ATO calls on partners for modernisation push

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has issued a request for information (RFI) in order to modernise its systems across six areas. 

The federal department is looking for partner feedback on end-user technology, centralised computing and enterprise service management centre, alongside unified communications, monitoring and technical helpdesk. 

According to tender documents, the program will form a “significant” part of the ATO’s IT infrastructure and builds on the recent outsourcing of its managed network services. 

The two-year project, which starts with the RFI, will also include a review of the ATO’s outsourcing operating model “to ensure a seamless integration of insourcing and outsource” function. 

The RFI said the solutions needed to be “cost-effective” and “always up to date by utilising ‘evergreen’ hardware and software currency models wherever practicable”. 

In addition, they need to enable self-service and meet “future needs" using consumption-based models. 

Alongside this, the ATO requested that solutions are “bundled in scope packages which minimise functional overlap and maximise commercial market alignment”. 

The ATO signalled its intent to approach the market for a significant range of IT managed services as part of its multi-year IT Strategic Sourcing Program in May.   

The IT Strategic Sourcing Program includes market sounding and analysis over 2021, a progressive approach to the market in 2022, and then contract execution, transition and service transformation in 2023. 

Meanwhile, in June last year, the ATO took a $158.3 million bite out of the Digital Transformation Agency’s (DTA) $1 billion whole-of-government purchasing agreement with IBM, struck in 2018.