Jane Edwards
Australia’s finance department has issued a request for proposals to establish a panel of telecommunications service providers in November that would provide transport data link services, managed wide-area network and Internet connection services to government agencies, ZDNet reported Monday.
Corinne Reichert writes the proposed TSP would replace Australia’s Internet based network connection services committee and operate through Nov. 30, 2020 with a possibility to be extended to 2023 if the three option years are exercised.
The IBNCS panel has provided Internet connection, virtual connection management support and network carriage services since 2011 and is scheduled to expire this year, Reichert reports.
“The goal of this procurement is to establish a TSP that continues to deliver a competitive means to procure telecommunication services and convey continued savings to the Australian government,” according to a copy of the request for tender obtained by ZDNet.
Contractors need to meet certain requirements such as engineering functions, network connectivity and operations support, communication and physical network services, as well data encryption protocols approved by the Australian signals directorate and in compliance with the country’s Information Security Manual, ZDNet reports.
The finance department will select the contractors for the panel in June.
Responses to the request are due May 31, according to the report.
