Contracts and Tender Reporting
The collection of the first year of data for the Tender and Contract Register has been completed. During the 1999-00 financial year, inner-Budget agencies and GBEs awarded 308 contracts, with a combined value of $211.5 million. Over 80 per cent of these contracts were awarded to Tasmanian businesses. Agencies and GBEs are congratulated on the very encouraging results that have been achieved to date

Meet the Buyers
The Website now includes information about the very successful ‘Meet the Buyers’ forums held during October 2000. Visitors to the site can view photos, statistics from an evaluation, copies of seminar papers, and an electronic version of the popular booklet Tasmanian Government Purchasing - A Guide for Business. ‘Meet the Buyers’ proved to be an outstanding achievement, with a record-breaking attendance of nearly 900 business people over the two days. Local suppliers met with buyers from 20 agencies representing all levels of Government. At the Opening Ceremony, the Treasurer, the Hon Dr David Crean MLC, emphasised the importance of developing closer relationships between business and Government, in order to maximise opportunities for local business.

Step by Step Advice on How to Purchase
Ever wished you had at your fingertips a step-by-step guide on how to do Government purchasing? An award winning innovative on-line information and guidance system developed by the Victorian Department of Infrastructure – Contracting DOI - is to be evaluated by the Tasmanian Government. The Victorian system, developed out of the need for easy to use, practical advice alongside high-level policy and guidelines, gives ready access to an extensive range of resources, such as downloadable tender and contract proformas, sample reports and specifications. Fundamental to the Victorian system’s development was the priority that it meet user needs. The result is a five-module design reducing the complex environment into a simple and useable format. User consultation and testing will be critical in evaluating the system for use by staff in Tasmanian Government agencies.

Compliance with the Handbook for Government Procurement
On 16 November 2000, the Tasmanian Audit Office released a report on the degree to which agency procurement practices comply with the Handbook for Government Procurement. The Audit Report also identifies aspects of the Handbook for Government Procurement that may need to be modified to provide more practical and unambiguous guidance. A summary of the findings of the Audit Report (Special report No. 34 Procurement in Tasmanian Government Departments) will be included in the next issue of @treasury.tas. To view the report go to www.audit.tas.gov.au/reports/index.html



To access other news items about Government Procurement click here