The Procurement Coordinator assists the business community in matters relating to procurement activities conducted by the Australian Government.
The roles and responsibilities of the Procurement Coordinator are:
- providing external parties with an understanding of the Commonwealth Procurement framework including the Commonwealth Procurement Rules,
- handling of certain complaints,
- monitoring issues related to Australian Government procurement, and
- reporting to the Minister for Finance on procurement matters where necessary.
If your complaint relates to a procurement conducted by the Department of Finance, in the first instance please refer to the Procurement complaints page. However, if you have followed that process and wish to lodge a complaint with the Procurement Coordinator, see below.
Complaints
Complaints, in the first instance, should be referred to the entity managing the procurement process.
If your issue is not resolved, and you consider it relates to the specifications of a particular tender that were such that you were prevented from preparing a competitive tender response you can refer a complaint to the Procurement Coordinator.
What is required when lodging a complaint with the Procurement Coordinator?
When making a complaint you need to provide the following details via the Online Complaint Form
- your name, business name, address and telephone contact details,
- details of the tender your complaint relates to,
- a factual and concise outline of your complaint,
- copies of any documents relating to your complaint, and
- a copy of the entity response to your complaint.
How will your complaint be handled?
The complaint handling process is as follows:
- upon lodging a complaint through the Online Complaints Form you will receive an immediate confirmation of receipt,
- within three (3) working days you will receive acknowledgement from the Procurement Advice and Complaints Handling Unit which will include a Reference Number and information on the proposed review action,
- If receipt of your complaint has not been acknowledged after three business days, please email ProcurementCoordinator@finance.gov.au
- should an extended period of time be required to address issues raised, you will be advised in writing about this requirement,
- final decisions will be provided to you in writing. This will incorporate details of:
- assessments undertaken, and
- conclusions reached, and
- the case will then be closed.
If you are not satisfied with the Procurement Coordinator's final decision, there may be other courses of action available for you to consider, such as approaching the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
What can the Procurement Coordinator do for you?
Complaints about current tenders will only be considered where the Procurement Coordinator determines:
- the issue raised is sufficiently material and relevant to warrant the matter being referred to the relevant entity, and
- there is sufficient time to adequately deal with the complaint before the tender closes.
For completed tenders, where relevant issues are identified, lessons learned may be used to improve Commonwealth procurement policies and processes. This includes assisting the development of policy guidance, and/or the training and professional development of procurement officers.
You should note that the Procurement Coordinator has no authority to compel an entity to reconsider the conduct or outcome of tender processes for which that entity is accountable.
The Procurement Coordinator's role is not related in any way to that of the Commonwealth Ombudsman. Complainants should always consider the most appropriate forum for any complaint.
Any feedback?
Your feedback is very important to us. If you would like to make a suggestion about our complaint handling process, please contact us at ProcurementCoordinator@finance.gov.au.
