TAFE NSW is set to fork out just over $25 million to Insight Enterprises for the provision of an ongoing Microsoft enterprise agreement.
The arrangement forms part of the process of TAFE NSW separating from the state’s Department of Education, and is a continuation of a previous agreement between Insight Enterprises and the Department of Education.
According to a spokesperson for the vocational education and training institution, TAFE NSW is currently undertaking IT investment to support a transformation of TAFE NSW’s business operations – dubbed One TAFE – and the replacement of its Student Management System.
“The procurement approach was through direct negotiation with Microsoft in conjunction with the incumbent Department of Education supplier and the contract is a continuation of the agreement between Microsoft and the Department of Education,” the TAFE NSW spokesperson told ARN.
“Insight was selected as it was the Department of Education’s incumbent supplier. This ensured continuity of knowledge and support in relation to TAFE and its particular requirements.
“The contract is for the supply of a range of Microsoft software and related assurance services and covers all TAFE NSW staff and students,” the spokesperson said.
The contract, which runs from 28 February to 28 February 2020, comes as TAFE NSW awards Outcomex a $5.9 million, 12-month contract for the provision of hardware and software for a new hosting environment within the state’s GovDC infrastructure.
As with TAFE NSW’s new arrangement with Insight Enterprises, the Ouotcomex deal is associated with the institution’s separation from the NSW Department of Education.
The Outcomex contract, which runs until April 2018, sees the Sydney-based managed service provider play a part in helping TAFE NSW build a new state-of-the-art platform that will centrally house all of its applications, systems and data.
The deal includes components of hardware for implementation and management services, as well as software and services.
The software component includes management and security software for the TAFE Private Cloud, which will leverage the services provided by the state’s Government Data Centre (GovDC) infrastructure to create a secure and scalable technology platform.
“This contract represents a key milestone in TAFE NSW’s separation from the Department of Education to become a stand-alone agency in the NSW Government skills portfolio,” a spokesperson for TAFE NSW told ARN, at the time.
