NZ Govt accelerates shift to SaaS with TechnologyOne

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and TechnologyOne have announced a new procurement framework that will enable 23 New Zealand government agencies to transition to modern and secure software-as-a-service (SaaS) environments.

The procurement arrangements will offer stronger cybersecurity options and improve services to citizens by allowing agencies to be more flexible and innovative.

Negotiated by MBIE and endorsed by the office of the Government Chief Digital Officer (part of the Department of Internal Affairs), the agreement provides a common contractual framework, equipping NZ government agencies with a roadmap for digital transformation to a SaaS platform. It is part of the government’s reforms to ICT procurement, making it simpler, clearer and faster for agencies and industry to transact services and deliver better outcomes for the community.

TechnologyOne CEO Ed Chung noted that strong, secure and resilient IT operations will power the innovations that will drive New Zealand’s economy forward following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The last 12 months have demonstrated the benefits of software-as-a-service environments. The organisations which were able to make the smoothest transitions to remote work this time last year were those who had invested in SaaS,” said Chung.

The agreement comes at a time when public sector organisations in New Zealand are considering the changes required to prepare for the introduction of e-invoicing, a digital transformation which allows them to do away with paper invoices to reduce costs and help pay suppliers, including businesses, faster.

“The Australian and New Zealand governments use a common standard for e-invoicing, which means NZ agencies can benefit from work already done across the Tasman,” said Chung.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Egor