Victorian government announces new security state purchase contract

The Victorian government has announced a new cybersecurity state purchase contract that aims to streamline the way it buys cybersecurity solutions.

The contract, which was announced by Victoria's deputy CISO Shane Moffitt on LinkedIn, provides a new whole-of-government purchasing arrangement for software and services.

Moffitt said it is "the first contract of its type in Australia," which will initially cover solutions for endpoint protection, vulnerability management, application control and third-party risk management. 

The Victorian government lists as suppliers CyberCX, Ernst & Young, Centorrino Technologies, Logicalis Australia, NTT Australis, Sparx Solutions and AC3.

Technologies purchased through the agreement include those from Fortinet, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Tenable, Airlock Digital, Ivanti, VMware and CyberGRX.

"I am incredibly proud of the team for achieving this outcome. Following an extremely thorough vetting process a number of technologies and vendors have been selected as approved to supply Victorian government," Moffitt wrote.

"This consolidation of work will dramatically reduce workload on government entities, reduce time to deploy and significantly reduce costs to the Victorian government."

"I am grateful to all the subject matter experts from across Victorian government that went above and beyond in ensuring that we got fit for purpose solutions."

In August 2023, a report by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office revealed that the state’s government agencies don’t properly understand and oversee cybersecurity services delivered by third-party providers.