Commonwealth Ombudsman Annual Report 2008-09 | Appendixes | Consultancy services, advertising and market research
Appendix 5 | Consultancy services, advertising and market research
Consultancy services
The 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 open tender, panel arrangements, select tender or direct sourcing.
Table A3 provides details of consultancy services let by the office during 2008–09 with a contract value (GST inclusive) of $10,000 or more.
TABLE A3Consultancy services, 2008–09
Consultant name | Description | Contract price | Selection process (1) | Justification (2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tony Blunn | Services relating to a complaint made to the Ombudsman | $30,000 | Direct sourcing | C |
Objective Corporation Ltd | IT consultancy services | $347,497 | Open tender | B |
Orima Research Pty Ltd | Staff survey 2009 | $27,574 | Direct sourcing | B |
Total | $405,071 | |||
Definitions
(1) Explanation of selection process terms drawn from the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (December 2008):
Open tender—a 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 generally sought from the Australian Government AusTender internet site.
Select tender—a procurement procedure in which the procuring agency selects which potential suppliers are invited to submit tenders. This procurement process may only be used under certain defined circumstances.
Direct sourcing—a 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—an arrangement under which a number of suppliers, initially selected through an open tender process, may each supply property or services to an agency as specified in the panel arrangements. Quotes are sought from suppliers that have pre–qualified on the agency panels to supply to the government. This category includes standing offers and supplier panels where the supply of goods and services may be provided for a pre–determined length of time, usually at a pre–arranged 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 2008–09. The office's advertising strategies were designed and conceived in–house. Payment of $44,578 including GST was made to hma Blaze and Adcorp. The vast bulk of this expenditure was on recruitment notices. Payment of $13,266 including GST was made to Avant Card to publish and distribute a range of 'postcards' to target audiences, promoting the office's services.
Orima Research conducted a staff satisfaction survey for the office in 2008–09. The purpose of the survey was to provide employees with an opportunity to constructively share their views about workplace issues and overall performance of the office. The cost of the market research was $27,574 including GST.