Commonwealth seeks more businesses to join Digital Marketplace Panel
The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has gone to tender for its Digital Marketplace Panel, looking to stand up a new master agreement and create three new categories for government procurement.
The Digital Marketplace is touted by the agency as being a "simple, open platform that brings government buyers and digital sellers together".
In attempting to spread the AU$6.5 billion spent annually on IT by the Australian government, the marketplace aims to simplify the procurement process and make it easier for businesses of all sizes to access government contracts.
Must read: The Australian government and the loose definition of IT projects 'working well'
The plan to make the process less archaic breaks down large-scale digital requirements into smaller parts and enables government buyers to search for services, identify suppliers, and procure the best-value option for their project.
In its request for proposal (RFP), the DTA is looking for sellers of digital services in the following areas: Strategy and policy; user research and design; agile delivery and governance; software engineering and development; support and operations; content and publishing; change and transformation; training, learning, and development; marketing, communications, and engagement; cybersecurity; data science; and emerging technologies
The DTA is also adding three new categories: ICT managed services, ICT risk management and audit activities; and digital sourcing/ICT procurement.
In addition, the DTA said it is seeking recruiters who wish to provide candidates with expertise in those areas of expertise.
Currently, there are 35 open opportunities on the marketplace, with one from the Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science requesting a quote for a seller to deliver and support ServiceNow hosted in a protected cloud service environment.
According to the DTA, 1,859 opportunities have been listed since the marketplace opened in August 2016, with the agency claiming that 72% have been awarded to small and medium-sized businesses.
AU$448 million has been awarded via the Digital Marketplace since inception.
Offering statistics on May 2019, the DTA said there were 287 entities registered on the marketplace, 47% of which were Commonwealth government.
The top buyer during the month of May was the Department of Jobs and Small Businesses, with the National Disability Insurance Agency a close second.
See also: NDIA implementing data-matching and analytics to thwart fraudulent claims
In its RFP, the DTA said it would appoint approved sellers -- and as a result, a member of the Digital Marketplace Panel -- if the applicant passed a value for money assessment in any of the areas of expertise nominated for.
The new marketplace agreement will terminate 23 February 2022.
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