The initiative comprises two tenders, one for print management and the other for warehousing and distribution. Both are expected to be worth tens of millions of dollars per year.
The tenders are currently open, with suppliers due to be announced in February 2011. The NSW government said it would award work to “one or more suppliers on each panel”.
Respondents to the print management lot include Blue Star Group Australia, E-Bisprint, Finsbury Green, Foxprint Solutions, Moore Australasia, Salmat Businessforce and Stream Solutions.
Companies bidding for the distribution contract include Blue Star, E-Bisprint, Salmat, Foxprint and Stream’s parent, Toll.
A NSW government spokesperson told ProPrint: “Print procurement has been conducted at an agency or sub-agency level since the closure of the NSW government printing service. The new model seeks to reflect the diversity of NSW government agencies’ needs based on scale and complexity.”
He agreed that the new approach followed a similar model to the Federal government’s ‘Design, Production and Distribution Tender’ initiative.
“The strategy behind the NSW government’s procurement process shares some common features with the proposed Federal arrangements,” he said.
While the Federal government handpicked a panel of around 80 printers from which print managers could commission work, the NSW state government is not currently taking this approach.
However, the spokesperson said: “Future NSW government procurement activity may include engagement with print suppliers.”
He added: “This procurement program will deliver a consistency of approach across government to ensure value for money in price, quality and service. It will also deliver flexible, transparent and dynamic procurement structures that are adaptive to changes in the government’s requirements and the market.”
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