The association that represents Telstra licensed shop owners has flagged IT procurement as a priority for its 100-odd members after the ACCC yesterday paved the way for it to collectively bargain on their behalf for the next five years.
The TLS Association, which represents approximately 90 percent of Telstra's licensed shop owners, had sought authorisation last September to collectively bargain with suppliers of telecommunications products and providers of general small business services.
Approving the request yesterday, ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said the collective bargaining arrangements were likely to bring cost savings for TLSA members.
"As the arrangements involve a small proportion of participants in the relevant markets, the ACCC considers there is little or no risk of the arrangements resulting in anti-competitive detriment," he said in a statement.
TLSA general manager Andrew Eagling told CRN that one of the core purposes of the request was to benefit and increase the business performance of licensed shops “wherever possible”. "And being able to bargain on behalf of 100 shops."
“We’re right in the middle of an evaluation to look at the areas of primary importance to licensees. So far we’ve identified eight categories of product that we’re keen to deal on and that includes PCs and servers, UPS power, cabling and racks," he said.
Telstra’s closed handset buying model forced licensee shops to buy from handset supplier Brightstar which limited their ability to bargain.
But Eagling said the association wanted to pursue opportunities in handset accessories, IT equipment, printers, consumables and even services in salary packages and outsourced payroll.
“We encourage any suppliers that might have something to offer to call us,” he said.
Up until now the association looked at options for helping licensees better understand their businesses through best-practice forums and business advice.
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