Case Study: A Future-Ready Transformational Partnership between Defence and Telstra
The Background
As a major IT transaction of national and industry significance, the A$1 billion contract between the Australian Commonwealth Department of Defence and Telstra required careful consideration of legal and strategic implications. The contract involves the delivery of increased wireless coverage through a dedicated Wi-Fi 6 rollout program and the introduction of 5G mobile network capability (where available) for Defence personnel. It will also involve the introduction of full SDWAN and SDN capabilities to provide more flexible, self-healing and predictive network capabilities.
Our solution
Our multi-disciplinary team from the Technology and Public Sector practices advised the Department of Defence on the contract with Telstra. The contract is reported to be the largest ever customer contract of its kind signed by Telstra's Enterprise division, and is reported to create significant opportunities for local industry, particularly small and medium enterprises and Indigenous companies.
Our combined team was hugely proud to have played an important role in supporting Defence in the contract design, development and negotiation activities that underpinned the contract's successful renewal. Ken Saurajen notes that “[i]t is yet another example of the exceptional talents of our lawyers and our ability to collaborate seamlessly across offices and practice groups to intelligently manage and deliver projects of the highest criticality. It is engagements such as these that consolidate Clayton Utz's now incontestable track record as the true firm of choice for transactions of unprecedented scale and strategic importance, across both private and public sectors”.