The Australian Government purchases a wide range of goods and services for delivery right across Australia, including regional and remote areas. This offers businesses of all sizes and industries the potential to participate and grow their business.
There are some specific rules that relevant Australian Government organisations must follow when purchasing goods and services. The Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) outline expectations and procedures for Australian Government buyers to ensure procurement processes are open, fair, transparent and ethical, and achieve value for money.
Under the CPRs, Australian Government buyers:
- Must not discriminate against a potential supplier due to their size, degree of foreign affiliation or ownership, location, or the origin of their goods and services
- Must apply procurement practices that do not unfairly discriminate against small and medium enterprises.
- Must consider relevant financial and non-financial costs and benefits (such as environmental sustainability and economic benefit to the Australian economy) when assessing value for money.
The Australian Government also has explicit commitments to source certain amounts of contracts from small and medium enterprises, and Indigenous businesses.
Whether you are a new business operator or a well established company, if you provide the quality goods and services the Australian Government buys, and can provide a competitive response to an approach to market, there may be an opportunity for you.
“These provisions provide a great opportunity for small businesses to be involved in commonwealth procurement,” said Warren Jansen, CEO ICN National office.
Selling to Government – find out more
The Future Made in Australia Office, within the Department of Finance, has recently updated the Selling to Government website with better information for businesses and suppliers on how to participate in Australian Government procurement and contracting opportunities, including:
- Where to find opportunities to sell to the Australian Government
- What rules and processes Australian Government organisations follow when procuring goods and services
- How to respond to an approach to market
- What to expect if you are awarded a contract.
The Future Made in Australia Office is continuously updating the website to improve information for suppliers.
If you are interested in supplying to the Australian Government, visit sellingtogov.finance.gov.au to find out more.
