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Purchasing

The AEC’s approach to procuring goods and services is consistent with the:

The AEC applies these rules through its accountable authority instructions, supporting operational guidelines, and by continuing to develop procurement skills and processes to improve efficiency and value-for-money outcomes.

The AEC has centralised expertise to manage its procurement and contracting framework, including panel arrangements. Tenders are evaluated for:

  • value for money
  • energy and consumption demand
  • unnecessary consumption
  • end-of-life disposal arrangements.

Australian National Audit Office access clauses

All AEC contract templates include a standard clause to provide Auditor-General access to a contractor’s premises. The AEC did not execute any contracts in 2020–21 without the Australian National Audit Office access provisions.

Small business

The AEC supports small business participation in Commonwealth Government procurement. Small and medium enterprises and small enterprise participation statistics are on the Department of Finance website at www.finance.gov.au

The AEC recognises the importance of ensuring small businesses are paid on time. The results of the Survey of Australian Government Payments to Small Business are available on Treasury’s website at www.treasury.gov.au

Publication of contracts on AusTender

Information on the value of AEC contracts and consultancies—as well as expected procurements—is available on the AusTender website at www.tenders.gov.au

In 2020–21:

  • one contract or standing offer greater than $10,000 (including GST) was exempt from publication on AusTender on the basis of paragraph 2.6 of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules with a total value of $500,000
  • the AEC did not administer any discretionary grant programs
  • seven open-tender requests were published.

Consultants

Consultants are engaged to provide specialist expertise, independent research, or to review or assess particular elements of electoral events. These decisions are made in accordance with section 35(2) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, the PGPA Act and related Regulations (including the Commonwealth Procurement Rules), and relevant internal policies.

Expenditure on reportable consultancy contracts

Table 5: Reportable consultancy contracts (2020–21)

Reportable consultancy contracts 2020–21

Number

Expenditure $

New contracts entered into during the reporting period

3

74,300

Ongoing contracts entered into during a previous reporting period

3

110,119

Total

6

184,419

Table 6: List of organisations receiving a share of consultancy contracts (2020–21)

Organisations receiving a share of reportable consultancy contract expenditure 2020–21

Expenditure $

Wallis Consulting Group Pty Ltd

49,894

Aspect Organisational Psychologists Pty Ltd

44,275

The Architecture Practice Pty Ltd

29,700

CTO Group

28,600

Garnduwa Amboorny Wirnan

16,000

IPAR Rehabilitation

15,950

During 2020–21, three new reportable consultancy contracts were entered into involving total actual expenditure of $0.7 million. In addition, three ongoing reportable consultancy contracts were active during this period, involving total actual expenditure of $0.11 million.

Annual reports contain information about actual expenditure on reportable consultancy contracts. Information on the value of reportable consultancy contracts is available on the AusTender website.

Expenditure on reportable non-consultancy contracts

Table 7: Reportable non-consultancy contracts (2020–21)

Reportable non-consultancy contracts 2020–21

Number

Expenditure $

New contracts entered into during the reporting period

177

37,673,331

Ongoing contracts entered into during a previous reporting period

114

51,881,918

Total

291

89,555,249

Table 8: List of organisations receiving non-consultancy contract expenditures (2020–21)

Organisations receiving a share of reportable non-consultancy contract expenditure 2020–21

Expenditure $

Fuji Film Data Management Solutions Australia Pty Ltd

11,485,550

Ventia Property Pty Ltd

4,354,896

Veritec

4,063,896

Specialty Packaging Group

3,666,825

Hays Specialist Recruitment (Australia) Pty Ltd

3,411,074

Annual reports contain information about actual expenditure on reportable non-consultancy contracts. Information on the reportable non-consultancy contracts’ value is available on the AusTender website.