On 19 March 2015, the following matter was referred to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee for inquiry and report by the 18 June 2015:

The impact on service quality, efficiency and sustainability of recent Commonwealth Indigenous Advancement Strategy tendering processes by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, with particular regard to:

1. the extent of consultation with service providers concerning the size, scope and nature of services tendered, determination of outcomes and other elements of service and contract design;
2. the effect of the tendering timeframe and lack of notice on service collaboration, consortia and the opportunity for innovative service design and delivery;
3. the evidence base and analysis underlying program design;
4. the clarity of information provided to prospective tenderers concerning service scope and outcomes;
5. the opportunities created for innovative service design and delivery, and the extent to which this was reflected in the outcomes of the tender process;
6. the number of non-compliant projects, the nature of the non-compliance, if and how they were assisted, and how many of these were successful;
7. analysis of the types, size and structures of organisations which were successful and unsuccessful under this process;
8. the implementation and extent of compliance with Commonwealth Grant Guidelines;
9. the potential and likely impacts on service users concerning service delivery, continuity, quality and reliability;
10. the framework and measures in place, if any, to assess the impacts of these reforms on service user outcomes and service sustainability and effectiveness;
11. the information provided to tenderers about how decisions are made, feedback mechanisms for unsuccessful tender applicants, and the participation of independent experts in tender review processes to ensure fairness and transparency;
12. the impact on advocacy and policy services across the sector;
13. factors relating to the efficient and effective collection and sharing of data on outcomes within and across program streams to allow actuarial analysis of program, cohort and population outcomes to be measured and evaluated;
14. the extent of contracts offered, and the associated conditions, to successful applicants;
15. the effect of mandatory incorporation under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 on Indigenous organisations receiving grants of $500 000 or more per annum;
16. the effect and cost impact of delays in the assessment process and the extension of interim funding on organisations pending the outcome of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy; and
17. any other related matters.

Submission closing date is 30 April 2015. The reporting date is 18 June 2015. On 15 June 2015, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 26 November 2015. On 9 November 2015, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 3 March 2016. On 22 February 2016, the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 16 March 2016.