Victorian SME's riding high thanks to panel
Victorian SME's riding high thanks to panel
The eServices Panel has provided a welcome boost to small and medium sized businesses in Victoria by exposing them to significant Government projects that need their expertise.
It was established in 2003 to streamline the process of contracted work between the Victorian Government and IT service suppliers. The number of projects initiated by the panel grew from 94 in February 2004 up to 194 in December 2004.
Marsha Thomson, the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, is delighted that almost 80 percent of the panel consists of Victorian and Australian companies because she is very keen to support local businesses.
"Victorian IT companies have been selected for 60 percent of $5.7 million Government business awarded to the panel since February 2004, up from 45 percent the year before."
The panel is now looking to refresh itself and other IT companies are now being invited to join the panel. Companies can find out more information about this here from January 26th.
The advantages of joining the panel, according to Thomson, include establishing partnerships with Government departments, fewer overheads and smoother engagement with the Victorian Government.
This year, the panel is particularly looking for companies that specialise in eService strategies and application development.
Thomson added: "We've also included new sub-categories covering IT infrastructure Library (ITIL) contracting and consulting services and Open Source development and implementation services to respond to emerging demands in Government."
The panel is only in its infancy, but it has already showed how much of a boost it can provide to small IT businesses with a concerted effort of support from the Government. Other Governments around Australia could soon be interested in learning from this model of ICT engagement.
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