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Join the 2024 Commonwealth Procurement and Contract Management Conference and Awards on 25 and 26 November in Canberra. The Conference will bring together procurement and contract management officials from across the Australian Public Service (APS), industry experts, and business leaders to share insights and discuss best practice in procurement and contract management. For more information and to purchase your tickets, please visit 2024 Commonwealth Procurement and Contract Management Conference page.

This page outlines important information, links, and resources you will need when selling to the Australian Government, and where to find further information about Australian Government procurement. It also includes links to information on selling to Australian state and territory governments, and selling to governments internationally.

Selling to the Australian Government

AusTender

AusTender advertises openly available business opportunities with the Australian Government.

It is a useful source of information about which Australian Government organisations are currently buying, what they are buying, who to contact, as well as which businesses have won contracts and their value.

Search facilities on AusTender help you identify individual tenders or contracts that may be of interest. For example, you can search for relevant business opportunities based on a variety of indicators including the agency name, category of goods or services, or keywords.

For further guidance, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions – Using AusTender section of this website, and the AusTender Help and Information Centre, where you can find out more on:

Visit the AusTender website.

BuyICT.gov.au

The Digital Transformation Agency’s BuyICT.gov.au platform is the main channel used by the Australian Government to procure Information and Communications Technology (ICT) products and services.

BuyICT offers a range of marketplace panels for different product or service categories, which buyers can use to approach the market.

The Digital Transformation Agency opens these marketplace panels regularly for new sellers to apply to join. These refreshes are released through AusTender. You can register here to receive notification to make sure that you do not miss out.

Once approved for a marketplace panel, you will be added to the Seller Catalogue on BuyICT.gov.au, so that buyers can find and include you on opportunities.

Visit BuyICT.gov.au to find out more.

Commonwealth Procurement Rules

The Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) are the basic rule set for Commonwealth procurements and govern the way Australian Government organisations undertake their own procurement processes.

The CPRs outline the mandatory and considered approaches procurement officials follow when buying for the Australian Government. Businesses can also garner an understanding from the CPRs of what is expected from suppliers when selling to the Australian Government. The Selling to Government website should give you a basic understanding of requirements in the CPRs, but if you want further information, you can also review the CPRs.

Visit the Commonwealth Procurement Rules page on the Department of Finance website. 

Procurement complaints

If you have concerns with an Australian Government procurement process, you can approach the responsible procuring contact officer in the first instance to discuss your concerns.

If you are not satisfied with the response, you can make a complaint through the relevant Australian Government organisation’s official complaint mechanism, which typically involves the submission of a form.

You can also raise a complaint via The Australian Government Procurement Coordinatoror The Commonwealth Ombudsman.

For more information on the procurement complaints process, please visit the Department of Finance’s Procurement Complaints page.

Office of Defence Industry Support

The Office of Defence Industry Support (ODIS) provides a seamless experience for businesses wanting to engage with Defence. It is the trusted link for Australian small and medium enterprises looking to enter or expand their footprint in the Defence industry.

The ODIS website provides information for businesses on the capability and security requirements of working with Defence. You can also access the online Defence Business Readiness Tool via their website, which offers suppliers an assessment of their Defence industry preparedness.

Visit the Office of Defence Industry Support website.

Sustainable procurement

The Australian Government has a commitment to sustainable procurement practices. Sustainable procurement aims to reduce adverse social, environmental, and economic impacts of purchased goods and services throughout their life.

Australian Government buyers need to consider environmental sustainability when assessing value for money. This can include, for example:

  • energy efficiency
  • water efficiency
  • waste reduction
  • emissions reduction
  • choice of materials (e.g., renewable, recyclable, recycled or low embodied emissions)
  • durability
  • repairability
  • limits use of hazardous materials
  • what happens to products at the end of life.

Environmental sustainability can be demonstrated in both the products and / or services you supply, and in the operation of your business.

From 1 July 2024, certain procurements are subject to the Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy. This policy ensures that suppliers are addressing environmental sustainability – in specific product categories – as part of selling to government.

For further information, refer to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s website for the Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy. 

The Government Online Directory

Each Australian Government organisation is responsible for their own procurement processes. The Government Online Directory is a useful tool to help you understand the structure, roles and functions of the agencies that comprise the Australian Government.

The Directory provides functional descriptions of all agencies, including contact details and information on key senior staff.

Visit the Government Online Directory website.

Whole of Australian Government Arrangements

Whole of Australian Government Arrangements are set up for Australian Government organisations to use when procuring certain goods or services, and generally result in overarching contracts or standing offer (panel) arrangements.

These arrangements are intended to ensure more efficient processes to deliver better prices, service, and quality for the Australian Government. Coordinated procurement arrangements also offer increased transparency, standard terms and conditions and improved contract management that benefits both the Australian Government and suppliers. Where established, coordinated procurement arrangements are mandatory for non-corporate Commonwealth entities to use. Whether or not other entities can opt into these arrangements is dependent on each specific arrangement.

Typically, Whole of Australian Government arrangements are established via an open tender advertised on AusTender as an approach to market with specific time periods outlined for closure and contract duration. To apply to an existing arrangement, suppliers can contact the manager of the arrangement to ask about possible refresh opportunities. The relevant contact details are displayed on the Standing Offer Notice on AusTender.

For a complete list of current arrangements, visit the Department of Finance’s Whole of Australian Government Procurement page.

Selling to States and Territories

Each state and territory government has its own arrangements for managing tenders and government contracts. Below you will find key links to supplier guidance on how to sell to respective jurisdictions and the procurement platforms used to advertise business opportunities from each state and territory government.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

New South Wales (NSW)

  • buy.nsw – Guidance, procurement policies, contracts and schemes, training and resources and NSW Government procurement news
  • eTendering platform – to see tender opportunities in NSW

Northern Territory (NT)

Queensland

  • Business Queensland – Guidance on supplying to the Queensland Government
  • QTenders – procurement platform for goods and services
  • eTender – procurement platform for building and construction

South Australia (SA)

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia (WA)

  • Supplying to government – Guidance on the WA Government’s procurement policies and processes, responding to approaches to market, and procurement related training.
  • TendersWA – Hosts the WA Government’s publicly advertised requests valued at $50,000 and above
  • What are agencies buying? – Provides information on historic and projected spend by WA government agencies. Additional information about procurement activities and procurement contacts may also be published on individual agency websites
  • Procurement Rules and other Government policies – Provides information about Procurement Directions (including the WA Procurement Rules) issued under the Procurement Act 2020, and other policies that apply in Western Australia.

Selling to Governments Internationally

Austrade

The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) provides practical advice and support, including financial support, to Australian businesses looking to develop international markets, and can assist in accessing business opportunities in international government procurement markets.

For more information, go to the Austrade website.

New Zealand

You may also wish to explore opportunities with the New Zealand Government.

The Australia and New Zealand Government Procurement Agreement ensures that Australian and New Zealand suppliers can compete on an equal and transparent basis for government contracts from the Australian Government, Australian state and territory governments, and the New Zealand Government.

Suppliers interested in selling to the New Zealand Government can find a variety of guidance and support on the New Zealand Government’s Procurement website.

The New Zealand Government’s online tender platform is the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS).

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The Department of Finance acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, water and community.