Tas government awards Internet contract to iiNet

iiNet has won a contract to provide Internet access for most Tasmanian government services.

The two-year contract involves providing Internet services for all Tasmanian government departments except the Department of Education, plus additional 36 non-crown customers such as local councils. The deal was handled by TMD, a division of the Department of Premier and Cabinet that provides whole-of-government communications and business solutions.

iiNet will be required to build additional fibre optic links to connect its Hobart data centre to the Tasmanian government’s core network. Once complete, the ISP will provide Internet services to a central location, with the Tasmanian government using its own network to reticulate Internet access to various agencies.

The aim of the contract was to replace the state government’s expiring Internet service arrangements and obtain value for money in a competitive environment, according to the tender documents.

TMD wanted to establish a standing offer arrangement with a single contractor for the supply of Networking Tasmania (NT) III corporate Internet services, for use by Tasmanian government agencies and other customers deemed eligible by the government.

“Under the contract, the government will be able to increase capacity while still making substantial savings,” the Minister for Information Technology and Innovation, Michael Ferguson MP said.

This is the first procurement of services to be made through the NT III project to deliver and support the Tasmanian cloud – a government initiative to move the majority of government data to secure, outsourced on-island data centre services.

The contract extends iiNet’s public sector presence, which includes contracts with the ACT Government, SA Government and Victoria’s Department of Education.

“iiNet has a long-standing presence in Tasmania, so it’s great to grow our existing relationship with the State Government,” said iiNet’s state manager for Tasmania and Victoria, Ryan Mistry.