Local Government telco optimisation: VTS pricing is just the start

A metropolitan council engaged us to review its telco environment to ensure it was fit-for-purpose. Like many councils, it already had access to government pricing and an established provider relationship. On paper, everything looked good.

In practice, the environment told a different story.

Mobile and data services had evolved over time across field teams, inspectors, compliance teams, community-facing staff, community facilities and operational services. Plans had been added, changed and inherited. Some were still fit for purpose. Others were oversized, under used or no longer linked to a business need.

This kind of complexity is common in local government environments where service continuity matters, teams operate across wide geographic areas, and procurement decisions need to stand up to scrutiny.

The challenge

The key issue wasn’t access to VTS pricing (the Government-linked telco procurement program). That was already in place.

The issue was whether:

• Plans actually matched how services were being used

• Pricing structures were correctly applied across the fleet

• Billing accurately reflected what had been agreed (no value leakage)

• Hardware and procurement strategies matched user needs

• Spend could be reduced without introducing operational risk

As is often the case, the challenge was to spot the quiet inefficiency, spread across the environment.

What we did

We conducted a detailed, independent review of the council’s telco setup, focusing on real billing and usage across mobile, data and related services.

This included:

• Engaging a solid cross-section of council staff

• Mapping all mobile and data services across teams

• Assessing plan suitability against actual usage

• Mapping future-state needs, including user personas underpinning a hardware strategy

• Identifying over provisioned, under utilised and redundant services

• Benchmarking costs across the market

• Reviewing application of government pricing constructs

• Validating billing accuracy and configuration

Importantly, recommendations were shaped around operational reality - not just cost.

For councils, the cheapest option is not always the right one. Reliability, coverage and governance remain non negotiable.

What changed

Rather than a disruptive overhaul, the recommendation was a targeted optimisation of the existing environment. This included:

• Right sizing plans to reflect real world usage

• Correcting pricing structures across mobile and data services

• Removing or consolidating unnecessary services

• Creating a suitable hardware procurement strategy

All changes were designed to maintain continuity for field teams and avoid additional burden on internal staff.

The result

The council is set to achieve:

• More than $310,000 savings in mobile spend in 12 months

• Hundreds of mobile and data services optimised

• Improved alignment between services and operational needs

• Reduced exposure to future price increases

• Greater confidence in procurement, billing accuracy and governance

Just as importantly, these results are designed to be achieved without disrupting frontline teams or introducing procurement risk.

Why it matters

Many councils assume that once VTS pricing is in place, telco is already optimised.

In reality, pricing access is only one part of the equation.

Without detailed analysis, service level alignment and billing validation, it’s common for spend to continue drifting upward - even within a VTS framework.

For council leadership, effective telco optimisation creates a more defensible position: lower cost, stronger governance, and confidence that operational services are properly supported.

And for many councils, the opportunity isn’t a wholesale reset.

It’s making what you already have work properly.

Our role is to bring structure, evidence, insights and independence to that process.

The aim is simple: reduce unnecessary cost, improve control, manage risk and make sure telco services properly support the way people work.

It starts with a free, confidential assessment by our telco experts, giving the visibility needed to make your next move.

Get started

Request an independent, confidential telco review