www.financeminister.gov.au |
