Transparent Gov print tender breaks new ground

The Victorian Government’s new print management model will be showcased at Finsbury Green’s first tender meet’n’greet on 19 October at Melbourne’s town hall.

To streamline the $15m whole-of-government PM contract, coloured nametags will mark buyers from suppliers. Finsbury representatives will be in green, Vic Gov in blue, and every other supplier will be in orange.

Over 180 printing suppliers on Finsbury’s books – the company itself is excluded from bidding – are expected to attend the two-hour forum in the Town Hall (pictured) as the more new transparent model attracts a lot of interest. As the official launch of the new contract arrangements, the event will provide interested parties with a chance to meet and break new ground.

According to Finsbury Green’s PMU manager for the Victorian Government, Paul Towsey, the tactic of colours will enable respective parties to immediately ascertain who they need to speak to on sight.

“I am trying to make it easy for the Victorian Government print buyers, to instantly identify who they need to deal with. The colour nametag scheme will make things easier with the person’s name, company, and the specialty they are in,” he says.

“For the Government it is important for them to represent the new model, and the new age of transparency where suppliers can now be visible to buyers. While price is still the primary criteria, service and sustainability are also key factors.

“One of the things we are trying to do is develop a small supply chain that is specific to print buying departments. Victorian printers will have first priority,” he says.

On any given brief, Finsbury Green’s target is to select five potential suppliers per tender. These are ranked by health ratings, sustainability green stars, and quality.

Towsey is not aware of any printers opting out from this new model, and expects suppliers who found a considerable amount of work under the old Stream system to contend for the same again.

For those wondering what Finsbury Green is getting out of this when its print division has been excluded, a pre-negotiated fee has been set for managing the contract.

“This contract is the first time that Finsbury Green has a completely independent solution, which was an absolute requirement of the Victorian Government. The most obvious thing is that we are not allowed to print anything.

“When we won the contract, it took a lot of people by surprise that Finsbury Green has a print management division,” says Towsey.

The tender holder has also launched a dedicated Print Management Unit (PMU) office in Melbourne’s CBD, right at the heart of where the Vic Gov buyers are.