Australian Private Investment Group

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Vision

The Group's IT managed services were delivered under a long-standing arrangement approaching the end of its term. Leadership saw an opportunity to test the market, confirm value for money, and secure a service model matched to the organisation's future needs rather than its history. With a sizeable user base and a hybrid, multi-site environment, the stakes were high: the chosen partner would underpin day-to-day operations for years to come, and any misstep in selection would be costly to unwind.

estrat was engaged as trusted advisor to lead and facilitate the entire sourcing exercise. Acting as an independent sourcing expert, estrat brought structure, market knowledge and commercial discipline to a process the internal team had neither the time nor the specialist experience to run alone. The brief was clear: run a rigorous, defensible competition that would withstand Board and probity scrutiny, and deliver a partner the business could trust.

Traction

estrat began with a thorough assessment of the current environment, service scope and organisational requirements, establishing a clear baseline against which the market could be tested. From this, estrat built the full suite of RFP schedules — scope, service levels, pricing, transition and contractual terms — translating operational need into precise, comparable requirements.

Working closely with the Group's legal team, estrat wrote and issued the RFP, managing bidder communications and clarifications throughout. As responses came in, estrat facilitated the evaluation alongside the internal team, applying a structured scoring approach that kept the assessment objective and evidence-based. A disciplined down-selection narrowed the field to two strong contenders.

estrat then led the commercial and contractual discussions, testing each proposal against real-world scenarios and shaping a pricing model that fairly balanced risk between the Group and its incoming partner. Throughout, estrat held the process to a tight timetable while protecting the client's negotiating position and probity obligations.

Results

The Group selected a well-matched managed services partner through a process that was rigorous, transparent and defensible from end to end. Rather than defaulting to the familiar, the organisation made an informed choice grounded in evidence, with a clear view of the service and value it could expect.

The negotiated commercial model gave both parties a fair and sustainable footing, avoiding the misaligned incentives that so often undermine managed services arrangements. A structured transition protected continuity of service as the new partner came on board.

Beyond the contract itself, the Group gained confidence that its IT services rested on a sound, competitively tested foundation — and an internal team that had been guided through the exercise rather than left to navigate it alone. Delivered through close collaboration between the Group and estrat, the engagement secured both immediate value and a partnership built for the long term.