Queensland dumps cloud broker scheme

The Queensland government has abandoned plans to set up a whole-of-government cloud brokerage scheme for agencies, after deciding no industry players could offer the the kind of model it had in mind.

In March this year the Department of Science, IT and Innovation started collecting expressions of interest to establish a market intermediary service that would help guide state agencies through the process of engaging and provisioning cloud services.

The so-called ‘cloud broker’ was envisioned as a trusted mediator that would conduct market research and negotiate price, security and uptime conditions on behalf of Queensland public sector customers, as many made their first foray into a crowded cloud market.

The broker would also help co-ordinate bundled approaches to market to help the state take advantage of its buying scale.

The approach to market followed the state’s declaration it would adopt a ‘cloud first’ policy compelling agencies to select as-a-service options in all new computing procurements.

However, a spokesman for DSITI confirmed that the March call for bids failed to generate any suitable responses, and the state has now abandoned the cloud broker plans.

“An analysis of the submissions showed that no model proposed met the government’s requirement as set out in the RFI," the spokesperson said.

“No whole-of-government pilot will be progressed at this time,” he said.

However, the state hasn’t ruled out recycling the information already gathered or handing it over to Queensland departments wanting to set up their own schemes, the spokesperson said.

DSITI has already been in touch with Queensland government CIOs to let them know the plans have been scrapped.

The state has, however, continued to pursue a whole-of-government infrastructure-as-a-service procurement panel and is evaluating bids for infrastructure fit-out at the new government offices, located at 1 William Street, Brisbane.