Procurement
The department applies the requirements of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act and the Commonwealth Procurement Rules. During the reporting period, the procurement function was reviewed by an internal audit. No issues were identified with the department’s procurement practices and minor amendments to administrative practices were recommended. The department supports small business participation in the Commonwealth Government procurement market. Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Small Enterprise participation statistics are available on the Department of Finance’s website. The department has adopted the Commonwealth Contracting Suite for low-risk procurements valued under $200,000 and electronic systems and processes are used to facilitate on-time payment performance.
Consultancy and non-consultancy contracts
Expenditure on reportable consultancy contracts
The department engages consultants to provide specialist expertise when not available within the department, or where an independent assessment is desirable. The department uses various selection processes to engage consultants including open tender, selective tender, direct sourcing, a panel of recognised or pre-eminent experts, or consultants who have previously undertaken work for the department or are known to have the requisite skills.
| Reportable consultancy contracts 2020–21 |
Number |
Expenditure1 $ |
| New contracts entered into during the reporting period |
1 |
12,100 |
| Ongoing contracts entered into during the previous reporting period |
4 |
101,838 |
| Total |
5 |
113,938 |
| Organisations receiving a share of the reportable consultancy contract expenditure 2020–21 |
Expenditure1 $ |
| KPMG |
72,886 |
| Elizabeth Montano |
13,473 |
| Pickles Valuation Services |
12,100 |
| Storm IT Pty Ltd |
10,528 |
| McBeath Pty Ltd |
4,950 |
| Total |
113,938 |
1 Expenditure is calculated on a cash basis and includes GST where applicable.
During 2020–21, one new consultancy contract was entered into involving total actual expenditure of $0.01m. In addition, four ongoing consultancy contracts were active during the period, involving total actual expenditure of $0.10m.
This amount does not include $0.16m for the provision of independent legal advice supporting the work of the two legislative scrutiny committees and the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights.
Annual reports contain information about actual expenditure on reportable consultancy contracts. Information on the value of reportable consultancy contracts is available on the AusTender website.
| Reportable non-consultancy contracts 2020–21 |
Number |
Expenditure1 $ |
| New contracts entered into during the reporting period |
9 |
522,519 |
| Ongoing contracts entered into during the previous reporting period |
11 |
263,598 |
| Total |
20 |
786,117 |
| Organisations receiving a share of the reportable non-consultancy contract expenditure 2020–21 |
Expenditure1 $ |
| Encore IT Services |
123,820 |
| Dell Australia Pty Ltd |
110,603 |
| Aurion Corporation |
107,447 |
| Fuji Xerox Australia Pty Ltd |
92,776 |
| Fuji Xerox Business Force Pty Ltd |
53,440 |
| Technology One |
42,726 |
| Icelab |
39,858 |
| Total |
570,671 |
1 Expenditure is calculated on a cash basis and includes GST where applicable.
Annual reports contain information about actual expenditure on reportable non-consultancy contracts. Information on the value of reportable non-consultancy contracts is available on the AusTender website.
Advertising and market research
In 2020–21, the department did not conduct any advertising campaigns or market ;research.