Appendices
Appendix G
Consultancy contracts
Government purchasing policy requires that agencies publish open business opportunities, and gazette all contracts and standing offers with a value of $10 000 or more, in AusTender. Information on expenditure on contracts and consultancies is also available on the AusTender website, www.tenders.gov.au.
Table G1 lists only those consultancies let in 2006—07 with a value of $10 000 or more. Information on total expenditure on consultants can be found under 'Consultants' in Chapter 3.
Table G1 - Consultancy services let during 2006-07, of $10 000 or more
Note: All contract prices include GST.
1 Explanation of selection process terms drawn from the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (January 2005): Open tender: A procurement procedure in which a request for tender is published inviting all businesses that satisfy the conditions for participation to submit tenders. Public tenders are sought from the marketplace using national and major metropolitan newspaper advertising and the Australian Government AusTender internet site. Select tender: A procurement procedure in which the procuring agency selects which potential suppliers are invited to submit tenders. Tenders are invited from a short list of competent suppliers. Direct sourcing: A form of restricted tendering, available only under certain defined circumstances, with a single potential supplier or suppliers being invited to bid because of their unique expertise and/or their ability to supply the goods and/or services sought. Panel: An arrangement under which a number of suppliers, usually selected through a single procurement process, may each supply property or services to an agency as specified in the panel arrangements. Tenders are sought from suppliers that have pre-qualified on agency panels to supply to the government. This category includes standing offers and supplier panels where the consultant offers to supply goods and services for a predetermined length of time, usually at a prearranged price.
2 Justification for decision to use consultancy:
A—skills currently unavailable within agency
B—need for specialised or professional skills
C—need for independent research or assessment.