BoM showers Accenture with $31m for digital channels rebuild

One of the government’s most frequented websites looks set for an upgrade after the Bureau of Meteorology handed Accenture a $31 million deal for a new all-in-one digital channels platform.

The weather bureau has signed off on the contract for the platform that will serve as its single channel for delivering meteorological information and services to users in the future.

The platform is expected to consolidate and replace the bureau’s myriad of existing channels over the next three years.

More than 20 bureau websites are currently used to deliver the bureau’s full suite of products and services, including observations, forecasts, warnings, analysis and advice.

Other channels such as mobile applications, SMS and social media are also used to deliver information.

Accenture will work with Deloitte, which was handed a $3.2 million contract in April to perform user experience design for the platform over the next two years.

The work is happening as part of the bureau’s wider program to harden its operating environment in the wake of the 2015 hack by suspected “foreign adversaries”.

BoM was given an undisclosed amount in the 2017 and 2018 federal budgets to shore up the security and resilience of its ICT systems and business processes.

While a spokesperson declined to comment on the contract, citing operational and national security concerns, original tender documents indicate the platform is expected to include a new web presence for the bureau’s primary website.

The website is considered one of the government’s most frequented, with as many as 3.5 billion page views per year the current estimate by the bureau.

The platform is also expected to consist of a self-service portal and payment gateway that will allow users to purchase and subscribe to products and services.

 “The Bureau of Meteorology has a significant program of work underway to continue improving its ICT security and resilience, in order to enhance the delivery our services to the Australian community now and into the future,” the spokesperson said.

“For operational and security reasons, the Bureau does not publicly comment on the specifics of its IT systems and contracts.”

Earlier this year, the bureau signed a $16 million deal with Unisys to provide hybrid cloud infrastructure over at least the next three years.