What is the Commonwealth Contracting Suite (CCS)?
The CCS is an interactive suite of smart forms designed to assist Commonwealth Government procurement officials prepare procurement documentation.
The CCS reflects Government policy to streamline business between the public and private sector. Standard terms and consistency of procurement documentation make it easier for Suppliers to do business with the Commonwealth.
How do I gain access to the CCS?
Commonwealth Government procurement officials can gain access the CCS by following the links on ccs.finance.gov.au.
Suppliers (including potential suppliers) do not need access the CCS to respond to an approach to market (request for tender). All documentation required to prepare a response will be included in the approach to market.
Does the CCS meet the Unfair Contract Terms Legislation?
Although the Commonwealth Government does not have to comply with the Unfair Contract Terms Legislation, the CCS was developed in close consultation with the Office of the Australian Small Business Commissioner and with a wide range of Industry peak bodies. It was designed to be consistent with the Treasury Legislation Amendment (Small Business and Unfair Contract Terms) Act 2015 (Cth) and to be equitable to both parties.
What is the benefit for suppliers?
Suppliers tell us that receiving ATM documents in the same format regardless of the agency involved and being able to respond using a consistent Response document saves them considerable time and effort.
Suppliers also tell us that having the Terms written in plain and simple language makes it easy for them to understand their legal rights and responsibilities. Static terms reduces Supplier's overall legal costs as they don't need to seek legal advice for every procurement.
Are the terms negotiable?
The Commonwealth ATM Terms and the Commonwealth Contract Terms are non-negotiable. By submitting a response, potential suppliers agree to form a contract under the Commonwealth Contract Terms if successful.
Why doesn't the CCS have insurance as a standard?
The CCS requires Suppliers to maintain adequate insurances for the Contract and to provide the Customer with proof when reasonably requested
Suppliers should determine the level of insurance which adequately covers their risk exposure.
If a Customer (Commonwealth) identifies a specific risk, which they have identified can only be mitigated by insurance, this should be advised in the Approach to Market.
Who must use the CCS?
The CCS is mandatory for use by non-corporate Commonwealth entities (NCE) for procurement under $200,000 except for specific circumstances as detailed in Resource Management Guide 420.
Corporate Commonwealth entities (CCE) are encouraged to use the CCS as appropriate.
How is my personal information handled?
The Department of Finance (Finance) may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information to carry out our functions or activities in compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. We may use personal information provided when registering and using the CCS for the administration of the CCS, including to contact you if you experience technical issues and to verify that you are an authorised user. We also collect information about your user activity and the forms completed when accessing the CCS website for security and fraud purposes and to assist with troubleshooting. If you do not disclose the personal information required to register for CCS, you will be unable to access CCS resources. Finance may be required to share your personal information with external contracted service providers, other Australian Government agencies or as otherwise authorised or required by law. For further information about how your personal information will be handled, including how to make a complaint about the handling of your personal information, see our Privacy Statement and the Finance Privacy Policy.
What should I do if I registered as a new user but didn't receive an email?
Check for the email in your spam filter and/or junk mail then contact CCSdesk@finance.gov.au and request a password reset.
What should I do if I have registered and received an email, but now I can't login?
Try copying and pasting the password you received by email. You can also try resetting your password by following the link on the CCS login screen.
If you continue to have trouble contact CCSdesk@finance.gov.au.
I have forgotten my password, what can I do?
You can reset your password from the CCS login screen.
If you continue to have trouble contact CCSdesk@finance.gov.au.
Which web browsers does CCS support?
The CSS requires a modern browser and the following web browsers are supported by the CCS Team:
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
You may be able to access using other web browsers, but these have not been tested by the team and may result in CCS website not operating as intended.
Please note Internet Explorer is not a supported browser and has been reported to cause issues with the CCS website.
