The People Panel is a Whole of Australian Government (WoAG) mandatory coordinated procurement established to provide Recruitment and Search Services, Labour Hire Services and Professional Contractor Services (the People Panel).
Use of the People Panel is:
- mandatory for non-corporate Commonwealth entities (NCEs) under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act)
- optional for corporate Commonwealth entities (CCEs) and Commonwealth companies (CCs), including Government Business Enterprises (GBEs), authorised by Finance.
The People Panel was established by Finance through an open tender conducted in accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules. Submissions were assessed through a value for money evaluation, considering capacity, capability, experience, pricing and compliance with the request for tender criteria.
Benefits and administration of the panel
The People Panel creates consistent terms and standardised rates. It reduces tendering work for industry, cuts red tape, lowers administrative effort and delivers cost savings and efficiencies across government. The panel also improves transparency by providing better data and reporting on entity spending in these service areas.
Finance administers the People Panel for the benefit of participating entities by:
- managing the head agreements between service providers and Finance, on behalf of the Commonwealth
- monitoring the panel and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency
- hosting and maintaining the People Panel webpages on the Finance website to provide guidance and tools for entities
- overseeing the Performance Management Framework and managing service provider performance issues
- providing reporting and strategic advice to support WoAG decision-making and planning
- reviewing and refreshing the panel as required
- monitoring the Flexibility Framework.
People Panel services
Recruitment and Search Services
Recruitment and Search Services covers recruitment of APS employees required by a Commonwealth entity for ongoing and non-going positions, and search activities relating to board positions.
Labour Hire Services
Labour Hires Services covers labour hire workers at APS1 to SES-equivalent for a set period, delivered through a triangular employment arrangement between the worker, an entity and a labour hire provider.
Professional Contractor Services
Professional Contractor Services covers the engagement of professional contractors to provide specialist skills, expertise and services to Commonwealth entities on a temporary basis.
Finding service providers
Service provider information is available through several sources, including:
- the People Panel website
- the Supplier Portal
- AusTender and DS4P.
The People Panel search tools allow users to identify:
- panel service providers
- the service subcategories they are approved to deliver
- business identifiers such as SME and Indigenous status.
Use the search tool relevant to the services you require.
A consolidated list of providers and their approved categories is available in the seller matrix for each service.
Accessing the panel
NCEs can manage Panel access for their staff through AusTender’s Dynamic Sourcing for Panels (DS4P).
Other entities such as CCEs, CCs and GBEs, may access the panel to achieve procurement efficiencies. To request access, contact the People Panel management team at peoplepanelcontract@finance.gov.au. The team will review the request and provide further information including a Deed of Participation. A separate Deed of Participation is required for each panel service. The deed sets out the conditions for using the panel which helps maintain the panel’s integrity and ensures consistent treatment for service providers.
Access is granted once Finance receives a suitably approved and signed Deed of Participation.
The coordinated procurement fee is an administration fee payable to Finance by entities using the People Panel. This fee covers the cost of administering the panel, reviewing its effectiveness and refreshing the panel as required.
Accessing panel rates
Service provider rates are available via secure Finance GovTeams communities. Access to the communities is generally limited to central procurement teams and where a clear business need for access is demonstrated.
Contact your central procurement team in the first instance to access rates.
To request access to the secure pricing channels for panel services, contact the People Panel contract management team via email at peoplepanelcontract@finance.gov.au.
AusTender reporting
All NCEs and prescribed CCEs must comply with the Resource Management Guide 423 Procurement Publishing and Reporting Obligations (RMG 423). This guide sets out publishing and reporting requirements under the Commonwealth Procurement Framework and other government policies.
Entities must report all contracts established under the People Panel on AusTender when the contract value meets or exceeds the relevant reporting threshold in the CPRs. Reporting must occur within 42 days of entering the contract.
Contract details on AusTender must accurately reflect the procurement method used to establish the standing offer and reference the relevant Standing Offer Notice ID.
Panel refresh
Finance administers the People Panel for the benefit of participating entities. This includes reviewing and refreshing each panel service when required.
Finance determines how and when the People Panel is refreshed during the relevant term. A refresh may include adding or removing service categories or service providers across one or more phases or categories.
Approaches from industry to join the People Panel are only considered through a formal refresh process.
For practical tips and guidance, visit the Become a registered user page in the AusTender Help and Information Centre.
Documentation and resources
Panel documentation, including word templates tailored for each service, is available through DS4P and the service webpages and includes:
- Request for Quotation template
- Order for Services template
- Variation to Order template
- Head Agreement
- service provider information.
Entities should contact their central procurement team to obtain the latest versions.
