Business Case and Migration Plan for Transition from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Exchange.

The Department currently supports and uses Lotus Notes and Domino 8.5 predominantly for email, address books, contacts, calendar and resource management functions (ie. meeting rooms and video conferencing facilities), instant messaging, and bespoke applications. In late 2012, a decision was taken to transition/migrate email from Lotus Notes and Domino to Microsoft Outlook and Exchange. This will allow the Department to more fully leverage the integrated functionality of the Microsoft Office suite and maximise the options available to it in considering the ongoing ICT support services and agreements that will be in place from mid-2015.

The Department also has a range of business driven applications that have been developed using the Lotus/Domino platform, many of which interoperate with the email and calendar for functions such as access and workflow. As a part of this Request For Tender, the Department is seeking advice and recommendations on a strategy and implementation plan to establish alternate technology/technologies to the existing Lotus/Domino environment as a platform for new application developments and position the Department to retire and/or replace existing Lotus/Domino applications as required. The physical retirement or replacement of these applications is being treated as a separate stream of work from the migration of email services and is out of scope of this RFT.

The Request For Tender comprises two stages with the expectation that the same provider, based on the successful delivery of Stage 1 and a value for money assessment of a Quote and Proposal, may complete Stage 2.

Stage 1 involves the development of the Migration and Transition Strategy and Implementation Plan for the Department and the Therapeutic Goods Administration with a detailed Quote and Proposal to implement the plan. Secondly, an Alternate Notes Application Technology Options Strategy identifying alternate technologies to support the Department’s existing applications/systems that have been developed on the Lotus Notes and Domino application platform.

Stage 2 involves the optional implementation of the Migration and Transition Strategy and Implementation Plan developed in Stage 1.