The Victorian government contract Microsoft for its vaccine booking platform has more than tripled the value to just under $ 18 million, with additional support costs and more training needed for staff.
In early 2021, the state government signed a $ 5.8 million contract with Microsoft to purchase its Vaccination Registration and Administration Solutions, following a whirlwind five -day tender process by the end of 2020.
This contract originally ran until mid -2021, but after two extensions, it will now expire in June this year. Microsoft’s contract value swelled to $ 17.97 million over 18 months.
InnovationAus understands that the original contract with Microsoft did not cover ongoing support costs, which have now been added as part of the changes. The contract was also extended to cover the entirety of booster rollout and vaccinations for five to 11 year olds.
The additional costs are also associated with a substantial increase in the number of vaccination sites included in the platform, and more user training for public sector staff.
The platform provided to the Victorian government by Microsoft covers vaccination registration, scheduling appointments, automatic replenishment of supplies and tracking and monitoring of prescriptions and deliveries, using artificial intelligence data and solutions.
The platform includes an app that automatically manages logistics for clinicians, allows people in the state to book to receive the vaccine and link to other government services to share data.
The booking platform experienced a brief loss when children were added to the vaccination launch due to an unclear issue, but it didn’t last more than a few days.
The Microsoft platform now includes 80 pop-up and neighborhood immunization sites, and bookings for Victorians in age groups, extensive vaccination and dose interval.
Microsoft Australia managing director Steven Worrall said last year that the company’s platform had become “essential” to vaccine release in Victoria, providing more than just a booking system.
“The solution in Victoria helped optimize the citizen experience across adverse event registration, vaccination and follow-up and supported Department and Health services to coordinate vaccine logistics and conduct phased scheduling. of clinics based on very complex supply and demand patterns, ”Mr Worrall said.
“By helping to ensure that these steps can be taken safely and clearly through the use of advanced analytics and in-built reporting capabilities, the solution also provides enhanced follow up for of the vaccinated. Importantly, this same information is made available to clinicians at the time of vaccination through the Power App in real time. ”
Last year, the New South Wales government announced that it had brought ServiceNow into a $ 6.3 million contract to replace the state’s in-house vaccine booking system with its own platform.
The federal government has brought in an Australian company, HealthEngine, to develop a Commonwealth vaccine booking system in a contract worth $ 4 million.
These contracts combined are still pale compared to Microsoft’s agreement with the Victorian government. Victoria is the only state to have brought in the US tech giant to provide its vaccination management software.
Microsoft’s immunization platform is used in several US states.
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