The EoI is seeking skills and expertise to meet the following requirements:

a	Directory physical and technical infrastructure and operations
b	Marketing, promotion and recruitment of clients and service providers
c	Development of products and services
d	Issuance of ABN DSCs and other digital certificates.

The Open Interchange Consortium [OIC] was established in 1994 as a not-for-profit un-incorporated
business association to provide a neutral ground forum to share and exchange experiences with 
Electronic Information Technologies. 

Its objectives included raising awareness with all levels of management of the issues and 
business process re-engineering applications involved with convergence in electronic information
technologies.

The OIC, whilst it has members who can provide advice on sections a and d, has focused on 
marketing and awareness issues and developing products and services to meet the demands of the
information age and new business process re-engineering.

b	Marketing, promotion and recruitment of clients and service providers

In 1994 the OIC developed a 3 year awareness education program in the form of quarterly lunch
lectures and monthly meetings.

These quarterly lunch lectures included the following speakers:

1997	John RIDGE - President of the Australian Computer Society
1997	The Hon Dean BROWN - Minister for Information South Australia
1996	Senator Richard ALSTON - Fed Minister Communications & the Arts
1995	The Hon Marlene GOLDSMITH - NSW MLA
1994	Gary JACKSON - past Managing Director Cisco, Sybase, Microsoft, Pyramid

The Monthly Evening Education seminars were well attended.

In 1998 OIC members focused on the pending Y2K issue and worked with a number of Australian Peak
Body Associations to raise awareness with their members of the Y2K issue.  The Associations
include:

	a	Australian Computer Society					ACS
	b	Australian Society for Association Executives 			AuSAE
	c	Printing Industry Association of Australia			PIAA
	d	Australian Medical Association					AMA
	e	Meeting Industry Association of Australia			MIAA
	f	Australia Interactive Multimedia Industry Association		AiMiA
	g	Australian Water and Wastewater Association			AWWA
	h	Institute of Chartered Accountants				ICAA
	i	Aus Society of Practicing Accountants				ASCPA
	j	National Institute of Accountants 				NIA

The OIC has maintained contact with these Associations by regular e-mails on developments with 
enhanced membership services.

c	Development of products and services

Members of the OIC have been very active in forming consortia to develop products and services
that stimulate the adoption of Electronic Information Technologies.

These products include:

	a	Electronic Committee Information Management		ECIM
	b	Electronic Association Information Management		EAIM
	c	Electronic Event Information Management			EEIM
	d	Electronic Project Information Management		EPIM

Services include

	a	Y2K Resource Asset Management Process			OICY2KRAMP
	b	Tender Information Management Service			TIMS

The OICY2KRAMP process won first prize in "IT for SME" category of the 1999 Global Bangemann 
Challenge which is sponsored by the City of Stockholm.  

This prestigious trophy was awarded by the King of Sweden to 3 OIC members who attended the 
ceremony at Stockholm Town Hall.

OIC members contribute 10% of the fees gained in any OIC contract to fund future EII initiatives
proposed by members.