Johannesburg, 25 Aug 2000
The South African Parliament has awarded a two-year IT equipment supply, delivery and installation tender to specialist system integrator SourceCom.
The contract is expected to supply the majority of parliament staff with Compaq PCs and access to HP printers, and is the first project of its kind undertaken by Parliament.
"We consider the introduction of user-level information technology a positive move in shrinking our long term administration and operational costs and streamlining our internal and external communications infrastructure," says Parliament's CIO Oliver Chifadza.
"The project will further ensure an accurate asset tracking and management system is in place for all new computer equipment, and that resources will be expended appropriately for present and future IT needs in Parliament."
The information system management division is responsible for the supply and maintenance of the IT, telecommunications and audiovisual infrastructure for Parliament. This includes cabling, network and desktop equipment, communication links, servers, e-mail and Internet access and Web services.
"The opportunity for a large scale project came about before the Y2K changeover, since old, standalone equipment had to make way for a compliant LAN and communications system," adds Chifadza.
"We were keen to partner a company that not only met the basic empowerment and social upliftment criteria for the tender, but had the expertise to give us the best possible advice and service through the presales, delivery and implementation cycle. SourceCom demonstrated this capacity with its portfolio of successful government contracts, its grassroots empowerment philosophy and its internationally-certified skills base."
SourceCom director Peter Volkwyn says it was important for Parliament to find a partner that can meet its needs on an ongoing basis and work within the budget criteria of the public sector.
"Private sector partnerships balance Parliament's requirement for a cost-effective IT solution with the skills and resources needed for a project of this magnitude," says Volkwyn. "Already we've put in place a serial number system for asset tracking, and have secured favourable pricing structures for all equipment from our partner vendors."
The tender was awarded in April, with the bulk of the supply orders expected to be functional by August.
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