But that bonus will be accompanied by the sting of pay parking being introduced into the parliamentary triangle.

The ACT government and the National Capital Authority are combining to call bids for a tender to supply 500 state-of-the art parking machines.

The electronic machines will be capable of taking credit cards and may be able to accept payment by MyWay cards and smartphones.

An announcement about the tender is being made on Saturday in The Canberra Times, with the details to be put on the government's website on Monday.

Pay parking is being introduced to four inner Canberra precincts - the Parliamentary Triangle, Barton, Russell and Acton - to free up parking spaces at cultural institutions for visitors.

Some of the new machines being purchased by the National Capital Authority will be coin operated, for the benefit of visitors.

The authority wants to buy 190 machines for the scheme, which will raise $73 million for the federal government.

Parking in the area will cost the average full-time worker $2640 a year from July.

Parliament House and the four independent institutions that run their own car parks - the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, High Court and War Memorial - face a dilemma: impose paid parking or a voucher system on staff and volunteers or risk having free car parks swamped by public servants.

The Australian War Memorial will install barriers and boom gates to keep out commuters who park there and ride or walk to Civic. Veterans, tourists and staff will be given vouchers for free parking.

One option is a version of the honesty-based voucher system at the National Portrait Gallery.

The Auditor-General reported midyear that Canberra's paid parking machines were faulty and outdated and were losing at least $1 million a year.

The ACT government was expected to call bids in the middle of the year to replace 300 off-street parking machines but delayed the project when paid parking for the national land in central Canberra was unveiled in the federal budget.

On-street pay parking machines will be considered at a later date.

The decision by the government and NCA to combine for a tender should reduce the cost through economies of scale.

Treasurer Andrew Barr told Fairfax Media on Friday the tender would close on October 23 for the supply, installation and maintenance of the off-street pay parking ticket machines which would be able to accept multiple payment methods, including credit cards.

''As part of the tender process, there will be a briefing for industry, to clarify any issues and allowing them to examine the territory's existing parking machines,'' he said.

''The government has been working with the National Capital Authority to achieve a joint approach to the market … [to] allow for economies of scale, and promote a consistent parking solution across the ACT.''

The ACT government wants ''pay and display'' machines that accept credit cards. ''We are also seeking machines which are able to accept contactless credit card payment, which allows users to tap their credit cards on the reader,'' Mr Barr said.

''The ACT is also asking for tenderers to include the option for value-add technology for the machines of allowing payment by MyWay cards and smart phones.''

It is expected the new machines will be installed early next year.