The NBA adheres to the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and best practice guidance when undertaking procurements. The guidelines are applied to the NBA's activities through the accountable authority's management instructions and key business processes.

The NBA has developed business processes to ensure that the knowledge and best practices developed within the agency for key purchasing activities are captured and made available to new staff and that relevant procedures and processes are documented and followed.

Over recent years several internal audit programs have tested these processes to ensure that they meet government policy and better practice. The audit findings have been consistently favourable in relation to complying with mandatory processes. The NBA has implemented recommended opportunities.

The key business processes are constantly reviewed and refined as part of the NBA's own requirement for continual improvement in the management of its core business functions.

Exempt contracts

The Chief Executive did not issue any exemptions from the required publication of any contract or standing offer in the purchasing and disposal gazette.

Competitive tendering and contracting

There were no contracts of $100,000 or more (inclusive of GST) let in 2019-20 that did not provide for the Auditor-General's access to the contractor's premises.

Consultants

The selection and engagement of consultants was treated in the same way as the procurement of other property and services and was conducted in accordance with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, Commonwealth Procurement Rules and internal policies and procedures. During 2019-20, three new consultancy contracts were entered into involving total actual expenditure of $367,601 (GST inclusive). In addition, three ongoing consultancy contracts were active during the 2019-20 year, involving actual expenditure of $420,078 (GST inclusive). Total expenditure on consultancies in 2019-20 was $787,679 (GST inclusive).

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. No contracts were entered into that were exempt from reporting on the AusTender website - www.tenders.gov.au. Table 4.5 shows total expenditure on all consultancy services in 2019-20.

Procurement initiatives to Support Small Business

The NBA supports small business participation in the Commonwealth government procurement market. Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Small Enterprise participation statistics are available on the Department of Finance's website:
www.finance.gov.au/procurement/statistics-on-commonwealth-purchasing-contracts.

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

The NBA has in place procurement practices which support SMEs. This includes but is not limited to electronic systems or other processes used to facilitate on-time payment performance, including the use of payment cards.

Table 4.6 shows total expenditure on all consultancy services from 2015-16 to 2019-20 covering both new contracts let in the applicable year and ongoing contracts let in previous years.