Human Services turns to the market to shape future of internal software

[#Drennn.]

The Department of Human Services (DHS) is looking to expand the reach of its internal software that could be shared with other government entities, seeking direction for a solution that can be hosted on premises or in the cloud.

The DHS has published a request for information (RFI), specifically seeking direction from the market on where the SAP ERP system it has in place can be further utilised. It has also asked suppliers to provide information about available products that would "extend the capability of SAP core ERP to meet the end-to-end corporate business process needs of the department, and its shared services clients, corporate business functions".

"This RFI process provides an opportunity for respondents to inform the department's potential future procurement processes and the scope and description of products and services which may be procured by the department," DHS wrote in the RFI.

DHS said it wants its future ERP functionality to be as standard and out-of-the-box as possible, with minimal, or no, customisation.

The resulting solution must be cloud-ready, but DHS said it "may adopt an on-premises and greenfields solution using SAP S/4HANA/ECC6.0 or a cloud solution".

"The solution is intended to be cloud-ready so that cloud solutions can be incorporated when and if these are approved and to the extent they are not incorporated initially," the RFI states.

Where the department's non-core ERP requirements are concerned, it wants to implement "strong, underlying, flexible, and scalable ERP platform SAP S/4HANA and ECC6.0".

It also wants to ensure its overall non-core ERP is future-ready and that the components included in it are capable of evolving as service delivery requirements change and that development activities are "undertaken in a way that maximises software reuse opportunities for the department". It also wants the solution to lull current user dissatisfaction.

Under the department's Corporate Modernisation Programme, the DHS is required to provide corporate services under a shared services arrangement with other Commonwealth entities.