Australia’s clean energy watchdog will spend more than $22 million bringing in six ‘scrum’ teams to deliver several projects by July, as the agency builds out its technology for an expanded role under the Albanese government.
The six teams will spend the next six months working on projects like Australia’s first online exchange for carbon credits, a nascent emissions accounting framework and system changes to support the government’s planned Safeguard Mechanism reforms.
A spokesperson for the Clean Energy Regulator said the contracts relate to a range of technology projects that are seeking to support a growing market for clean technology and carbon offsets with a “high degree of integrity”, including streamlining its own systems and client portals.
Key products to be delivered by suppliers include:
- System changes to support Safeguard Mechanism reforms
- Smart forms with system to system reporting capability
- A new client portal
- Integration of a new unit/certificate registry and the Australian Carbon Exchange with CER systems
- Design of a future Guarantee of Origin scheme, and subsequent build if the scheme is legislated
- System changes to implement the rooftop solar sector review
The Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the projects are aiming to make “the interactions of those that do business with us faster, easier, and more transparent”.
Six suppliers have been brought in to provide scrum teams for the various projects. They are NTT Australia Digital, Pragma Partners, Superior Software for Windows, GoSource, Chalfont Consulting Pty Ltd, DXC Technology Australia.
Each supplier will be paid between $2.5 million and $5.8 million under six-month contracts, with the most expensive arrangement with NTT representing one of the small agency’s biggest tech investments to date.
It is unclear how many personnel will be supplied for the scrum teams, with the agency spokesperson declining to put a number on the DXC arrangement, saying it is “fluid” to meet “the changing needs of the Clean Energy Regulator”.
The Clean Energy Regulator late last month also disclosed it had awarded or amended several more contracts for temporary staff and professional services firms.
An existing contract with Accenture-owned Canberra consultancy APIS Group for secretariat and program support was also amended late last month to take up an option and add around $2.5 million, more than doubling the contract’s original value.
The investment in technology comes before some of the projects have the legislation required, including the Safeguard Mechanism and Guarantee of Origin scheme.
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