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The Department of Home Affairs (DHS) is looking to consolidate its unified communications (UC) systems into a single platform as part of a “technology transformation” effort.
The Federal Government agency wants to move away from its existing mixed communications solution, which uses a number of vendors with different services providers, to a UC platform supplied by a single provider.
Announced in a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI), DHS said it hoped to get better value for money by cutting contract and vendor management, while providing better communication and collaboration capabilities.
DHS currently uses a mixture of hardware products from Cisco, Microsoft, Apple and Polycom for its internal telephone, video conferencing, landline and mobile services, which are managed by external providers.
For teleconferencing and contact centre telephony, it deploys Message Stick and Genesys respectively, which are also managed externally, plus the self-managed Skype for Business for instant messaging and desktop conferencing.
According to the REOI, DHS is now seeking a delivery model that can deliver and integrate a UC solution to the Department and portfolio agencies as it refurbishes and consolidates its Canberra office.
Envisioning a future need for more offices outside Canberra, DHS said a new platform was needed to allow staff to access information and collaboration solutions “quickly, seamlessly and effectively”.
Citing the Government’s Technology Strategy 2020, claimed acquiring an integrated UC technology stack “will facilitate technology adoption and integration”.
“Similarly, due to a disparate field of technology, there is an increase in technological costs which a new UC solution should alleviate,” the REOI added.
According to the document, the required solution would cover instant messaging, internal video and voice calls, broadcast services for content streaming and mobile services from external networks, all of which must come with Protected security clearance. The solution would also encompass video conference meeting room services with a clearance of Unclassified.
The agency said the REOI may lead to a multi-stage procurement process with a potential solution delivered between October and December 2020.
