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Final Report of the ICT SME Joint Industry Government Working Party - 4
An ICT SME information unit was established within DCITA in June 2002. The unit provides
ICT SMEs with a central point, including a website, from which to locate information on Government programs and other useful resources and links and an individual email address (sme@dcita.gov.au). There has been active interest in the website since going ‘live’ in November 2002.
The unit has produced a brochure, Australian Government Support for ICT SMEs, on the range of available Australian Government ICT industry support programs. The brochure is divided into four sections:
- creating new ICT ideas and products
- developing the ICT business—getting advice and capital
- selling ICT to Government
- exporting ICT
The brochure can be downloaded from www.dcita.gov.au/ictsme. Mo re than 10 000 brochures have been distributed via industry associations, and Australian and state and territory government agencies.
2.4 Endorsed Supplier Arrangement (ESA)
ESA is a pre-qualification program for firms selling ICT to the Australian Government and is administered by the Department of Finance and Administration (DOFA). The Government’s policy is that agencies operating in accordance with the FMA Act are to purchase from suppliers endorsed under the ESA scheme. The ESA scheme provides for endorsement where a firm meets quality, standards, service and financial viability criteria.
The ESA has been streamlined since 1 January 2005 with the implementation of the Australian United States Free Trade Agreement. Working Party have also suggested improvements to the
ESA system through the allocation of a number to endorsed suppliers which could then also be linked to the Gazette Publishing System (GaPS). The Working Party also noted that the ESA could potentially make it difficult for some SMEs to compete for very small contracts as they need to go through the extensive ESA endorsement process even for, say, a $20 000 contract.
DOFA is considering these issues.
2.5 Online tender notification system
AusTender (formally the Commonwealth Electronic Tender System) went ‘live’ in December
2003. AusTender enables all companies to register and be notified when Australian Government public business opportunities are posted on the AusTender website www.tenders.gov.au. The tender notification system is available 24 hours a day. Tender documents can be download ed and responses submitted online. The benefit to SMEs include reduced costs of responding to tenders as there are no printing, binding and delivery costs and increased time to bid, as suppliers do not have to wait for documentation to be sent to them.