Vertel chosen as supplier for the National Procurement Network
September 19, 2019 - Vertel, Australia’s largest privately-owned telecommunications carrier, has been appointed to a panel arrangement Telecommunications NPN 1.18 that is accessible by councils and other approved parties in the participating states for the supply of fixed and wireless data, fixed voice, managed wide area network (WAN) and software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) services.
NPN members include Local Buy, the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT) and the Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT).
Tony Hudson, Commercial Director, Vertel, said, “Vertel’s appointment to the NPN Telecommunications Panel 1.18 highlights our proven ability to deliver critical network services that meet the requirements of Local Government agencies in these States – particularly for councils located in regional and remote areas. The purchasing process for these councils is now streamlined, with simplified, pre-agreed terms and conditions, which lets councils acquire Vertel’s services easily.”
Vertel was invited to participate in this tender due to its previous experience and success in participating in a similar engagement with MAV. As part of the NPN, Vertel can expand geographically into new markets such as Northern Territory and Tasmania.
Tony Hudson said, “Local Government is a key sector for Vertel and we are continually investing in our services to meet their complex requirements today and into the future. Councils, particularly in more isolated areas of Australia, face very real challenges when it comes to being able to access even the most basic of network services. While the NBN may be able assist with that, it is not a universal fix for all situations. Vertel has significant experience in providing critical network services to regional and remote areas of Australia.
“Software Defined- Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) is a key service that many councils will look to leverage, particularly as they move critical services and applications, such as rates administration and planning, to the cloud. Vertel has a role to play here in providing carrier independent SD-WAN services that can assist councils with better network infrastructure utilisation. To deliver these cloud-based services successfully, councils increasingly need highly-available, reliable network connectivity, sometimes across geographically-dispersed areas or multiple sites, which Vertel is able to provide.”
Dr Katrena Stephenson, CEO of the Local Government Association of Tasmania, said “LGAT congratulates Vertel and welcomes them as a LGAT Procurement Supplier on the LGAT Telecommunications Panel. LGAT Procurement offers our Members access to competent, qualified and reliable suppliers through a number of LGAT panels; enabling councils to save money and time while being able to buy locally for the benefit of their communities.”
Peter Mifsud, CEO of Local Buy said, “Local Buy welcomes Vertel onboard as a prequalified supplier for NPN1.18 Telecommunications. The arrangement is intended to provide councils in Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and the Northern Territory with continued effective access to telecommunications services. This arrangement provides a streamlined procurement process, allowing purchasers to obtain competitive pricing from competent, reliable suppliers.”
Tony Hudson said, “With Vertel services, NPN members can expect higher availability, increased capacity and enhanced competition across their networks, which will let them on-board more responsive applications to provide better services to their communities. Part of Vertel’s philosophy is helping to build smarter, healthier, safer communities and, by being accepted to the NPN, we hope to be a part of helping councils to achieve these outcomes.”
About Vertel
Vertel is a wholly-owned, Australian national telecommunications carrier with over 40 years’ experience delivering critical network infrastructure and services to Enterprise, Government and Service Provider organisations. With a broad range of fixed and mobile network and Cloud services, underpinned by excellence in delivery and on-going operations, Vertel specialise in serving customers with high availability, performance, management and security requirements for business, mission and life-critical operations. As the world’s first wireless carrier to achieve MEF certification for its Ethernet Layer 2 service, Vertel can design, build and deliver carrier-grade connectivity and applications for organisations throughout Australia.