Victorian government buying locally

Seventy-four contracts totalling over AU$4.7 million have been awarded so far by 17 departments and agencies. Thirty-three of the 106 panel members have won contracts.

Over half the contracts went to Victorian companies.

According to a government spokesperson, the distribution of contracts by value was similar as they were of comparable size. The average contract value was AU$64,500.

"These figures are proof that Victorian ICT businesses are leaders in the industry, particularly in areas such as Web development," Thomson said, citing the Web site development work performed for the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) by Melbourne-based Morpheum as an example.

"The research, design and information architecture work this innovative business has carried out for the DPC has made it far easier for users to find the information they are looking for. This saves people time and cuts out the frustration of having to trawl the web looking for important resources," she said.

The panel will be reviewed annually to check the performance of participants and to give other companies the opportunity to join the scheme.