Government slashes red tape to support local businesses and State’s economic recovery

The new Act, which will replace the State Supply Commission Act 1991, will:

• Streamline tender processes and documents across Government to make it easier for business to work with Government;
• Simplify procurement processes for Government to support the objectives of the Western Australian Jobs Act 2017 and the McGowan Government’s Plan for Jobs;
• Improve flexibility to apply economic and social policy objectives across all areas of procurement;
• Encourage innovative opportunities with industry and other areas outside of Government through new and more flexible procurement opportunities, and;
• Improve the integrity of public sector procurement with greater audit and investigation powers.

The new Act was developed following the Service Priority Review and the Special Inquiry into Government Programs and Projects, which both identified the current procurement framework as complex, fragmented and inefficient, causing frustration to small and local businesses.

Hundreds of stakeholders were consulted in the development of the new procurement framework. For more information on the Procurement Bill 2020, visit: https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-finance/procurement-reform