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The NSW government has opened a new IT service desk at Rhodes, where technology company Unisys has been hired to deliver on-demand IT services and support more than 6,000 public servants under the GovConnectNSW banner.
The opening of the new centre marks a significant milestone in the government’s ambitious overhaul of the delivery of internal ICT services to public servants across the state that came about through the dismantling of its internal procurement arm ServiceFirst.
Consequently, those crucial services were outsourced to a line-up of 80 new privately owned operators, with Unisys among their ranks.
The state government signed a six-year contract with Unisys in June 2015 to replace the ServiceFirst legacy IT platforms with a “high performing consumption based model”.
According to the government, the transition from ServiceFirst to GovConnectNSW will be formally completed in March 2016, with a program now underway to drive further efficiencies in the delivery of back-office and IT services to NSW Government agencies.
Minister for Finance, Services and Property Dominic Perrottet said said the new Rhodes Service Desk would take advantage of Unisys’s private sector expertise to deliver more scalable, adaptive and efficient IT services to public servants, enabling them to focus on serving the people of NSW.
“This government is committed to delivering the best service to NSW taxpayers, and part of that is making sure the government itself is operating as efficiently as possible,” Mr Perrottet said.
He said bringing in an expert provider like Unisys means public servants will have access to the latest IT technology and faster turnaround times, enabling them to provide better service to the people of NSW.
“Moving from ServiceFirst to this new model is also a better deal for taxpayers, with $13.4 million in savings expected for the first 6 years of the Unisys contract.”
Member for Drummoyne John Sidoti said the Rhodes Service Desk was a boost for Sydney’s inner-west, with 128 new local jobs already created at the facility.
“Rhodes has continued to boom in recent years, so it’s great to see the government working with companies like Unisys to invest in the area, providing more opportunities for people to work closer to home,” Mr Sidoti said.
