PeopleWA uses a secure e-Research Platform for approved users to access and analyse data. From September 2025, a partial cost recovery model (the model) is applied to each approved non-government project for access to the e-Research Platform. The model is based on the requirements of each project and number of users and reflects the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing resources consumed.
There are no charges for the review of applications, the costs of data linkage, extraction, or refreshes.
Workspace Costs
PeopleWA offers two compute plans for different performance requirements:
Power | Power Pro |
|
|
Each user pays an ongoing monthly cost for ongoing access to their workspace depending on the plan chosen.
Each plan features four storage options, as outlined in the table below:
Workspace plan | Storage provided | Power Monthly cost ($USD) | Power Pro Storage cost ($USD) |
Option A |
| $103 | $151 |
Option B |
| $105 | $154 |
Option C |
| $108 | $158 |
Option D |
| $112 | $165 |
Please note that to increase your user storage above 100GB, you will automatically be upgraded to Option D within your respective compute plan and you will be charged the monthly cost for Option D plus the additional storage over 100 GB at $0.12 per GB. Workspace upgrades (e.g., from Option A to Option B) can occur at any time, but workspace downgrades (e.g., from Option C to B) can only occur once per month.
Certain fixed costs are also charged to cover additional expenses incurred when operating the e-Research Platform. The table below details the specifications of the fixed costs.
Fixed cost | Details | Cost in USD |
| Microsoft Office licensing (per user) | Microsoft Office fees are charged by Microsoft for the use of Microsoft Office products in the workspace. | $14.75 (per user per month) |
| Project infrastructure fee (per project) | Project infrastructure fees cover the Amazon Web Services costs associated with the cloud services that support the shared computing infrastructure, storage, and collaboration space established for each project. Please note that project infrastructure cost is separate from user workspace costs and is required to link multiple user workspaces within a team. | $45 (per month) |
| Shared project storage | A common space that all users within the same project can access. This is available for file sharing and is the location that your extracted data is placed. The default size for this is 8GB though this needs to be increased on a per-project basis depending on the size of your data extract. | $0.96 (base) + $0.12/GB (per month) |
Archiving fee (per project) | Archiving fees cover the costs associated with removing data from the e-Research Platform and its transfer to long-term storage. | $8.40 (one-off) |
*All costs are based on April 2025 rates and are subject to change in line with adjustments to Amazon Web Services pricing. The Office of Digital Government (DGov) will advise users of any cost changes.
Requesting a quote
Quotes are available on request by contacting the PeopleWA team via PeopleWA@dpc.wa.gov.au. Quotes are estimates and should only be used as a guide. The final cost for the project will differ depending on your chosen workspace plan(s), number of project members, and the final costs charged to DGov.
Invoicing and payments
Projects are invoiced every six months twice per year. Short-term projects (under six months) are invoiced at completion. The final cost in Australian dollars for each project is billed on actual project specifications and the currency conversion rate on the final cost billed to DGov. Costs are generally broken down by overall project costs (fixed costs) and by each project member (workspace plan).
Cancelling my plan
Each user must request for their workspace to be destroyed when no longer needed to avoid incurring monthly costs. DGov incurs the AWS cost at the start of each month – users who cancel during the month are billed for the entirety of the month or the cost that was incurred by DGov. When a user simply disconnects from the workspace computing and storage costs are still incurred at the monthly rate.
Print this page
