Pandemic disrupts govt cloud purchases.
The Australian Government’s Digital Transformation Agency has had to defer its approach to Cloud Marketplace 2.0 (CMP 2.0), due to continued disruptions and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement by the Digital Transformation Agency, it was scheduled to establish a new CMP 2.0 in March 2020.
The new CMP 2.0 arrangement was meant to replace the current Cloud Services Panel (CSP) which hosts almost 500 cloud services from over 240 sellers.
DTA stated the deferment of its CMP 2.0 Request for Tender (RFT) until at least June 2020, was “due to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented disruptions being faced by most workplaces”.
“We will continue to operate the current CSP arrangement (SON2914302), as extended to 31 March 2021,” states DTA. “The recent extension, along with some new operational improvements will ensure continuity for current sellers and their government buyers.”
According to DTA:
- The CSP will continue to operate to its original scope and specifications under the cloud computing reference architecture, defined by the US-based National Institute for Standards and Technology — the NIST definition.
- Existing CSP sellers may continue to propose to add new cloud offerings or update their current cloud services, subject to the scope and requirements of the current arrangement.
“We have ceased the CSP Administration Fee — also known as the Supplier Administration Fee or SAF — and from April 2020 will no longer charge it to sellers,” DTA stated. “We will continue to implement planned improvements to the cloud services catalogue and related reporting requirements to address stakeholder feedback.”
However DTA said no new sellers can join the current arrangement as per the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs).
Tags: Australian GovernmentCloudDigital Transformation Agencyprocurementservices
