X
Business

Qld Govt: The usual ICT suspects

Despite a changing of the guard in several influential departments and offices in the past 2-years (Health, Transport, Emergency Services, Police, Premier's, Public Works, and QGCIO, to name a few), the true identity of ICT influence in Queensland government still rests with the agency CIOs.
Written by Longhaus , Contributor

analysis Longhaus have calculated that the annual Queensland Government spending on ICT in 2007/08 was $1.347 billion, or four per cent of the state's total expenditure. Yet the true composition of this expenditure has been the subject of rumour and hearsay across the local ICT industry for years.

A reason for this conjecture has been the apparent uncoordinated nature of public sector ICT in Queensland when in fact, the coordination is very centralised. One group is essentially responsible for government ICT consumption, with a second group responsible for industry health and development.

However, given the matrix view of technology it is reasonable to accept the confusion. And in fairness to the confused, the government has never presented and communicated a consolidated view of the key influencers.

Confusion driven by complexity can only ever be bad for all concerned.

The true identity of ICT influence in Queensland government still rests with the agency chief information officers.

In the 1995 movie The Usual Suspects, the central character, Roger Verbal Kint, is interrogated and interviewed following his arrest after a dockside incident in Los Angeles. From the point of his arrest, Kint takes police investigators on a complex tale of espionage and deceit apparently masterminded by a fabled Hungarian criminal called Kayser Soze.

In the end the police release Kint from custody with full immunity without realising that he was in fact the man they were looking for all along.

Unfortunately, they had followed the "usual suspects" in his complex tale to a dead end; and lost the opportunity to close the case. Similarly, it would be very easy for a local ICT firm to be confused by the usual suspects in Queensland Government. So, as an ICT industry company who do you go to for answers; for money; for a single version of the truth? The following table outlines Longhaus' understanding of the current state of play.

For the segment of the Australian ICT industry that has focused on the Queensland Government over the last 12-18 months, perhaps the greatest distraction has been the perceived influence of the Technology Transformation Project (TTP). The industry has sat mesmerised by the apparent war-chest of investment allocated to the consolidation of core infrastructure and networks across the state.

But like The Usual Suspects' character Kayser Soze, the TTP project serves as a cunning distraction that could catch the unwary vendor.

Like The Usual Suspects' character Kayser Soze, the TTP project serves as a cunning distraction that could catch the unwary vendor.

Despite a changing of the guard in several influential departments and offices in the past 2-years (Health, Transport, Emergency Services, Police, Premier's, Public Works, and QGCIO to name a few), the true identity of ICT influence in Queensland government still rests with the agency chief information officers.

After all it will be them who will be left with the tasks of aligning and delivering services at the application layer for the outcomes of government when the dust of the Service Delivery and Performance Commission (SDPC), and TTP have settled.

While each of the listed influencers undoubtedly play key roles in the Queensland ICT economy, for those vendors focused on delivering solutions for operational, and even strategic ICT, the majority of discretional spend on an annual basis is still held at the agency level.

For the vendor community this means that pursuing the fortunes and fools' gold of Queensland's usual suspects may only result in anguish and dead-ends in 2009.

Minister Robert Schwarten
Minister for Public Works, Housing and Information and Communication Technology
Former Minister Christopher Cummins
Advisor to Premier Anna Bligh, assigned to Robert Schwarten for support on IT and communication policies.
Department of PublicWorks (DPW)
Central lead agency for the Queensland Government in building asset management, whole-of-government information and communication technology (ICT) and procurement. Headed by Director-General Mal Grierson.
Chief Information Office (QGCIO)
Provides strategic leadership, management and advice to ensure that whole of government information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives are maximised. QGCIO collects all ICT data for Queensland Government. Headed by Alan Chapman.
Chief Procurement Office (QGCPO)
The Queensland Government Chief Procurement Office administers Information Standard 13, which outlines the policy and principles relevant to ICT procurement and is designed to complement State Procurement Policy. Information Standard 13 mandates the use of the Government Information Technology Contracting (GITC) framework for all government ICT contracts. Headed by Evelyn Jeliffe.
Chief Technology Office (QGCTO)
The Queensland Government Chief Technology Office (QGCTO) provides leadership, collaboration, management and direction on whole of government ICT technology issues to the Queensland Government and its agencies. Headed by Bob Gurnett.
ICT Industry Work Group (ICT IWG)
In May, 2005 the Premier established the Industry/Government ICT Group to provide the forum for various industry and government to facilitate discussions on how to improve issues identified by the industry with regards to government procurement as it relates to industry development.
Participating associations and clusters include the ACS, AIIA, IT Gold Coast, ITCRA, ATUG,WIT, Software Queensland, AIMIA, ASIBA, and Queensland Dot Net. The IWG is chaired by Dr Paul Campbell.
CITEC
CITEC is the primary technology service provider for the Queensland Government, delivering both whole-of-government and agency specific ICT services. Headed by Tony Skippington.
Technology Transformation Project (TTP)
The Technology Transformation Project has been established to implement the strategies outlined in the technology consolidation business case following the Service Delivery & Performance Commission review. Directed by Sharon Valuch.
Agency CIOs
Responsible for government service delivery including the daily support of 200,000 Queensland Government employees.
Minister Desley Boyle
Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry. Responsible for almost 80,000 ICT industry employees.
Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry (TRDI)
Regional Ownership of development of the ICT industry and businesses operating within it.
ICT Ministerial Advisory Group (IMAG)
Provides ICT industry input to the Minister on issues, policies, and programs relating to ICT industry development. Chaired by former Wayne Goss, Chief of Staff, and current CEO of the Australian Institute for Commercialisation, David Barbagello.
Information Industries Bureau (IIB)
The Information Industries Bureau (IIB) works with Queensland's small and medium-sized information and communication technology (ICT) businesses to help them grow and develop. Headed by Mal Lane.
Ms Fiona Simpson
Shadow ICT Minister and an unknown quantity within the National Liberal Party.

This article is by Queensland-based ICT analyst firm Longhaus, which is led by managing director Peter Carr. It first appeared in the company's journal Longview late in 2008 and is published on ZDNet.com.au with Longhaus' permission.

Editorial standards