Michael Cefai (Lenovo)
Bundaberg-based Queensland Computers has partnered with Lenovo to supply 10,000 hardware devices to Queensland’s Department of Education.
The one-year deal, understood to be worth around $10million, will see the duo provide PCs, tablets, notebooks, workstations and monitors to the department, plus associated services.
According to Lenovo, the win will allow the Chinese vendor to deliver its ‘Classroom Transformed’ initiative, which aims to boost technology usage in schoolrooms.
The contract was previously delivered by Dell Technologies and Acer, which sit on Queensland’s Department of Education End User Computing procurement panel.
A Department of Education spokesperson said the contract came as a result of a competitive tender. They added that the department would still continue to work with Dell and Acer, alongside other panellists Data#3 and Fujitsu.
“This win is significant to us and we are proud to see the Queensland government supporting small businesses in regional Queensland,” said Geoff Augutis, co-founder of Queensland Computers.
“It is our goal to ensure that we continue to grow in this space and give back to our communities. The support meant that our team has been able to drive local job creation in our regions.
“Having such strong partners in Lenovo helps ensure that on these larger deals that the department has the support of both our organisation and our vendor partner in Lenovo,” he added.
Meanwhile, Michael Cefai, regional sales manager for government and education at Lenovo, said the company was striving to “empower communities with technology and opportunity”.
“Through our work with Queensland Computers, we were able to implement the Lenovo Classroom Transformed initiative, empowering teachers and students with leading-edge technology to enhance their learning outcomes,” he said.
Former Acer veteran Cefai first joined Lenovo in the role of regional sales manager enterprise for Australia in 2019.
Since then, the company has embarked on a major push into both federal and state government spaces, vying for space alongside its rival hardware manufacturers such as Dell, HP and Acer.
Last year, it bagged a $60 million end-user contract with the ACT government, superseding the incumbent HP Australia.
The five-year deal sees Lenovo act as the sole supplier for ACT public service, delivering end-user devices including laptops, desktop PCs, monitors, keyboards, mice, tablets and other equipment.
