Archives New Zealand will lead any proposed work relating to streamlining the purchase by government agencies of electronic document and records management systems.
Public sector agencies’ record-keeping standards will be audited progressively from 2010 to ensure competence and consistency, under the Public Records Act.
Internal Affairs Minister Richard Worth told Archives staff in a recent speech that managing business information supported Internal Affairs’ priority to sustain the operation of ICT systems across the public sector.
“Agencies are also set to benefit from the proposal to streamline the purchase of electronic document and records management systems,” he said.
“This could mean providing them with an assessment of vendor products and making recommendations so they don’t waste time and money going through the selection and purchasing process themselves.”
He went on to say that rationalising infrastructure and processes avoided service duplication and increased customer satisfaction.
An Archives spokeswoman says the assessment of vendor products is one of the many actions outlined in the draft Continuity Action Plan.
“Once the plan is finalised later this year, Archives New Zealand will be leading any resulting work in this area,” she says. “This will include providing advice to agencies considering options to assist them in the selection of appropriate information systems to meet their business needs.
Worth’s reference to Internal Affairs’ priority to sustain the operation of ICT systems across the public sector, indicates that government may be moving to a panel model of purchasing for a number of products and services.