Queensland considering whole-of-govt ERP panel

The Queensland state government is contemplating setting up a whole-of-government panel for "modular" and "postmodern" ERP solutions as it moves to ditch the legacy IT left behind by two decades of shared services programs.

The state's agencies currently use predominantly on-premise SAP solutions, with a smattering of other products like TechnologyOne’s FinanceOne and UNIT4’s Agresso.

Most of the systems were installed in the 2000s and "do not necessarily reflect current industry approaches for [corporate services software] architecture and delivery", according to documents issued by the Department of Science, IT and Innovation.

The government is eyeing off more modern buying approaches, like cloud services, subscription-based licensing, and modular architectures, and is looking to vet a selection of providers it might consider for membership of a government-wide procurement panel.

It has called on providers to send in a 10-page pitch for their wares, plus their track record implementing their software across comparable organisations.

The DSITI team has raised the prospect of an approach based on Gartner’s concept of "postmodern ERP", emphasising integrated functionality, rather than the "monolithic software stacks" it finds itself encumbered with at present.

The state has also hinted at a preference for providers with a Queensland, or at least Australian, presence, and a proven history of success - which will no doubt be a key selling point in a state sorely burned by ERP installations in the past.

The state famously bungled the installation of Queensland Health’s SAP payroll system in 2010, and the Public Safety Business Agency is continuing to struggle with its own payroll transition.

DSITI will take expressions of interest from potential providers until 29 April, but has made no commitment to forming the panel at this stage. It has not set a date for when the proposed request for tenders might go ahead.