Macquarie Government selected for Australian Defence procurement panel

Macquarie Government, part of Macquarie Technology Group, has announced it has been added to the Information Communications Technology Provider Arrangement (ICTPA) panel.

Established in 2018 to replace the Applications Managed Service Partner Agreement (AMSPA), the ICTPA has been designed to facilitate IT service buying for Defence and related government agencies.

The addition to the ICTPA panel will enable Australian defence and intelligence agencies to leverage Macquarie Government’s sovereign cloud, network perimeter cybersecurity and Security Operations Centre (SOC). Macquarie already works with more than 42% of federal government agencies and is the only strategic level-certified provider of both data centre and cloud services in Australia under the government’s Hosting Certification Framework.

“This is a significant step which reflects the trust and recognition of Australian companies investing in sovereign outcomes,” said Michael Davies, Head of Federal Government at Macquarie Government. “Our longstanding delivery of Defence services through our Defence partners and primes demonstrates our dedication to supporting the Australian Government and its secure digital transformation journey.”

This appointment comes at a pivotal time for Australia, with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles recently unveiling an increase to defence spending of an additional $50.3 billion over the next decade, paving the way for a sovereign capability uplift, building on the 2023 Defence Strategic Review. It also comes as the government is progressing its national Cyber Security Strategy, in which sovereign capabilities were highlighted as a vital ‘shield’ to boost homegrown capabilities and reduce Australia’s dependence on offshore providers.

Macquarie Government Managing Director Aidan Tudehope welcomed the panel selection, given Macquarie Government’s history of providing services and expertise in cybersecurity, infrastructure and cloud services to a large and increasing range of government agencies and personnel.

“We see this as a pivotal moment for Macquarie Government, which reflects our commitment to supporting Australian Defence and national security,” he said. “Australia needs sovereign, homegrown capabilities in technology and cybersecurity to adjust to the new challenging strategic circumstances Defence faces, and to keep pace with our international partners in important pacts such as AUKUS.”

Image: Aidan Tudehope, Managing Director of Macquarie Government, and Adam Flint, Director of ICT Strategy, Department of Defence.