Defence issues $340m services tender
The Department of Defence's Chief Information Officer Group (CIOG) has announced it would be shortly selecting companies for an Applications Management Services Partner Arrangement (AMSPA) in a deal expected to push through approximately $340 million worth of value.
In tender documents, the CIOG stated that its request for tender in the area would be released on or around 20 April, and that the Defence would utilise its AMSPA deal to commission projects in excess of $340 million between financial years 2011/2012 and 2014/2015. The CIOG said AMSPA would run for an initial period of five years, but that it could possibly be extended by other two or three years.
The department said in a statement that one of the key objectives of the development was to empower the CIOG to deliver end-to-end Applications Management Services, which included system integration activities, allowing it to forecast ICT applications development and service management demand.
"The high-level objectives of the AMPSA are to enhance application management knowledge required for designing, testing, managing and improving IT services within CIOG [and to] enable CIOG and industry personnel to work jointly and share knowledge, information and skills to deliver ICT outcomes," the draft request said.
Selection criteria for partners include the ability to deliver end-to-end applications managed services for major Defence enterprise resource planning systems and being able to offer systems integration for planned corporate and military system integrations into the Defence Information Environment. Also, the document states that partners shall have Information Technology Infrastructure Library-compliant development methodologies and PRINCE2-compliant project management methodologies.
Potential tenderers are expected to assist Defence to provide services for major business activities, such as human resources, finance, military and intelligence. After being selected, preferred industry partners will be allocated to the domain of their competence.
"A competitive process will be undertaken after the execution of the Deed of Standing Offer to align successful PIP/s [Preferred Industry Partners] with specific Domain responsibility," the draft stated. "It is the intention of Department of Defence that a PIP who is allocated a domain responsibility will retain that responsibility for the duration of the Deed."
The Request for Tenders process will accept applications until 20 May. Applications will be evaluated within the following six weeks and deeds will be finalised by 16 September. The Department of Defence assured in a statement that successful applicants would be engaged in a long-time relationship.
"Subject to the findings from its overall evaluation process, the Department of Defence seeks a long-term, mutually beneficial and cooperative relationship with the [Preferred Industry Partners]," the draft said, while warning that "the PIPs must also be proactive, and strive to add value beyond the specific requirements of its contractual obligations".