Senate Order on Government Agency Contracts

Updated: 25 August 2011

On 20 June 2001, the Senate agreed to an Order requiring each Minister in the Senate to table a letter advising that a list of contracts, in respect of each Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 agency administered by that Minister, has been placed on the Internet, with access to the list through the department's home page. The letter is required to be tabled not later than 2 calendar months after the last day of the financial and calendar year. The Order was subsequently amended on 26 June 2003 and requires agencies to report the following details on their Internet listing:

Each contract entered into by the agency which has not been fully performed or which has been entered into during the previous 12 months, and which provides for a consideration to the value of $100 000 or more;
The contractor, the amount of the consideration, the subject matter of each such contract, the commencement date of the contract, the duration of the contract, the relevant reporting period and the twelve-month period relating to the contract listings;
Whether each such contract contains provisions requiring the parties to maintain confidentiality of any of its provisions, or whether there are any other requirements of confidentiality, and a statement of the reasons for the confidentiality; and
An estimate of the cost of complying with this order and a statement of the method used to make the estimate.