The Commonwealth Procurement and Contract Management Awards for Excellence (the Awards) help promote the important role procurement and contract management plays in delivering services and outcomes for government, the business community and the Australian public.
The 2023 Awards ceremony was held on Thursday 9 November at the National Library of Australia. The Awards were attended by the Hon Patrick Gorman MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service and hosted by Department of Finance Secretary Jenny Wilkinson PSM.
This year, multiple Award categories were refreshed to reflect the current procurement landscape and increased focus on contract management by the Australian Public Service.
Building Entity Capability
The award recipients in this category demonstrated leadership and excellence in building procurement and/or contract management capability within their entities to ensure value for money is delivered throughout the procurement lifecycle.
‘Building capability in the APS is not a set and forget task.
It requires continuous work and commitment from entities.’
- The Hon Patrick Gorman MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service. To read the Assistant Minister’s speech in full, visit the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s website.
Gold award - Bureau of Meteorology
The Bureau of Meteorology demonstrated the design, development and delivery of a new enterprise-wide procurement capability enhancement supported by its new procurement Service Model. The Service Model incorporates varying levels of engagement, from the provision of self-service guidance material to a full end-to-end assisted service where the Procurement and Contracts team becomes progressively more engaged towards a facilitated and expert-led approach to the Bureau's most complex procurements. The Bureau was able to demonstrate how the new Service Model changed perceptions and approaches to procurement across the organisation and delivered savings in procurements undertaken by the Bureau.
Photograph of the Building Entity Capability Gold award recipients - the Bureau of Meteorology with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service.
Highly Commended award - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade demonstrated a commitment to building and uplifting their procurement and contract management capability through initiatives under four pillars; policy and process improvement, collaboration and communication, evidence and data, and learning and development. This resulted in an improved user experience when conducting procurements and greater engagement with procuring officials.
Photograph of the Building Entity Capability Highly Commended award recipients - the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service.
Encouraging Environmental Sustainability through Procurement
The award recipients in this category demonstrated leadership in using recycled content and embedding environmental sustainability into procurement design, delivery and management of the ongoing arrangement.
Gold award - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority demonstrated an enterprise-wide cultural shift in procurement practices, with a strong commitment to fostering environmentally sustainable solutions. This included robust market research to find value for money sustainable solutions and proactive engagement with suppliers and industry, showcasing how Commonwealth procurements can impact the market.
Photograph of the Encouraging Environmental Sustainability through Procurement Gold award recipients - the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service.
Highly Commended award - Digital Transformation Agency
The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) demonstrated how the new Data Centre Facilities Panel (Panel) leverages the Commonwealth’s purchasing power to influence more sustainable practices across the data centre market, in support of the Government’s APS Net Zero agenda.
The DTA worked closely with suppliers in the lead up to the establishment of the new Panel to set new energy efficiency requirements for data centres used by government and implemented strong reporting requirements to ensure these requirements were being met.
Photograph of the Encouraging Environmental Sustainability through Procurement Highly Commended award recipients - the DTA with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service.
Highly Commended award - Services Australia
Services Australia demonstrated how sustainable considerations were utilised in a strategic procurement undertaken to manage the disposal of high volumes of uniform waste, as part of the introduction of its new Corporate Wardrobe range.
Services Australia worked with emerging market entrants to divert waste from landfill and maximise the reuse of material. The service provider engaged by Services Australia offered an innovative approach to break down the various materials recovered from the old uniforms and used blockchain technology to track the process.
Photograph of the Encouraging Environmental Sustainability through Procurement Highly Commended award recipients - Services Australia with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service.
Generating Broader Benefits to the Australian Economy through Procurement
The award recipients in this category demonstrated strategies or approaches to a procurement valued over $4 million (or $7.5 million for construction services) which generated outcomes and value to the Australian economy above and beyond the value of the goods and services being procured.
Gold award - Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial (AWM) demonstrated a well planned and tested approach to generate broader benefits through its Development Project (Project) to ‘modernise and expand its gallery spaces to tell Australia’s continuing story of service and sacrifice'. Key to the Project was the initiative to engage veterans and their families on the design and development of the spaces and implementing the ‘Veterans’ Employment and Opportunity Plan’ to deliver job opportunities and training to veterans, their families and businesses. As part of the design process the AWM identified the significant benefit engaging veterans on the project offered to the Australian economy and tested the Plan on smaller aspects of the Project.
Photograph of the Generating Broader Benefits to the Australian Economy through Procurement Gold award recipients - the AWM with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service.
Highly Commended award - Department of Finance
The Department of Finance demonstrated the flexibility contained in the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and ability to use the rules to generate broader benefits through John Gorton Campus Carpark project, part of the broader National Security Office Precinct Project.
Acknowledging the high-profile nature of this project, the importance of the location, and the value of involving Indigenous suppliers at this ‘heart of democracy’ site, the nomination strategically leveraged the opportunity, and was notable with respect to market research, engagement and risk management. The Department of Finance’s approach has helped build capability in local businesses and the Indigenous workforce.
Photograph of the Generating Broader Benefits to the Australian Economy through Procurement Highly Commended award recipients - the Department of Finance with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service.
Photograph of the 2023 Commonwealth Procurement and Contract Management Awards for Excellence award recipients with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service and Finance Secretary.
Thank you to all the entities who took part in the 2023 Awards. Sharing your achievements and lessons learned with the wider APS offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate the diverse ways that Commonwealth entities procure and use public resources in efficient, effective, ethical and economic ways, driving effective engagement with the business community and ensuring value for money. We look forward to continuing to see the profile of procurement and contract management lift across the Commonwealth and to showcase future examples of commitment to excellence.
Previous Recipients
Find out more about previous Awards recipients by following the links below:
