Poor performance prompts Auckland council tender
LATEST NEWS
SUBSCRIBE
Computerworld is New Zealand's only specialised information systems fortnightly. Subscribe now for $100 (23 issues) and save more than 37% off the cover price!
SIGN UP
Council seeks outside help to standardise its desktop environment
By Sim Ahmed | Auckland | Monday, 18 June, 2012 | 40 Comments
Auckland Council is seeking vendors to standardise its desktop environment, which has been negatively impacting its bottom line and customer service due to “poor performance,” according to a recently published RFP document.
The council says IT operational costs have become excessive because the disparate systems used require complex user administration and desktop support. In addition, council workers from librarians to politicians are unable to work off site, and often cannot access data on what should be a combined Wide Area Network (WAN).
The RFP seeks a solution to standardise the build of operating systems and devices used by the council. In particular the council says it is concerned about Windows XP losing update support from Microsoft in 2014, as more than 8100 council machines run the operating system.
“If our desktops are not upgraded before this date, no security updates will be available for Windows XP, leaving our desktops vulnerable,” reads the document.
The successful vendor is expected to package and deploy 600 applications to the new desktop environment, which will use a common operating system based on Windows 7 with the Office 2010 suite. Although the council uses the term desktop, it clarifies that this will also include thin clients, thick clients, and mobile devices.
Also included in this body of work is the consolidation of the council’s Active Directory environment, which it says it inherited from the Auckland Transition Agency (ATA) after the creation of the ‘Super City’.
A new directory and domain was created for the new Super City, but users, devices, and resources are still contained in the nine legacy domains. Vendors are expected to migrate all council users to a single new domain.
The council says it will achieve the migration in two stages.
In stage one applications with duplicate abilities will be removed, consistent builds for devices will be procured, and mobile workplaces will be supported, among other things.
By stage two the council says it hopes to have its “One Council, One IS Landscape” initiative fully running.
This will include a fully standardised desktop environment, with bring your own device (BYOD) support.
Out of scope for the desktop migration are Watercare Services, the Maori Statutory Board, and Auckland Transport.
Auckland Council has been criticised in the past for rushing a previous RFP.
In 2010, Computerworld reported that SAP was chosen as the vendor for Auckland Council’s ERP project without a formal tender process. Computerworld understands that the process was rushed as the now defunct Waitakere City Council, Auckland Regional Council, and Auckland City Council were all using SAP systems, substantial investments which they wished to continue exploiting.
However it was revealed ratepayers would be paying at least $62 million towards creating a new system from scratch instead of recycling systems that were already available at the local councils, including a $2 million system deployed by Auckland Regional Transport Authority (now Auckland Transport).
Computerworld reported sources saying a large chunk of that cost was due to extensive use of consultants.
The desktop environment RFP document was released on May 29. Responses will be accepted between June 29 and July 3.
Comments
Dimension Data
Curious what this means to anyone using dimension data to do similar work.. Sounds like a lot of money to spend to go to rfp..
Posted by Anonymous at 21:42:11 on June 20, 2012
Posted by Anonymous at 21:42:11 on June 20, 2012
Dimension Data
It's even more money to spend yet again for the same project that has failed twice before.
Posted by Anonymous at 14:54:37 on June 21, 2012
Posted by Anonymous at 14:54:37 on June 21, 2012
Lack of Accountability
The AC continues to show and allow serious amount of non-accountability. The beauracracy is in such a state, that and IT/IS forward programs are hamstrung and a bunch of civil servants in the disguise of Project Managers, and especially Business Relationship Managers, who do nothing but slow things down, to the absolute detriment of the Council business units. Who in fairness, just want to do a good job. They are in the process of so-called decommissioning but the IT/IS managers, the Project Management Office and Business Relationship Managers, seem incapable of coordinating anything. Now, they are going through yet another round of design and planning - which has been going on for 2 years. And yes the ratepaters lose again. The arguements above are almost superfluous the situation. Certain level 2 and 3 managers need to take a hard look at themselves, and the structure they have set up or are responsible for.
Posted by Lost in Space at 15:03:17 on June 20, 2012
Posted by Lost in Space at 15:03:17 on June 20, 2012
Council
So what happened with the gigantic amount they just spend with Dimension data upgrading everything?
Posted by Anonymous at 10:36:18 on June 20, 2012
Posted by Anonymous at 10:36:18 on June 20, 2012
Council
What happened...? It's on DD balance sheet is what happened ?
Those that spent it are running around having review's, meetings, muttering to each other while not making eye contact. Hence generating more RFPs to finish the job....
AND more importantly, the beloved Council machine will absolutely be planning to increase our rates. With tunnels, trains, bridges, parking charge increases and other delusional grandiose dreams of non central govt funded ambition....PLUS a bottomless IT money pit, rate increase have to be double digit - Be prepared !
Ahhhh... the good old days - Remember when one council was going to save us money..? Remember when the "cheque was in the mail...."? Remember when he said "Ive had a vasectomy...?"
Posted by PLS increase my Rate's - PLEASE at 16:34:00 on June 20, 2012
Those that spent it are running around having review's, meetings, muttering to each other while not making eye contact. Hence generating more RFPs to finish the job....
AND more importantly, the beloved Council machine will absolutely be planning to increase our rates. With tunnels, trains, bridges, parking charge increases and other delusional grandiose dreams of non central govt funded ambition....PLUS a bottomless IT money pit, rate increase have to be double digit - Be prepared !
Ahhhh... the good old days - Remember when one council was going to save us money..? Remember when the "cheque was in the mail...."? Remember when he said "Ive had a vasectomy...?"
Posted by PLS increase my Rate's - PLEASE at 16:34:00 on June 20, 2012
Heh heh
Interesting to see that as usual (aside from Henaro), all those breathlessly falling all over themselves to assert that Linux and FOSS isn't up for the job are Anonymous. I suspect that they're all just shaking in their boots because they *know* that the first big Linux or fully FOSS implementation will mean that none of the big players will be able to force MS solutions down agencies throats any more without doing a fully ROI/TCO analysis (as it should be!). That, in turn, will show that both the direct costs and hidden costs (license management, migration costs due to proprietary file formats, etc.) show that FOSS is better on every level.
But hey, I advocate making a more gradual transition - start by using FOSS on Windows XP, and milk XP until 2014. XP will be more usable (e.g. with Firefox and Chrome rather than dirty old IE).
Linux and FOSS already reign supreme in every other significant computing niche besides the desktop - from embedded to mobile up to super computers, and all of the web/cloud in between (except for the tiny bit that MS has built).
MS will continue be proposed by big players for Gov't in NZ *because it makes them more money*. It's that simple. They can use existing staff, the solutions require more support, they make an additional margin on license fees, and they know how to sell it.
Ultimately, the big corporate vendors' bias toward MS solutions amounts to a cartel which needs to be broken. It'll continue to be fun and games for the big corporate vendors until either a rogue comes along or one of the big players blinks and throws FOSS into the mix for competitive reasons. Then the glory days of fat margins and massive profits will end, and governments (and taxpayers) will start getting much much better value for their money. That's exactly what's happening elsewhere in the world. All those clever Anonymous folks who can see the writing on the wall should start getting their CVs in order.
Posted by Dave Lane at 9:36:51 on June 20, 2012
But hey, I advocate making a more gradual transition - start by using FOSS on Windows XP, and milk XP until 2014. XP will be more usable (e.g. with Firefox and Chrome rather than dirty old IE).
Linux and FOSS already reign supreme in every other significant computing niche besides the desktop - from embedded to mobile up to super computers, and all of the web/cloud in between (except for the tiny bit that MS has built).
MS will continue be proposed by big players for Gov't in NZ *because it makes them more money*. It's that simple. They can use existing staff, the solutions require more support, they make an additional margin on license fees, and they know how to sell it.
Ultimately, the big corporate vendors' bias toward MS solutions amounts to a cartel which needs to be broken. It'll continue to be fun and games for the big corporate vendors until either a rogue comes along or one of the big players blinks and throws FOSS into the mix for competitive reasons. Then the glory days of fat margins and massive profits will end, and governments (and taxpayers) will start getting much much better value for their money. That's exactly what's happening elsewhere in the world. All those clever Anonymous folks who can see the writing on the wall should start getting their CVs in order.
Posted by Dave Lane at 9:36:51 on June 20, 2012
Heh heh
Half the time you say FOSS dominates the IT world, the other half you say it's disadvantaged and needs a bail-out. So which is it?
Posted by Confused at 22:25:20 on June 22, 2012
Posted by Confused at 22:25:20 on June 22, 2012
Heh heh
" I suspect that they're all just shaking in their boots because they *know* that the first big Linux or fully FOSS implementation will mean that none of the big players will be able to force MS solutions down agencies throats"
and we are all waiting for that day to arrive, but it never seems to
Posted by Anonymous at 22:08:09 on June 20, 2012
and we are all waiting for that day to arrive, but it never seems to
Posted by Anonymous at 22:08:09 on June 20, 2012
Heh heh
what a load of utter rubbish. I could write a book about all the factual errors in this! Hardware and Software margins are becoming razor thin due to the COMPETITION that exists between the vendors which directly benefits the clients and gives them something called the CHOICE. UNLIKE the world of obsolete systems that you like to push where the competition consists of you and the other bloke in sandals and tennis socks. So if you can get a customer to "adopt" one of these fabulous inventions you can pretty much charge whatever you like to keep it running which often turns out to be full-time job - bit like monopoly really. Maybe better if you didn't use your real name either if you are going to be completely off the mark?
Posted by Anonymous at 13:13:29 on June 20, 2012
Posted by Anonymous at 13:13:29 on June 20, 2012
MOST POPULAR
Social Media @Computerworld NZ
Computerworld NZ has now reached LinkedIn! Join to expand your networks and meet others interested in information systems.
