Looking back at 2018
As we settle in to the new year, our team reflect on how far we’ve come in just ten months and share what’s ahead for 2019.
buy.nsw is a new online platform that is part of a wider program of procurement transformation.
It’s an agile program, which means it evolves over time to better meet the needs of its users.
The overall vision is to simplify procurement, starting with the cloud. At the time of publishing, the platform has 110 registered sellers of cloud software and infrastructure products, and 199 registered NSW Government buyers. Here’s a quick tour of some of the progress we’ve made so far…
February 2018
The first line of code is written for buy.nsw.
May 2018
Victor Dominello MP, Minister for Finance, Services and Property, announces upcoming launch of buy.nsw at CeBIT.
buy.nsw launches to sellers on 31 May.
June 2018
buy.nsw launches to buyers on 30 June, with 30 sellers approved to join the platform.
August 2018
buy.nsw makes its code open source, in alignment with the Digital Design Standard criteria ‘reuse and repurpose’.
September 2018
GovDC Marketplace closes after all GovDC Marketplace features are consolidated into buy.nsw. This marks a step toward simplifying the procurement ecosystem. All GovDC sellers and products are now available through buy.nsw.
October 2018
buy.nsw facilitates its first purchase.
November 2018
Seller versioning, a feature that records all the history of a seller’s profile updates, is introduced. This is important because a seller’s product details can be verified to the time that a buyer presses the buy button.
December 2018
Seller self-service is launched. This feature builds on seller versioning. Sellers can log in and update their details, and these changes can be reviewed and approved before going live. The approval process is designed so the most up-to-date information is available to buyers as soon as they’re approved.
Looking ahead to 2019
Our first big goal for 2019 is the integration of a telco marketplace, which will bring in eight key sellers and their broad range of products, expanding our product catalogue beyond just cloud software and infrastructure.
This is the next step towards making the ICT Services Scheme available through buy.nsw, both for sellers to onboard and for buyers to browse and buy.
We’ve come a long way together already, and we look forward to another big year of growth ahead of us in 2019. To everyone one who has engaged with the site and especially those who have registered as a buyer or seller, we thank you for your support and involvement.
buy.nsw is being developed to meet user needs, which means our community is an integral part of our development. We are always open to feedback. If you’d like to contribute to the platform please email us at buy.nsw@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.