Queensland Government

ICT Industry Research Project.

Adam Hinds, Research Director

1

Research purpose.

To garner feedback and insights from the ICT

industry, to inform and strengthen the

Queensland Government’s (through DSITI)

engagement with the ICT Industry.

Specific points of interest included:

5How the ICT industry wishes to engage

with the Queensland Government;

5 The channels through which the ICT

industry would like to engage;

5How the current relationship could be

strengthened.

Methodology overview.

3

A two stage methodology was implemented

to ensure adequate, representative industry

feedback was obtained.

Stage 1:

Exploratory qualitative discussion groups

Stage 2:

Online quantitative survey

4

Key findings.

Overall, satisfaction with the Queensland Government’s communication and engagement with the ICT industry was mixed…

5

…there is room for improvement.

6% 16% 41% 30% 7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Satisfaction with the Queensland Government’s communication and engagement with the ICT industry

Total Respondents (n=251)

Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Satisfied Very satisfied

Total

Satisfaction (Satisfied or Very

satisfied)

Mean

Score

(Out of 5)

37% 3.2

Key areas of frustration include…

5Difficulty in building relationships with decision-makers in government.

5Prescriptive tenders and limited ability to engage in dialogue on business issues.

5Short timeframes stipulated for tender responses.

5Time elapsed between early market engagement and the decision to award a

contract.

5Perceived lack of communication about future procurement priorities.

5Requirements for onerous paperwork (‘red tape’) covering similar information.

6

Where the Government and DSITI are perceived to be performing well include…

5The use of Partners in Technology

(PIT) forums

5The Innovation Hub – high awareness

(78%) and it was commonly perceived

to be an interesting and useful

initiative.

5Staff - The highest level of satisfaction

was for the staff that industry engages

with.

7

“There has been a marked change in engagement recently to ease

the pain of procurement and shape contracts that are focussed on

successful outcomes rather the mitigation of risk.”

“In the private sector there is only one organisation we are

dealing with. The Queensland Government comprises many

organisations and as such different agencies work better than

others. Some are very helpful in disseminating information

whilst others are very guarded or even evasive.”

“Open data allows companies to innovate without going through a

tendering process which usually blocks out smaller operators from

innovating.

The Queensland Government’s engagement compared with the private sector engagement is sound.

8

C2. How does engagement with the Queensland Government compare with engagement with the private sector? SR

Base: Total Respondents (n=251)

Total

Favourability (Somewhat or

Very favourably)

Mean

Score

(Out of 5)

35% 2.9 12% 27% 26% 28% 7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Queensland Government vs private sector engagement Total Respondents (n=251)

Very unfavourable Somewhat unfavourably No Difference Somewhat favourably Very favourably

5 Open and friendly

5 Predictable and well-documented processes

5 Complexity of the rules in engaging with

government

5 Lack of action / commitment

The private sector is a leading example of engagement – primarily due to less constraints (however there are some government bodies providing good examples of engagement).

9

They listen to us

They understand how things work

They are happy & willing to create partnerships

They provide future direction/planning

Prompt payment

Share information freely

These included:

5Organisations in the finance industry

(in particular the major banks)

5The resources and mining sector

5The UK and NZ Governments

5Brisbane City Council

5The Victorian Government

10

Identifying opportunities to improve engagement.

Proposed areas for improvement include…

11

Less risk aversion. This industry relies on innovation, the Queensland Government

needs to show a genuine interest in innovation.

Inclusion in the problem definition process.

Being given more time to respond to tenders.

Responding in a timely manner to tender submissions

Transparent forward planning, share the road map.

More (and regular) communication.

Developing opportunities to build relationships.

Encouraging SME’s to partner together to provide solutions.

12

In summary…

5Government is a complex and

multifaceted organisation

5A sound foundation of engagement

exists between government and industry

5But there is room for improvement, and

there is a willingness to explore that

opportunity.