24/4/00
A new software program developed in Western Australia has the potential to save the State Government between $10 million and $20 million a year in telecommunications costs.
Works and Services Minister Rob Johnson said BillManager - developed jointly by the Department of Contract and Management Services and local consultant Fastlane Software - was amongst the first telecommunications billing system of its type in the world.
Mr Johnson said it had already saved a number of Government agencies hundreds of thousands of dollars over an initial one-year pilot.
“CAMS alone saved $782,000 in voice communications over the pilot period and was able to avoid an unnecessary expenditure of $1.2 million on data,” he said.
“BillManager is most suitable for large organisations which have complex telecommunications accounts featuring a range of different products and carriers.”
BillManager works by amalgamating multiple telecommunications accounts - including phone, email and mobile phone bills - into a single account and then provides an analysis of where savings can be made.
Monthly reports reconcile fully against carrier bills and the customer’s inventory of telecommunications assets.
It also reports on exceptions and anomalies and recommends areas where costs can be trimmed - for example, redundant phone connections.
Since BillManager is directly linked to current carriers’ contract rates, it can provide strategic price information to enable customers to ‘cherry pick’ the best prices and services on offer at any given time.
“The telecommunications industry is changing dynamically, and it is no simple task to keep track of costs, identify areas where expenditure can be tightened and select the best value for money on an ongoing basis,” Mr Johnson said.
“Public and private sector firms can benefit from professional auditing of telecommunications bills.
“The GartnerGroup in the US recently published a report which said organisations that do not audit professionally and pro-actively stand to forfeit at least $100,000 for every $1 million spent on telecommunications.
“BillManager is truly a proactive tool and the results so far have been remarkable.”
Media contact: Fran Hodge (08) 9481 3244
"In the first year of using BillManager, CAMS has saved almost $800,000 in its voice telecommunications costs. We estimate that BillManager - if implemented across Government - could save between $10 and $20 million a year."
(15.38 secs/331KB)
