Victorian Government Procurement Reforms

On November 25, VicWater hosted a forum on the Victorian Government Procurement Reforms. VicWater contacted DTF to request this forum following the correspondence from the Chair of the Victorian Government Purchasing Board to all water corporation MDs in October. As part of the reforms, all water corporations will be required to adopt 24 mandatory State Purchasing Contracts (SPCs), covering matters such as banking, fuel and stationary.

The forum was attended by over 60 people and included a 30 minute presentation, followed by an hour of questions and detailed discussion. A number of important strategic challenges were identified during the forum and will be subject to further work by VicWater, including on:

  • governance and reporting
  • supporting local businesses that are not part of an SPC
  • ensuring future SPCs reflect water industry needs.

VicWater will circulate a detailed summary of the question, actions and the DTF presentation to all attendees.