AEC tenders for master data management platform

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has issued a tender for a master data management platform, aiming to modernise its election systems and to enhance data governance capabilities.

The AEC seeks proposals for both software-as-a-service (SaaS) and managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) hosting solutions as part of its Election Systems Modernisation Program.

The platform must handle more than 100 million data records across multiple domains that include electors, enrolments, addresses, candidates and electoral areas.

Electoral integrity is core to the AEC mission, as such security, information sovereignty, and availability are key requirements for the design of the solution the tender document states.

The procurement follows increasing expectations on the commission to improve data management capabilities, from internal and external stakeholders.

Tenderers must propose solutions capable of supporting up to 10 million update transactions over a 24-hour period during peak election periods.

The platform requires three distinct service level bands reflecting different operational requirements during standard periods, high-priority electoral events, and critical periods such as polling day.

Standard operations require 99.5 per cent availability, whilst critical periods during elections must have 99.99 per cent uptime with recovery times of just 30 minutes.

All services must be performed within Australia with information generated by the platform required to remain within the country's borders and prohibited from overseas access.

A managed PaaS hosting solution must operate within AEC's Microsoft Azure cloud environment, the commission said.

Facilitated integration with existing AEC systems including Azure Purview for data governance is a requirement.

Security requirements include compliance with the Information Security Manual and Essential Eight mitigation strategies at maturity level three.

Personnel working on the platform must hold minimum security clearances at the Negative Vetting Level 1 standard.

The tender includes two confirmed projects: platform implementation from July to October 2025, and workload development activities supporting the Indigo Program Tranche 2A from October 2025 to June 2027.

Future projects may include additional workload development for funding and disclosure programs and continuous capability improvement initiatives.

The platform must support real-time and batch processing for identity matching and resolution, automated mastering processes, and comprehensive audit logging capabilities.

Integration requirements include connectivity with AEC systems such as ELMS [Election Management System], RMANS [Roll Management System], GENESIS [General Enrolment Election Support Information System] and the modernised FCRM [Financial Customer Relationship Management] solution built on Dynamics 365.

The commission estimates domain record volumes will grow from approximately 100 million records pre-2027 to significantly higher volumes following the 2027-28 federal election.

AEC's tender closes on 24 June 2025 at 2:00 pm Australian Capital Territory time.