Government procurement
Business objectives
GSG contributes to DTF’s sound financial management of the State’s fiscal resources through better value for money outcomes in whole of Victorian Government (WoVG) and departmental procurement. GSG contributes by:
- providing secretariat services to the Victorian Government Procurement Board (VGPB);
- establishing and managing state purchase contracts (SPC);
- providing web-based systems for government and businesses;
- developing the procurement capability of the Victorian Public Service and managing training for Victorian Government employees and suppliers; and
- delivering Winning Government Business seminars for suppliers to maximise the opportunities for local businesses to contract with the Victorian government.
Initiatives and strategy
GSG procurement initiatives include:
- review of the SPC policy and supporting Category Management good practice guidelines to reduce process duplication and strengthen business case planning and analysis;
- reducing the cost to small and medium size enterprises by raising the public tender threshold and extending the range of purchases subject to quotation;
- introducing the ability to consider liability caps for specific insurable events to lower the cost to business;
- identifying the barriers for outer budget agencies to access WoVG contracts;
- developing electronic tools for the management and evaluation of tenders to deliver cost savings to government and suppliers;
- working with the Department of Sustainability and Environment to develop and pilot an environmental based life cycle costing methodology for major spend categories;
- assisting the VGPB to strengthen its strategic capability in assessing high value referrals from departments; and
- establishing SPC where there is aggregate demand across departments for a particular good or service (e.g. utilities, office consumables, staffing, ICT services, travel services).
Policies, standards and guidelines
- GSG procurement supports the VGPB in the development and review of procurement policies. VGPB policies establish the minimum mandatory standards to be applied by departments and administrative offices for the purchase of goods and services.
- Agencies not bound by VGPB policies are to benchmark their practices against VGPB policies.
- VGPB policies are supported by a comprehensive range of best practice standards, templates, tools and guidelines.
- All policies, templates and standard form contracts are accessible from the VGPB website, www.vgpb.vic.gov.au
Services
GSG:
- analyses and provides advice in processing high value/complex referrals to the VGPB for approval;
- manages WoVG SPC established by DTF and drives continuous improvement through effective category management;
- maintains the Victorian Government Tenders website and the Contracts Publishing System;
- manages the Procurement and Contracting Centre for Education and Research (PACCER); and
- manages procurement enquiries to the VGPB.
Victorian Government Tenders system
The Victorian Government Tenders System is the single entry point to access tenders over $100 000 in value. Tenders can be viewed by agency, category and status including advance, current and closed. The website also provides information to suppliers such as purchasing contacts, links to useful sites and frequently asked questions.
Visit the Victorian Government Tenders website at
www.tenders.vic.gov.au 
Contracts publishing system
The Contracts publishing system contains information about contracts entered into by Victorian Government departments and some agencies. Departments are required to disclose summary information about contracts over $100 000 in value. However, both departments and agencies are required to disclose the text of contracts over $10 million in value. The website also allows viewing of contracts by agency, category and expiry date. In addition, a search facility is available to search contracts between date ranges.
Visit the Victorian Government Contracts website at
www.contracts.vic.gov.au 
Procurement training
PACCER, the Procurement and Contracting Centre for Education and Research, provides training which is practical, accessible, and responsive. PACCER courses are designed to maximise immediate skills transfer to the workplace and apply Adult Learning Principles.
For more information about PACCER courses, visit the website at
www.paccer.vic.gov.au 
Banking and payment services
GSG is responsible for managing the State's transactional banking and payment services contracts.
These contracts deliver substantial savings to the State and participating agencies, and provide access to a number of high-quality banking products. Over 1 600 government schools, 17 TAFEs and 70 rural hospitals make use of high yield investment accounts negotiated as part of these contracts.
For more information on these services see the WoVG
contracts website 
Contacts
See
www.vgpb.vic.gov.au 
for more information.
