DownloadFinancial information
Engagement of consultants and contractors
Consultants
Our policies on the selection and engagement of consultants are in accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines.
The most common reasons for engaging consultancy services are:
- unavailability of specialist in-house resources in the short timeframe allowed
- the need for an independent review
- specialist skills and knowledge not available in-house.
During 2008–09, one new consultancy contract was entered into, involving total actual expenditure of $47,290. Three consultancy contracts were active during the 2008–09 financial year, involving total expenditure of $142,678.
| A | New contracts during the period | 1 |
| B | Total expenditure on new consultancy contracts (GST-inclusive) | $47,290 |
| C | Number of ongoing (that is, pre-existing) consultancy contracts active during the period | 3 |
| D | Total expenditure on ongoing consultancy contracts during the period (GST-inclusive) | $142,678 |
| Consultant name | Description | Contract price | Selection process (1) | Justification (2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linda Webb | Human resource matter | $50,000 | Direct Source | C |
Explanation of selection process terms drawn from the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (December 2008):
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 generally sought from 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. This procurement process may only be used in defined circumstances.
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 special ability to supply the goods and/or services sought.
Panel: An arrangement under which a number of suppliers, initially selected through an open tender process, may each supply property or services to an agency as specified in the panel arrangements. Quotes are sought from suppliers that have pre-qualified on the agency panels to supply to the government. This category includes standing offers and supplier panels where the supply of goods and services may be provided for a pre-determined length of time, usually at a pre-arranged price.
Key for 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
A list of consultancy services valued at $10,000 or more (that we let between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2009) is available on our website at www.asada.gov.au. Information about our expenditure on contracts and consultancies is also available on the AusTender website at www.tenders.gov.au.
Competitive tendering and contracting
Our objectives in outsourcing services are to obtain value for money, encourage innovation, and improve accountability and performance in the service delivery process, in line with the Australian Government Procurement Guidelines.
Auditor-General access
We have not entered into any contracts that exclude the Auditor-General from having access to our contractors.
Exempt contracts
There are no current contracts or standing offers that have been exempted from being published in AusTender on the basis that they would disclose exempt matters under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.