In late 2018, the South Australian Productivity Commission (the Commission) was tasked to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of State Government policies and practices for the procurement of goods and services.  The Commission was also asked to identify options to improve procurement practices and their impacts on local industry.

Initially, the scope was confined to agencies and matters that fell within the scope of the State Procurement Act 2004 , and specifically excluded capital projects and prescribed authorities (e.g. SA Water and the South Australian Housing Trust). On 15 February 2019, the Government expanded the scope of the inquiry to include capital spending and prescribed agencies.

Accordingly, the inquiry has been divided into two stages.  Stage 1 will address the inquiry’s original scope and the final report will be delivered on 17 May 2019 in accordance with the initial terms of reference.   Stage 2, which addresses the expanded scope, will be completed by 31 October 2019.

The draft report on Stage 1 was released on 25 March 2019 and is intended to engage further with stakeholders and interested parties on the Commission’s work, including its analyses, conclusions, information requests and some draft recommendations to date in areas that are largely unaffected by the additional scope in Stage 2.

Next Steps

In light of the submissions received and to address any additional matters, the Commission may hold further consultations as necessary.

At the conclusion of consultation on the draft report, the Commission will prepare a final report to be presented to the Government of South Australia by 17 May 2019.

Make a submission

Submissions for the Draft Report Stage 1 are now closed.