APPENDIX 5 | Consultancy services

The Ombudsman's office engages consultants when the expertise required is not available within the organisation or when the specialist skills required are not available without diverting resources from other higher priority tasks. In accordance with procurement guidelines, consultants are selected by advertisement, panel arrangements or selective tendering.

Table A4 provides details of consultancy services let by the office during 2005–06 with a contract value (GST inclusive) of $10,000 or more.

(1) Explanation of selection process drawn from the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (January 2005):

Open tender—procurement procedure in which a request for tender is published inviting all businesses that satisfy the conditions for participation to submit tenders. Public tenders are sought from the marketplace using national and major metropolitan newspaper advertising and the Australian Government AusTender internet site.

Select tender—procurement procedure in which the procuring agency selects which potential suppliers are invited to submit tenders. Tenders are invited from a short list of competent suppliers.

Direct sourcing—form of restricted tendering, available only under certain defined circumstances, with a single potential supplier or suppliers being invited to bid because of their unique expertise and/or their special ability to supply the goods and/or services sought.

Panel—arrangement under which a number of suppliers, usually selected through a single procurement process, may each supply property or services to an agency as specified in the panel arrangements. Tenders are sought from suppliers that have prequalified on the agency panels to supply to the government. This category includes standing offers and supplier panels where the consultant offers to supply goods and services for a predetermined length of time, usually at a prearranged price.

(2) Justification for decision to use consultancy

A—skills currently unavailable within agency

B—need for specialised or professional skills

C—need for independent research or assessment

Advertising and market research

Advertising is used to publicise the office's services. No advertising contracts were let in 2005–06. The office's advertising strategies were designed and conceived in-house. Recruitment and tender notices were placed in newspapers at a cost of $36,098; and advertisements to publicise the office's services were placed in newspapers and journals at a cost of $3,215. All notices and advertisements were placed through hma Blaze.

Market research was conducted by ACNielsen to measure the level of community awareness and knowledge of the Ombudsman's roles and function in regional and rural Australia. This contract is reported in Table A4—Consultancy services, 2005–06.

Table A4 Consultancy services, 2005–06

1 Mr Comrie's contract was transferred from Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs on 20 July 2005. Costs reported are only those that were incurred by the Commonwealth Ombudsman from the date of transfer.

2 Contract price exceeded by $2,437 due to additional travel and request for additional documentation.