Expenditure

During 2019–20 the ARC entered into 182 consultancy contracts involving total actual expenditure of $0.450 million (inclusive of Goods and Services Tax [GST]). In addition, 282 ongoing consultancy contracts were active during the period, involving total actual expenditure of $2.331 million (inclusive of GST). A summary of the ARC’s engagements with consultants for 2019–20 is provided in Table 23.

Table 23: Consultancy contracts and expenditure, 2019–20

^{Notes: The contract numbers are as per all consultancy contracts that have been entered into not just those that are reportable on AusTender. The number of ongoing contracts is all active consultancy contracts during the period that were entered into prior to the 2019–20 period. The expenditure on consultancy contracts represents the actual cash expenditure during the period but does not include any accrued expenses.}

Annual Reports contain information about actual expenditure on contracts for consultancies. Information on the value of contracts and consultancies is available on the AusTender website, www.tenders.gov.au.

Policy on selection and engagement

The ARC’s policy on selecting and engaging consultants is set out in the ARC Chief Executive Instructions and in related procurement instructions and guidance material.

The ARC engages consultants primarily for independent research or assessment, or where specialist skill or expertise is required. Consultants are engaged through a merit selection or procurement process. The majority of the ARC’s consultancy expenditure relates to the engagement of independent members for selection and evaluation committees.

Consultancy services are distinguished from other contracts for services by the nature of the work performed, which typically involves the development of an intellectual output that assists with agency decision-making and reflects the independent views of the service provider.