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Straightforward information on Internet payments from BEP

Local Government bodies will soon be able to more readily and securely set up Internet facilities for collecting payments from their clients through the Business Entry Point (BEP) initiative. Offering clients the ability to make payments via the Internet is the logical extension for Councils which are looking to upgrade their customer service and streamline operations by improving their range of online transactions.

Many government agencies already have online facilities for businesses or individuals to make enquiries, lodge applications or fulfil requirements for licences, registrations and approvals. The next step is initiating electronic payments, according to BEP Director, Catriona Vigor.

"If clients are using the Internet to get information or services from a Council office, and they need to make an associated payment, then it does not make sense for them to separately send a cheque through the post, arrange a bank transfer or use the telephone to arrange the payment," she said.

Procurement of Internet payment products and services should be simpler and faster from June 1999. A panel of such suppliers is being established through the BEP project to put in place a standing offer arrangement for use by agencies across all levels and areas of government. The request for proposal was issued last week and can be viewed or printed from the BEP stakeholders' website at http://about.business.gov.au

"Collecting the information in standard format from different suppliers means that there is some basis for comparison," Catriona Vigor said. "The actual decision about suitability to their needs will have to be made by the Council."

Smaller Councils in non urban areas can strengthen their position by combining their resources on a regional level and developing economies of scale to assist in negotiating the cost of their system.

"The prices that are being nominated by the panel's suppliers are going to be flexible, so if Councils or regions think that they have got a particularly high volume of clients they may be able to negotiate lower prices," Catriona Vigor said. "There could be opportunities for Councils to work together to get a single payment service for multiple constituencies."

The stakeholders' website is already offering information to help agencies decide what Internet payment solution is for them. For example, it contains case studies of online payment projects and reports about Internet payment technologies.

A focus group comprising government officials interested in electronic payments meets regularly in Canberra and involves members across Australia through a telephone hook up. Guest speakers at focus group meetings inform members about trends, products, issues, opportunities and lessons.

Council officials who contact Catriona Vigor at the BEP could be provided with access to a secure area of the stakeholders' website, designed for use by the focus group. They could also receive notices of future meetings and invitations to participate. "We are helping to disseminate the learning that is already happening in this quickly evolving field," she said.

There is also a list serv (email discussion forum) that is used by focus group members to share information on the topic of electronic payments. A broader list serv helps to keep people interested in the BEP initiative informed of developments with the project.

The Business Entry Point (BEP) initiative of the Australian Federal Government is aiming to reduce the compliance burden on businesses by providing a single entry point for business transactions via the Internet. It is a cross jurisdictional multi agency project.

If you are a government official and wish to join the Electronic Payments Focus Group, then write to Catriona Vigor from the BEP Management Branch in the Office of Small Business of the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business. Her email address is catriona.vigor@dewrsb.gov.au and her facsimile number is (02) 6121 7359.

Further advice on how the BEP system can work for your Council or business community, and how it will shape future economic development, is available from Paul Griffin, from the BEP Management Branch by email at paul.griffin@dewrsb.gov.au or by phone on (02) 6121 7178.

Click here to visit the Business Entry Point web site

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