Memorandum of Understanding
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A Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, is a type of agreement between two parties. In the case of GovCMS, the MOU is between the Commonwealth of Australia, represented by the Department of Finance, and another government department or agency, who are buying GovCMS services.
The MOU sets out the terms and conditions between the parties for hosting websites on GovCMS.
How do I get an MOU with GovCMS?
To organise an MOU for GovCMS services, you’ll need to take the following steps:
- Request a copy of the MOU from the GovCMS team
You can do this using our Contact Us form. You’ll need to give us the name of your organisation and your ABN number. This helps us confirm if you’re eligible to use GovCMS for your website. If you’re eligible, we’ll then send you a draft MOU with some basic details already filled in.
- Review the pre-filled information and complete the MOU
When the draft MOU is sent to you some basic details were already be filled in. There will be highlighted sections within the MOU you’ll need to fill out for the MOU to be complete.
- Sign the MOU
You’ll need to arrange for the appropriate delegate at your organisation to sign the MOU. Once that’s done you need to email the signed copy back to the GovCMS team. The GovCMS team will then arrange for the MOU to be executed and will send a copy back to you for your records.
Note: you cannot use the example of the MOU available online, GovCMS will check your eligibility first and provide the most up to date version of the MOU for you to complete.
Why do I need an MOU?
GovCMS is an open-source content management system, hosted on a public cloud platform. It provides hosting for websites that contain publicly available information, with the ability to host content classified up to OFFICIAL: Sensitive.
Eligible users of GovCMS have access to a range of tools to create and manage websites without the need to re-invest in, own, and manage the software or infrastructure.
The Department of Finance (Finance) has entered into an arrangement with a service provider for the provision of GovCMS services, including infrastructure, hosting and related support.
Finance enters into contracts on your behalf, and has rights and benefits under the Head Agreement and any Contract. To facilitate these arrangements, and extend some of these contractual rights and benefits to buyers, there must be a signed agreement (MOU) in place between Finance and the organisation using the services.
The MOU is only the first step.
When you want to buy GovCMS services via the MOU, Finance will work with you to develop and agree to a proposal that reflects your specific needs. Any and all services, including website hosting, will be detailed in the proposal, along with the associated costs.
A proposal is issued each year for each subscription. You accept them via email, after which they are deemed to be part of the MOU. You don’t need to complete any other procurement activities for GovCMS services.
If your organisation already has an MOU in place, you can get started and request your proposal straight away. Contact us now and make the move to GovCMS.
What’s in the MOU?
The MOU contains information relating to the provision and scope of services, security and privacy provisions, support arrangements and roles and responsibilities.
See the below example of an MOU for more information.
The MOU doesn’t replace or seek to undermine our, or your, obligations to comply with relevant Commonwealth and/or State and Territory legislation and applicable laws. We all must comply with the applicable laws in carrying out our obligations under any MOU.
Note: you cannot use the example of the MOU available online, contact us for the most up to date version of the MOU for you to complete.
Do MOU’s expire?
GovCMS MOUs remain valid as long as your site remains on the GovCMS platform. However, from time-to-time we may ask you to resign the MOU, especially if there are changes to the Head Agreement. You will be notified of any changes by email.