Department of Agriculture sounds out market for secure file transfer capability

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has gone to market for information on a secure managed file transfer and external file exchange capability, in an early-stage exercise the department describes as market discovery only.

The Request for Information asks suppliers about products, services and delivery models that can support the secure movement of files, both inside the department and with outside parties.

DAFF said the RFI is intended to improve its understanding of available market offerings, identify viable delivery and operating models, and understand differences in capability, security posture, integration, implementation effort and commercial structure.

It also wants to identify dependencies, constraints, risks and responsibilities relevant to a future procurement, and to inform the development of any subsequent approach to market.

On requirements, DAFF said it is seeking solutions that can facilitate the secure, controlled and auditable exchange of large files between departmental personnel; from departmental personnel to external organisations or individuals; from external parties to departmental personnel; and, where appropriate, between authorised systems or business processes.

The primary focus is person-to-person and business-to-business secure file exchange. The department put several uses outside the scope of the RFI, including long-term document collaboration, scientific-device transfers, off-network device ingestion and USB replacement.

The department left the delivery approach open, inviting respondents to propose SaaS, PaaS, managed service, vendor-hosted, department-hosted, cloud-hosted, self-hosted, hybrid or other viable models.

Any project is scheduled for 2027, the department said, though it noted that information gathered through the RFI will inform project timelines and that no key dates have been confirmed.

The RFI closes on 4 November 2026 at 11:59pm Canberra time.