TransGrid wants Vista PC supplier

NSW electricity wholesaler TranGrid has started looking for a company to supply its Windows Vista-based desktops and laptops over the next three years.

The state-owned corporation, which is responsible for distributing electricity across NSW, hopes to finalise arrangements for a PC supplier by 1 October this year, according to tender documents released this week.

TranGrid currently maintains around 500 desktops and 700 laptops, and replaces up to a third each year. It wants all its new computers to be supplied with Windows Vista Business, however it currently runs a Windows XP Professional managed operating environment for its most critical applications.

The successful bidder will be required to supply new machines with all of TranGrid's critical applications installed.

Transgrid plans to enforce the contract by imposing $1000 fines for every service level agreement that is not met by the new supplier, such as dealing with 90 per cent of service calls for its metropolitan operations within one day of them being made.

The energy company's outsourcing partner is local IT services firm, Mincom, which won TransGrid's entire IT support function work in August 2006 after Trangrid ditched Fujitsu. Mincom currently provides application support for TransGrid's Ellipse ERP suite, and also manages its desktop, server and network environments under a deal that is expected to expire in 2009.

However it remains unclear who currently supplies TransGrid's desktops. TransGrid was unable to respond to ZDNet.com.au's questions at the time of writing.