PrintConsultants and consultancy services
The department's policy on selecting and engaging consultants is in accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (CPGs) based on the core principle of value for money.
During 2007–08, the department entered into 52 new consultancy contracts, involving total actual expenditure of $16 855 100. In total, 65 ongoing consultancy contracts were active during 2007–08, involving total actual expenditure of $33 702 650.
Information on expenditure on contracts and consultancies is also available on the AusTender website at www.tenders.gov.au.
Table 108 shows consultancy services of $10 000 or more in value, entered into during 2007–08.
Selection processes
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.
Select tender—a procurement procedure in which the procuring agency selects potential suppliers to submit tenders in accordance with the CPGs.
Direct sourcing—a procurement process in which an agency may contract a single potential supplier or suppliers of its choice. Where procurement is valued above the thresholds set out in the CPGs, direct sourcing is available only under certain defined circumstances. Conditions for direct sourcing apply under the mandatory procurement procedures.
Panel—an arrangement under which a number of suppliers, usually selected through a single procurement process, may each supply property or services to an agency as specified in the panel arrangements.
Tenders 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 consultant offers to supply goods and services for a pre-determined length of time, usually at a pre-arranged price.
Justification for decisions
A. Skills currently unavailable within agency
B. Need for specialised or professional skills
C. Need for independent research or assessment.
Competitive tendering and contracting
The department's standard contract templates include provisions allowing the Australian National Audit Office to access a contractor's premises. There are, however, a limited number of contracts that do not contain the access provisions. These include cases where specific industry-based standard contracts have been used rather than the department's standard contract template or where there is an international contract.
Exempt contracts
Details of all contracts that have a value of $10 000 or more have been published in AusTender in accordance with the reporting requirements of the CPGs. The department did not let any contracts in excess of $10 000 which are exempt from being published in AusTender during the year.
Table 108: Consultants and consultancy services| Consultant name | Description | Selection process | Justification | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A and B Podger Pty Ltd | Provision of independent review | Direct sourcing | C | $39 000 |
| APIS Group Pty Ltd | Provision of financial advice | Panel | C | $27 755 |
| Asset Technologies Pacific Pty Ltd | Provision of risk management services | Open tender | C | $190 000 |
| Australian National University | Provision of research services | Direct sourcing | A | $70 000 |
| Blake Dawson Waldron | Provision of legal advisers | Open tender | A | $5 069 870 |
| Booz & Company (Australia) Ltd | Reformation of client information capture | Panel | A | $680 000 |
| Booz & Company (Australia) Ltd | Provision of commercial and financial advisers | Open tender | A | $9 504 000 |
| Business Objects Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of implementation of business objects software | Direct sourcing | A | $624 450 |
| Cogent Business Solutions Pty Ltd | Provision of financial advice | Panel | C | $27 755 |
| Cogent Business Solutions Pty Ltd | Provision of financial advisory services | Select tender | A | $50 000 |
| Cogent Business Solutions Pty Ltd | Provision of financial advice | Panel | C | $50 000 |
| Cogent Business Solutions Pty Ltd | Provision of financial advice | Panel | C | $50 000 |
| Cogent Business Solutions Pty Ltd | Provision of financial advice | Panel | C | $63 000 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of personnel for project team services | Panel | A | $21 059 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $35 047 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $100 867 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $235 928 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $155 807 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $268 149 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $374 162 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $528 000 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of specialist information technology training services | Panel | A | $570 572 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $979 105 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of project team services | Panel | A | $1 595 683 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $1 653 271 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $2 130 150 |
| CSC Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of information technology specialist services | Panel | A | $2 386 459 |
| DLA Phillips Fox | Provision of probity adviser | Open tender | C | $880 000 |
| EDS (Australia) Pty Ltd | Provision of project team services | Panel | A | $127 050 |
| EDS (Australia) Pty Ltd | Provision of specialist information technology training services | Panel | A | $991 870 |
| Ernst & Young | Provision of internal audit services | Select tender | A | $1 763 374 |
| Fellows Medlock and Associates Pty Ltd | Provision of workplace relations analysis services | Select tender | C | $49 242 |
| Global Foresight Network Pty Ltd | Provision of services to build and structure strategic change process | Direct sourcing | A | $27 280 |
| Hay Group Pty Ltd | Development of the employment value proposition | Open tender | A | $84 580 |
| Hinds Workforce Research Pty Ltd | Design, development, implementation, analysis and reporting of the departmental staff survey | Open tender | C | $134 021 |
| Human Synergistics Australia Pty Ltd | Provide organisational cultural mapping services | Direct sourcing | A | $125 394 |
| KPMG | Provision of audit, risk management and fraud control services | Panel | C | $50 600 |
| KPMG | Provision of audit, risk management and fraud control services | Panel | C | $174 000 |
| Laurence Whistler Street | Provision of probity auditor | Direct sourcing | C | $120 000 |
| Margaret Piper and Associates | Evaluation and report on Ballarat humanitarian settlement pilot | Select tender | B | $27 060 |
| Margaret Piper and Associates | Evaluation and report on Mt Gambier humanitarian settlement pilot | Select tender | B | $27 060 |
| Monash University | Review of the suicide and self harm instrument and protocol used in immigration detention | Select tender | C | $69 392 |
| Newd Corp Pty Ltd | Development and implementation of creative advertising strategy | Select tender | A | $1 085 365 |
| Nous Group Pty Ltd | Provision of learning and development courses | Select tender | A | $66 000 |
| Oakton AA Services Pty Ltd | Provision of financial assessment of health and detention service providers | Panel | A | $17 505 |
| Oracle Corporation Australia Pty Ltd | Provision of technical services | Direct sourcing | A | $450 560 |
| Perocin Pty Ltd | Provision of services for tender evaluation adviser | Open tender | A | $200 860 |
| Protiviti Pty Ltd | Provision of audit, risk management and fraud control services | Panel | C | $52 689 |
| Protiviti Pty Ltd | Provision of audit, risk management and fraud control services | Panel | C | $55 000 |
| Protiviti Pty Ltd | Provision of risk management and auditing services | Panel | A | $80 465 |
| PSI Consulting Pty Ltd | Provision of probity advice | Panel | C | $20 000 |
| PSI Consulting Pty Ltd | Provision of advice for property services | Panel | C | $44 073 |
| Registries Limited | Provision of electronic voting services for the national staff consultative. | Select tender | A | $13 556 |
| Richardson O'Rourke Consulting Pty Ltd | Provision of project management fundamentals training | Panel | A | $179 626 |
| SMS Consulting Group Ltd | Provision of detention/offshore data entry analysis services | Select tender | A | $42 075 |
| The Open Mind Research Group Pty Ltd | Bridging visa (e) and overstayers research and discussions | Select tender | B | $100 000 |
| The Trustee for Access Economics Trust | Provision of economic analysis services | Direct sourcing | A | $99 200 |
| The Trustee for EPD unit trust | Production of 'The People of Australia' series of publications | Open tender | A | $55 350 |
| University of Canberra | Provision of dynamic business modelling | Direct sourcing | A | $130 000 |
| Walter Turnbull Pty Ltd | Provision of financial viability advice | Panel | C | $16 500 |
| Walter Turnbull Pty Ltd | Independent review | Select tender | B | $70 980 |
| Walter Turnbull Pty Ltd | Provision of audit, risk management and fraud control services | Panel | C | $77 000 |
| Walter Turnbull Pty Ltd | Provision of audit, risk management and fraud control services | Panel | C | $93 000 |
| Workplace Research Associates Pty Ltd | Development of work level standards for medical officers, legal officers and public affairs officers | Direct sourcing | A | $48 290 |
| Workplace Research Associates Pty Ltd | Development of job and organisational design guidelines | Direct sourcing | A | $49 500 |
Table 109: Contracts in excess of $100 000 that do not contain the Australian National Audit Office access provisions
| Name of contractor | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Beethoven Computer Services Pty Ltd | Software licence agreement | $287 418 |
