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A new group of industry leaders and business advocates will help the Queensland government revamp its approach to procurement.
The state’s Procurement Industry Advisory Group (PIAG) met for the first time this past Tuesday 27 September, the same day a new report on strategic procurement from the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) was tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
Queensland’s Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni said PIAG would strengthen government procurement.
“We have assembled Queensland’s industry leadership to collaborate and establish Queensland as a sophisticated market player when it comes to procurement,” he said in a media statement.
“By bringing together business advocates and industry associations across a range of procurement categories we are setting the ground work for a system that sees taxpayer dollars deliver on more than just the bottom line.”
The QAO audit concluded that “the public sector is better positioned to undertake strategic procurement than it was four years ago.”
However, it also found that the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works’ Procurement Transformation Division had fallen short on delivering on significant financial benefits.
“The strong leadership needed and the capabilities required in data, systems, and of people, are not yet sufficient,” the audit said.
De Brenni welcomed the audit, saying “Matters raised in the report are largely consistent with those identified by the Interdepartmental Committee report published earlier this year, and this government is working to implement the recommendations of that report.”
In a blog post published on its website, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland welcomed the QAO report and the establishment of the advisory group.
“The Palaszczuk Government has responded quickly by establishing a Procurement Industry Advisory Group with a focus on targeting procurement spending on achieving overall value for the community, making it easier for the Queensland business community to do business with government,” the post said.
“CCIQ urges the government to consider alternative ways to increase the share of government services provided by the private sector.”
The introduction of PIAG is part of a series of reforms to the Queensland government’s procurement policy.
