National Broadband RFP deadline: a moveable feast

Stuart Corner
Monday, 21 July 2008 13:30

Opinion and Analysis

This Friday 25 July is an important date. It is the original date by which responses to the Government's request for proposals to build a national broadband network were due. What a joke!


The RFP was issued on 11 April. And giving potential bidders just over three months to prepare responses to a project of this magnitude was laughable in the first place, but what made the whole think ludicrous was the question of access to information about existing networks, primarily Telstra's. The RFP stated: "the Government intends to make available to proponents network information it considers necessary for the development of proposals. The network information will be provided by carriers either in accordance with the proposed Part 27A of the Telecommunications Act 1997 or on a voluntary basis."

Well expecting Telstra to hand over is crown jewels might have seemed rather optimistic but Telstra did agree, or at least pay lip service to agreeing with a very public 'handing over of information' on May 9, duly reported on its Nowwearetalking web site   with photographs of smiling executives, envelopes in hand.

But of course at this stage nothing had been specified as to who, other than Telstra might be covered by this information disclosure requirement, exactly what information would be required, in what format is was required and what steps would be put in place to ensure that it was protected and used solely in the preparation of responses to the RFP.

Things were already starting to look doubtful when some of those bidders dismissed the information Telstra had so publicly provided as being practically worthless .  And when it became clear there was no way that bidders would have any chance of getting the level of detail they would need in time to meet the 25 July deadline Conroy indulged in his first demonstration of let's-make-it-up-as-we-go-along, announcing on 22 May that the closing date for the RFP would be put back to 12 weeks after receipt of the necessary network information.

Stating the obvious, Conroy said: "The provision of network information is vital to allow potential proponents to build the network to compete on an equal basis...It is important that interested parties have adequate time to make use of information about existing infrastructure."
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