Fujitsu wins major outsourcing contract with Victoria's TAC

In an Australian first, a major commercial contract between the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and Fujitsu Australia Limited has been signed digitally, utilising Gatekeeper-certified digital certificates.

The digital certificate technology, supplied by eSign Australia, was used to sign a $20m contract which will see Fujitsu supply the TAC with a range of information technology services, including help desk and desktop services, network services, managed application services and disaster recovery services.

TAC Executive General Manager, IT, Mr Tony Marxsen, said this was the first time high-grade Gatekeeper certificates had been used to sign a digital contract under Australian law.

"This is a major move forward for Australian businesses. This is certainly an Australian first, and may be the first time in the world a significant commercial contract has been signed digitally. Using the digital certificates streamlines and simplifies the contract signing process, and we expect it will become common practise in the foreseeable future," Mr Marxsen said.

"Being the first organisation in Australia to digitally sign a significant commercial contract is a giant step for the TAC. We believe businesses will need to evolve in this increasingly digital world, and we're proud the TAC has taken a pro-active approach and has assumed a leadership position.

This contract is the first step in a major e-commerce initiative for the TAC, which will transform our interactions with its clients, stakeholders and the broader community and improve our service and operation efficiency.

One of the key benefits of digital certificates is that they are tamper-proof - if anyone tries to change the document it will indicate to all parties that it has been modified since signing.

At any time in the future, the identity of a signatory can be verified by querying the independent certifying authority - in this case, eSign."

Fujitsu was chosen as the TAC's information technology service provider for its ability to deliver end-to-end e-services provision.

Fujitsu Chief Executive Officer, Mr Philip Kerrigan, said the TAC required a responsive and reliable partner to provide and manage its e-commerce infrastructure, allowing the TAC to focus on delivering excellent service within its core business.

"We are looking forward to partnering with the TAC in its move into e-commerce to help the TAC meet and exceed its client expectations," Mr Kerrigan said.

eSign was responsible for the registration authority services, including validation and authentication of the individuals signing the contract. In addition, eSign created and issued the digital certificates containing the TAC's and Fujitsu's electronic credentials.

eSign was granted entry-level accreditation by the Australian Government Public Key Authority (GPKA) on 31 March 2000. Gatekeeper accreditation allows eSign to provide Government agencies with the necessary services and products to use and authenticate public key infrastructures for online applications.