APPENDIX 5Consultancy services

The Ombudsman’s office engages consultants when the expertise required is not available within the organisation or when the specialist skills required are not available without diverting resources from other higher priority tasks. In accordance with procurement guidelines, consultants are selected by advertisement, panel arrangements or selective tendering.

Table A4 provides details of consultancy services let by the office during 2006–07 with a contract value (GST inclusive) of $10,000 or more.

Definitions

(1) Selection process

Open tender—procurement procedure in which a request for tender is published inviting all businesses that satisfy the conditions for participation to submit tenders.

Select tender—procurement procedure in which the procuring agency selects which potential suppliers are invited to submit tenders in accordance with the mandatory procurement procedures.

(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

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Advertising and market research

Advertising is used to publicise the office’s services. No advertising contracts were let in 2006–07. The office’s advertising strategies were designed and conceived in-house. Recruitment notices were placed in newspapers at a cost of $40,052; and advertisements to publicise the office’s services, including the new Postal Industry Ombudsman scheme, were placed in selected newspapers and journals at a cost of $27,175. All notices and advertisements were placed through hma Blaze.

Market research was conducted by ACNielsen to measure the level of community awareness and knowledge of the Ombudsman’s roles and function in regional and rural Australia. This contract is reported in Table A4—Consultancy services, 2006–07.