NBN Co picks cream for $23m IT deal

As first reported on ZDNet.com.au, NBN Co has selected Oracle as its lead software provider, adding IBM for infrastructure hosting and Accenture for implementation and support.

Kevin Brown, NBN Co director of corporate services
(Credit: NBN Co)

Australia's wholesale-only national fibre network provider NBN Co has locked in the cream of the IT world to provide its infrastructure and support for the coming three years under a $23 million deal.

IBM will provide servers, storage and operating systems, while Oracle will provide its core software platforms. Procurement consultancy Portland Group provided assistance with the selection process.

NBN Co had inadvertently flagged its intention to go with Oracle in February, releasing several job advertisements asking for candidates with high-end skills in Oracle enterprise resource planning software.

At that stage NBN Co was labelling Oracle its "preferred supplier", but had not yet finalised its contracts with the company.

"These systems will be used by our workforce to manage projects, source equipment and services, and manage our assets and finances including accounts payable and accounts receivable," former Qantas executive, NBN Co's head of human resources and corporate services Kevin Brown said in a statement

"They will also enable effective project and document management for large, complex and significant engineering initiatives."

"We are putting the best systems in place to ensure we can be accountable for every dollar we spend and provide the right foundation for a rapidly growing national company," said Brown.

"IBM, Oracle and Accenture are used extensively in corporate Australia and globally and have a proven track record."