The concept of an IT help desk has evolved significantly over time, with higher performance expectations, international standards for service delivery and a suite of software tools to both manage and report service desk activity. Most government departments outsource their IT services to some degree and many are upscaling their requirements for an IT Service Desk.

This week we look at a Request For Tender (RFT) issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), seeking both an IT Service Desk and an IT Service Management (ITSM) Toolset.

As there are two parts to this requirement, tenderers can either offer both elements, or chose to offer just one. However, note that one supplier from a government’s perespective is easier to administer, so a strong tender will be one that can address both elements either as a sole provider or in a prime/subcontractor/partnership arrangement.

The two scopes of work include:

Part A – IT Services: The operation of an IT Service Desk providing first level support, second level end user compute support and selected IT service management services on a 24×7 basis for all ICN infrastructure, utilising DFAT’s supplied service management tool that will be hosted on the ICN networks. The review of existing ITSM processes, and development of improved and/or implementation of new ITSM processes and associated workflows (Transformation Services) for DFAT’s First Level, Second Level and Third Level IT Service Management Services to uplift the maturity of DFAT’s ITSM processes to ensure effective delivery of the IT Services.

Part B – ITSM Toolset: The provision of a new ITSM Toolset to be provided by an ITSM Toolset Provider, which will be used to support all ITSM processes globally, hosted on the ICN High and ICN Low networks, aligned with the Whole of Government Enterprise Resource Planning (GovERP) agenda. The ITSM Toolset Provider will also be required to support, maintain and manage the ITSM Toolset in accordance with DFAT requirements.