General tender, contract and consultancy information

The Ombudsman’s office is governed by the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act), which requires that government agencies should be accountable for their financial management. All procurement is subject to the office’s Chief Executive Instructions (CEIs), which are consistent with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines.

The Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (CPGs) require that those approving the spending be satisfied, after making reasonable enquiries, that the proposal is in accordance with Australian Government policy and that it is an efficient and effective use of public money. In particular, an approver must be satisfied that procurers have complied with policies implementing international obligations, including those set out in these CPGs.

The CPGs contains some mandatory requirements that apply to all procurements (regardless of their value). These include the requirement:

  • not to discriminate in procuring goods or services, which must be considered on the basis of their suitability for the intended purpose, and not on the basis of their origin
  • not to benefit from supplier practices that may be dishonest, unethical or unsafe
  • to maintain appropriate documentation for each procurement and retain it for at least 3 years (or as required under the Archives Act 1983)
  • to publish an Annual Procurement Plan on AusTender that sets out the agency or body’s planned procurement for the coming year
  • to publish on AusTender all open approaches to the market
  • that all request documentation issued outside of AusTender must be identical to that published on AusTender
  • to promptly advise a tenderer whose tender is rejected and provide written reasons if required by the tenderer.

Australian Government agencies are subject to a number of specific requirements, which support internal and external scrutiny of tendering and contracting processes. These include the requirement to:

  1. publish details of agency agreements, Commonwealth contracts and standing offers with an estimated liability of $10,000 or more on AusTender; and
  2. report a list of contracts valued at $100,000 or more and identify confidentiality requirements in accordance with the Senate Order on Department and Agency Contracts.

Tenderers should also note that the Parliament and its committees have the power to require the disclosure of contracts and contract information to enable them to carry out their functions.

AusTender is the Australian Government Electronic Tender System. It allows Australian Government agencies to make tender documentation available from a central website. Suppliers can search/browse and download all the relevant information rather than having to request information to be sent to them. Suppliers can also request to be automatically notified about tenders of interest to their business.

Current tenders

  • None.