The Department of Customer Service (DCS) has announced it will replace eTendering with a new module on buy.nsw, with DCS flagging a go-live date of July 2024.

The new module is believed to be more secure and integrated with buy.nsw than the now decade-old eTendering service, promising suppliers a more streamlined experience and a more simplified way of doing business with the NSW Government.

After the go-live date, buyers will be no longer able to access eTendering and all procurement activities will be live on buy.nsw. This means that all buyers will need to have a buy.nsw account to join a tender.

The new module will also integrate their buy.nsw account, with expectations to reduce time spent on filling out fields.

Currently, tender notifications sit on buy.nsw and suppliers must access eTendering to respond. When the new module is live, this extra step will not be needed.

What will not change is the way each NSW Government agency follows its own processes and uses internal systems.

DCS said it would collaborate with representatives from clusters to ensure a smooth transition and, additionally, training sessions and guides will be created in time for the new module’s release.

Separately, the NSW Government has announced the rollout of multi-factor authentication (MFA) on buy.nsw in late January, which will be followed by a step-by-step guide to help buyers set up an account.

MFA provides all registered suppliers and buyers an additional layer of security to protect their sensitive business information.

The MFA rollout follows a 23 per cent increase in cybercrime over the last financial year, with nearly 94,000 reports of cybercrime submitted to ReportCyber.

As well, reporting of cyber security incidents impacting Australian critical infrastructure increased by almost one-third in the 22-23 financial year while the cost of cybercrime to businesses increased by 14 per cent compared to the previous financial year.

Small businesses experienced an average financial loss of $46,000, while cybercrimes cost medium-sized businesses an average of $97,200, and large businesses an average of $71,600.