Announcement posted by Mantel Group 20 Nov 2018
Australian start-ups DigIO and Eliiza have been selected by the Australian Energy Regulator to redevelop and enhance its energy comparison platform, Energy Made Easy (https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/).
Australia’s retail energy market is rapidly transforming with changes in the regulatory framework and advances in technology. Many consumers are also concerned about energy affordability.
Within this context, the AER recognised that its independent price comparison website needs to be redeveloped so it remains useful and continues to help residential and small business consumers make informed energy choices.
The AER is looking to enhance Energy Made Easy by July 2020 so that it incorporates the broader range of energy products and services now available, and those likely to be developed in the immediate future.
As such, in May 2018 the AER made an open approach to market through the Digital Transformation Agency’s Digital Marketplace. The marketplace simplifies government ICT procurement and seeks to support the growth of start-ups and small-to-medium enterprises by making it easier for them to connect with government. The AER sought to partner with an experienced and innovative agile organisation to help with the development and delivery of an enhanced energy price comparator service. The AER was looking for a technology platform that was scalable, open, maintainable and secure.
Mantel Group’s response was centred around a serverless-architecture on Amazon Web Services leveraging Node.js and Vue for the front and back-end components of the platform. The proposed operating model is to establish a cross-functional agile team, with a focus on upfront and continual research driven UX design and a collaborative, cohesive team structure comprising staff from the AER, DigIO and Eliiza teams.
“Mantel Group companies DigIO and Eliiza are incredibly excited to be working on this initiative with the AER,” Mantel Group’s Head of Client Engagement, Simon Matschoss said.
“Ultimately, the most rewarding thing about this project, is that we will be building a service and platform that helps Australians save money. This is enhanced by the fact that our team will be working with cutting edge technology and working with an organisation like the AER that has a strong cultural alignment and shares a similar set of values.”