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Consultancy contracts let during 2005–06 of $10,000 or more (inclusive of GST)

The Commission engages consultancy services in circumstances where it requires particular expertise that is not available internally.

Policy

In-line with the principles of the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (CPGs), the Australian Public Service Commission’s policy on selection and engagement of consultants is based on the core principle of value for money. The value for money principle is enhanced in Government procurement by:

encouraging competition by ensuring non-discrimination in procurement and using competitive procurement processes
promoting the use of resources in an efficient, effective and ethical manner and
making decisions in an accountable and transparent manner.

These guidelines have been included in the Commission’s Chief Executive Instructions (CEIs).

The following table lists only those consultancies engaged in 2005-06 with a contract price of $10,000 or more inclusive of GST.

Consultant Name	Description	Contract price	Selection process⁽¹⁾	Justification⁽²⁾
Australian Government Solicitor	Consultancy related legal services	$97,231	Direct Sourcing	A and B
Bassett Consulting Engineers	Engineering consultancy services for the provision of electrical, data and security services in relation to Canberra office accommodation	$38,720	Direct Sourcing	B
Cardno Young	Engineering solutions for the hydraulic services system to Canberra office accommodation	$17,050	Direct Sourcing	B
Jenny Oates & Associates Pty Ltd	Conduct focus groups of Australian Public Service employees to ascertain why they choose not to disclosure their disability status to their agency	$10,714 ⁽³⁾	Direct Sourcing	C
Mercer Human Resource Consulting Pty Ltd	Comparative market research on the remuneration of senior office holders within the Australia Public Service	$32,852	Direct Sourcing	B
National Fire Solution Pty Ltd	Engineering consultancy services for the provision of fire services to Canberra office accommodation	$11,275	Direct Sourcing	B
Northrop Engineers	Engineering solutions for the mechanical system to Canberra office accommodation	$24,860	Direct Sourcing	B
Organisation Plus Pty Ltd	Consultancy services in relation to the delivery of a Capability Analysis and Development Plan	$33,660 ⁽⁴⁾	Direct Sourcing	C
Performance First Pty Ltd	Conduct an assessment of the Commission's capability to become a Registered Training Organisation	$20,900	Direct Sourcing	B
Tarcus Pty Ltd	Conduct scoping studies for the development of the employment portal project	$51,260	Select tender	A, B and C
Tarcus Pty Ltd	Professional services in the development of information technology governance and project management capability	$38,060	Select tender	A, B and C
University of Canberra as represented by the National Institute for Governance	Research on the topic 'the Public Service as a profession'	$37,383	Direct Sourcing	A, B and C
WT Partnership	Quantity surveyor services in relation to Canberra office accommodation	$16,170 ⁽⁵⁾	Select tender	B
TOTAL		$430,135
Explanation of selection process terms drawn from the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (January 2005): 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 listed on 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. Tenders are invited from a short list of competent suppliers.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, usually selected through a single procurement process, may each supply property or services to an agency as specified in the panel arrangements. Justification for decision to use consultancy: skills currently unavailable within agency need for specialised or professional skills need for independent research or assessment Amount shown is actual expenditure. The original contract price was $10,175 plus venue costs. Amount shown is actual expenditure. The original contract price of $29,700 was exceeded due to a minor contract variation. Amount shown includes an estimate of the price of hours to be charged in stage 3.