Annual Report 2003–04
Consultants and competitive tendering and contracting
Competitive tendering and contracting
Consultants
The policies and procedures for selecting and contracting consultancies, and approving expenditure in relation to consultancies, are set out in the Clerk’s Instructions, which have taken account of the Commonwealth procurement guidelines, the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and regulations, and Senate standing order 25(18), relating to approval of consultants for committees.
During the year, nine consultants were engaged to carry out specialist projects or to provide independent professional and technical advice. A total of $259,768 (inclusive of goods and services tax) was paid in relation to consultancy services. Table 10 provides details of consultancy contracts to the value of $10,000 or more.
| Consultant | Service provided | Contract price (including GST) ($) |
|---|---|---|
| La Trobe University | Research project to assist the Select Committee on Medicare | 24,420 |
| Professor J Davis | Legal advice to the Scrutiny of Bills Committee | 32,219 |
| Professor S Bottomley | Legal advice to the Regulations and Ordinances Committee | 73,849 |
| Dr Phillippa Dee | The examination of a draft free trade agreement for the Select Committee on the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States of America | 22,000 |
| KPMG | Internal audit services | 67,013 |
| Mr Brian Shaw, QC | Legal advice to the Senate relating to the qualification of a senator | 10,065 |
| Mallesons Stephen Jaques | Legal advice to the Committee of Privileges | 10,723 |
| Walter Turnbull | Probity advice in relation to the financial management information system project | 17,895 |
Total expenditure by the department on consultancies in 2003–04 decreased by $277,777 from the total for 2002–03. Costs for 2002–03 were relatively high because of the number of internal reviews undertaken in the corporate areas of the department; those reviews are now complete. This year’s figure represents what is considered a return to normal levels of consultancy services.
Competitive tendering and contracting
During 2003–04, the department entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Parliamentary Services for the provision of security services. A competitive tendering process was not undertaken as part of the process, because the provision of the services remains within the Commonwealth as a matter of policy. This memorandum of understanding ceased on 30 June 2004 with the transfer of security funding to the Department of Parliamentary Services. Further details are provided in the report on Outcome 1.
Select tenders were issued by the Financial Management Section during 2003–04 for the following services:
- implementation of a new financial management information system
- provision of internal audit services.
The financial management information system tender was won by Technology One with its Finance One product. The system was implemented within budget and on time at the beginning of January 2004.
KPMG was the successful tenderer for the provision of internal audit services. A contract for two years was signed at the beginning of the 2003–04 financial year, with an option for a further two years.
