Department of the Environment and Heritage Annual Report 2003-04
Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2004
ISSN 1441 9335
Management and accountability (continued)
Consultants
- Summary of policy and procedures for selecting consultants
- List of consultancy contracts greater than $10 000
For the purpose of this annual report a consultant is an individual, a partnership, or a corporation engaged to provide professional, independent and expert advice or services to the Department. In 2003-04, the Department let 335 consultancies, and spent $17.629 million on consultancies. The consultants were engaged for specialist technical and professional skills. Details of consultancies, including additional information on consultancies worth $10 000 or more, are listed as part of the electronic version of this annual report available on the Internet at www.deh.gov.au/about/annual-report.
Summary of policy and procedures for selecting consultants
The Department's policy on the selection and engagement of consultants is in accordance with the Australian Government's Procurement Guidelines. The processes involved include purchasing benchmarks, which are currently:
- up to $20: Petty cash expenditure upper limit for any one purchase is $20
- up to $2,000: Quotes are not required (but may be advisable if it is believed there is a possible material disparity between suppliers)
- $2,001 - $5,000: At least three competitive verbal quotes should be obtained
- $5,001 - $100,000: At least three competitive written quotes should be obtained. All requirements must be adequately specified
- above $100,000: Open competition (see below) should be sought
Open competition should ensure transparency in the procurement process, including access to opportunities for potential suppliers. The Department should put effort and research into encouraging competition in order to get the best possible results from the market.
All purchases valued over $100,000 are subject to review by the Departmental Procurement Review Board, however if a senior executive decision-maker considers that a purchasing transaction below this threshold is particularly complex or controversial, then these instances should also be referred to the Procurement Review Board.
Information on endorsed supplier arrangements is available from the Department of Finance.
List of consultancy contracts greater than $10 000
The list of consultancy contracts greater than $10 000 is available as a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view the PDF file.
- Table 78: Consultancy contracts greater than $10,000 including GST (management-consultants-list.pdf - 51 KB)
If you cannot access Table 78, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Competitive tendering and contracting
During 2003-04, the Department continued to source its internal audit and information and communications service delivery from external providers.
The Australian Antarctic Division completed a risk assessment across a broad range of functions. This assessment formed the basis for the development of business cases to identify opportunities for market testing, process re-engineering, or other business improvement strategies. Recognising the long-term benefit of implementing business improvement strategies, the Division appointed a Business Improvement Facilitator as a 'champion', adviser, consultant and coordinator for all business improvement activities.
Exempt contracts
During 2003-04, there were no standing offers or contracts exempted from being published in the Purchasing and Disposal Gazette.
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