Queensland government to outsource IT
The Queensland government has confirmed its plans to outsource IT services to cut costs as part of an overhaul of its computer systems.
IT Minister Ian Walker said the government is in favour of "contestability" as it revamps its information and communication technology network.
"Meaning, we will seek best value for money while moving away from owning and maintaining ICT assets," he told parliament.
"The government is working closely with industry to ensure a decisive road map for the future."
The move toward outsourcing is in response to an audit of the government's IT systems.
Walker said the government would adopt almost all of the report's 60 recommendations.
A move to more cloud services would see the government save AU$17 million on the email component alone, Walker said.
He also said there would be greater oversight and transparency for all IT projects within the Queensland government, with the launch in six months of an IT dashboard to show all significant IT projects, their current status, and the costs involved.
"This is another phase of the Newman Government's open data initiative, and will ensure Queensland has a revitalised IT industry, while getting the best value for money," he said.
The government would also conduct technical upgrades for high-risk payroll systems in the wake of the Queensland Health payroll disaster. A business case would be developed to transition all government payroll systems to other providers after the evaluation of pilots.
"The last thing we wanted was another debacle like the Health Payroll failure, which is estimated to cost Queenslanders AU$1.25 billion," he said.
Walker also said that Smart Service Queensland would no longer maintain its own IT capability.