2 October 2007

ACT Tourism website gets upgrade - $370K worth

| Gungahlin Al
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Nice work if you’re in the web design business – $370,000 over three years to continue to build the Tourism website. So how much website does that much money buy?

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Tendering rarely gets the best result in my experience. Generally, if a company tendering is close to the best price they’ll win it because someone they know on the inside has influence anyway.

Also many tenders require so much work on both sides its got to be paid for somehow. My company has spent a month on many tenders with several people. It probably costs us at least $100k to respond to any government tender, and trust me its always covered in the price of the tender somehow.

I am going against the flow here and offering congratulations to Zoo. It is rare that the ACT Government, who have a cringe complex about local contactors, accept a tender from a local company. We need more Zoo people in Canberra.
I wonder how much of the $1 billion dollars to be spent on the Green light rail project will stay in Canberra? There are plenty of local firms that could participate but with a PPP being mandatory who in Canberra is going to bother.

ampersand said :

Please don’t whinge about the tender process. My guess is nearly anyone in Canberra who reads the Riot Act are public servants (Feddies and State).

Instead of whinging about what is perceived to be a process with problems, use your time at work to change the process… it’s what you are paid for.

Ha! I knew a student at ANU whose public service brother had put him in charge of a company …. to tender on the public servant’s behalf for major IT contracts.

Please don’t whinge about the tender process. My guess is nearly anyone in Canberra who reads the Riot Act are public servants (Feddies and State).

Instead of whinging about what is perceived to be a process with problems, use your time at work to change the process… it’s what you are paid for.

Let’s see whether it buys some disabled access … unlike the pathetic attempts of the remainder of the ACT “Signed Up To The National Disability Strategy But Doesn’t Give A Flying F**k” Government.

Kramer said :

The three years was most likely a tender – you know govt spending over $80K and all that…

Are you thinking of Federal Government finance procedures?

Most of the funds would be going to PM, BA , Testers and very little to developers !!!

“Remember best price is not always equal to best value.”
That is quoted in Govt tender process discussions all the time ….

The three years was most likely a tender – you know govt spending over $80K and all that…

Yes, I run a web design company – albeit one that works on much smaller projects – small business & individuals only.

Rather than comment on the $370k, I probably should have questioned what in fact that tourism site needs three years worth of development for.

Do any of you guys actually work in IT? $370,000 over 3 years – that’s only $123,333 per year – pocket change in the IT industry, might get you one half decent programmer.

$370k? There’d want to be one hell of a back end.

they probably have to provide support and training for tourism staff.

This is chicken feed. It isn’t going to be too “flash” (no pun intended) and likely very little interactivity (like online bookings) for that sort of dough. You’d be lucky to get the skin designed and get much change from K100 if it’s gonna be any good. And for three years’ operation?

More proof that the tender process doesn’t get the bes price for taxpayers if this is what it’s going to cost. Heck, I could build a website and travel around the world getting photographs for it for as much as their paying for a site showcasing our humble city.

P.S. I recently read in a photographic industry publication, advice, telling photographers what they should charge people for. Half the things on the list of things to charge often aren’t utilised, yet the advice said charge for it anyway. Probably the same stuff goes on in web design.

How else can Zoo afford to offer free meals for staff, pool-tables, and various other fringe-benefits?

electronicshaman3:21 pm 02 Oct 07

For that sort of money I could make a pretty sweet website.

That said, the way I’ve seen money wasted on web development in Canberra, I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for anything impressive.

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