AMPSA has transacted the bulk of Defence's system integration work since it was established in 2011, with Accenture, HP, CSC, IBM and BAE given ownership over individual bundles of work. Defence has been looking to replace the arrangement since early 2016 in order to create a leaner procurement mechanism known as the ICT provider arrangement (ICTPA), which covers a wider scope of services to account for future technological development. 

The new arrangement is intended to make Defence “a smarter and more sophisticated buyer of ICT services”, allowing “niche” and “flexible” suppliers to take part.

ICTPA, through the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), encompasses three major service domains: 

• Systems integration
• Application services
• ICT services

Defence has revealed the 32 panelists that will provide what they define as 'digital services for government', including all the existing AMSPA panellists, except BAE Systems. New panelists include a number of Defence's top IT and ICT suppliers, including Leidos, Unisys, Fujitsu, Atos, Northrop Grumman, Optus and ABB Enterprise Software. 

Additionally, Defence advises that suppliers including Adactin, Azara, Exeter, Icemedia, RPSPM, Sofitel Systems and the Gruden Group survived under the new arrangement. 

Defence aims to retire AMSPA in September 2018. 

Stephen Kuper

Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.