Australia has signed a whole-of-government cloud contract with Amazon Web Services.

The volume-sourcing agreement will “ensure government agencies have ready access to the best pricing, terms and conditions,” Stuart Robert, Australia’s minister for government services, said.

Many Australian government agencies already have individual contracts with AWS, Robert said. “The new arrangement represents an opportunity to provide cost reductions through efficiencies of scale.”

The agreement is part of the government’s agenda to make IT procurement simpler, clearer and faster for agencies and industry. The deal covers government agencies, which now must use this contract for AWS products and services. State and territorial agencies and departments, as well as public universities and government-controlled corporations, can also buy cloud products and services from the contract.

“Over a number of years, aggregated procurement has allowed us to leverage the bulk-buying power of the government to negotiate consistent and improved terms and conditions,” Robert said. “The new arrangement represents an opportunity to provide cost reductions through efficiencies of scale.”