FaCS' responsibilities for both policy matters and the delivery of government services often require the use of consultant expertise. Consultants are generally engaged when particular specialist expertise is necessary, sufficiently skilled expertise is not immediately available in-house, or independent advice on an issue is required.
The services provided by consultants include information gathering, research, data analysis, surveys of customers, different types of financial activities and the provision of technical expertise.
The engagement of consultants is carried out in the same manner as the department's other procurement activities—that is, consistent with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines and the department's Chief Executive Instructions. The priority is to obtain value for money. Competitive processes are, as far as possible, used for the selection of consultants, and the Chief Executive Instructions contain guidelines for the approval of expenditure.
The department did not have any contracts exempted from the gazettal requirement during 2003–04.
Table 90 below set out details of new consultancies let to the value of $10 000 or more during 2003–04.
Table 90 FaCS (including CSA and SSAT)—new consultancies to the value of $10 000 or more, 2003–04
| Name of consultant |
Consultancy service contracted |
Total value of contract $ |
How engaged |
Justification |
| 3 Dimensional Consulting Pty Ltd |
Consultancy service for development of and technical support of AMSWIN (SSAT case management system) |
50 000 |
Biv |
A, D |
| 3 Dimensional Consulting Pty Ltd |
Consultancy service for conversion of AMSWIN reports to CRYSTAL reports (SSAT case management system) |
80 000 |
Biv |
A, D |
| 3 Dimensional Consulting Pty Ltd |
Consultancy service for enhancements to AMSWIN (SSAT case management system) |
50 000 |
Biv |
A, D |
| Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd |
FaCS Online Funding Management System (FOFMS) implementation plan and scoping plan |
35 200 |
A |
A, D |
| Access Economics Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services in relation to research on state and territory expenditure on homelessness since 1994–95 |
87 945 |
Bii |
B, E |
| Acumen Alliance |
Probity audit of the Stronger Family and Community Strategy 2004 |
20 000 |
Bii |
C, D |
| Adelaide Central Mission |
A study on breaching Centrelink guidelines and homelessness |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| AIDS Council of NSW |
A study on homelessness and same-sex domestic violence in the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Alan Stewart Consulting Services WA |
Site visits and stakeholder interviews related to the review of the Buddies—Disability Employment Assistance Program |
34 782 |
Biii |
B |
| Allen Consulting Group |
Independent review of FaCS Compliance Framework |
290 790 |
Bi |
C, D |
| ARTD Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services to assist with stage 1 of the evaluation of the Disability Employment Assistance Program |
30 000 |
Biv |
E |
| ARTD Pty Ltd |
Development of an evaluation framework and plan for the reform package to improve employment assistance for people with disabilities |
16 500 |
Bv |
D |
| ARTD Pty Ltd |
Disability Employment Assistance Services Program quality strategy mid-term review |
120 000 |
A |
C |
| ARTD Pty Ltd |
Evaluation of the Green Corps Program—Young Australians for the Environment |
128 800 |
Bv |
A, C |
| Ascent Consulting Pty Ltd |
Telephony services review for CSA |
27 552 |
Biv |
C |
| AustralAsia Economics Pty Ltd |
Provision of contract services in relation to the development of an evaluation framework for Fixing Houses for Better Health projects |
13 500 |
C |
E |
| Australian Bureau of Statistics |
Consultancy services for the provision of a confidentialised unit record file from the 1999 child care survey |
26 000 |
C |
B |
| Australian Bureau of Statistics |
Consultancy services for the provision of a confidentialised unit record file from the 2002 child care survey |
50 000 |
C |
B |
| Australian Healthcare Associates Pty Ltd |
Consultations with Commonwealth-funded advocacy services, and information collection in relation to disability employment reforms |
16 650 |
A |
B, C |
| Australian Healthcare Associates Pty Ltd |
Consultations with Commonwealth-funded advocacy services, and information collection in relation to disability employment reforms |
57 255 |
A |
B, C |
| Australian Healthcare Associates Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services in relation to analysis of data and preparation of the Commonwealth–State and Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA) national public report 2002–03 |
76 423 |
A |
A, D |
| Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute |
A literature review to analyse and compare Australian and international approaches to homelessness |
34 721 |
Bii, Biv |
A, C, D |
| Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (Curtin University) |
Research into impact of SAAP on community capacity and self-reliance |
84 948 |
Bii, Biv |
A, C, D |
| Australian Institute of Criminology |
Research into ex-prisoners, SAAP and homelessness |
77 129 |
Bi |
A, C, D, E |
| Australian Institute of Family Studies |
Analysis of the impact of activity requirements for Parenting Payment customers on their children aged 13–15 years |
87 477 |
Bii |
B, C, D, E |
| Australian Institute of Family Studies |
Evaluation of methodologies for producing cost–benefit analyses of early childhood interventions |
71 610 |
Bv |
D |
| Australian National University |
Project researching fairness and deterrence effects in prosecution of social security fraud in Australia |
36 590 |
Bii |
E |
| Australian National University |
Research into intergenerational transmission of dependence on income support: patterns, causation and implications for Australian social policy |
1 160 060 |
Bi |
B, D |
| Australian National University |
Investigation of the perceived fairness of prosecution action taken against individuals prosecuted for social security or tax fraud |
87 272 |
Bii |
E |
| Australian National University |
Analysis and report on findings using the FaCS Longitudinal Data Set (LDS) |
20 000 |
Bii |
A, C, D |
| Australian National University—Centre for Mental Health Research) |
Evaluation of the effectiveness of mental health training provided to Personal Advisers and Jobs, Education and Training (JET) Advisers |
10 000 |
Bii |
A, D, E |
| Barkly Region Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Group Inc. |
Development of a town camp safety strategy |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Baycorp Advantage Marketing Solutions Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services in relation to landscape profiling of certain income support recipients |
16 500 |
Bv |
D |
| Beyond Consulting Pty Ltd |
Community consultation and social needs analysis; provision of recommendations to inform the development of an Indigenous pilot for the Personal Support Programme |
33 000 |
A, Bv |
D |
| Booz Allen & Hamilton (Australia) Ltd |
National Youth Affairs Research Scheme research project 'Rural and regional young people and transport' |
55 000 |
A |
C |
| Business Engines Pty Ltd |
Project management and delivery of process and governance review of information delivery in the FaCS portfolio |
115 000 |
A |
C |
| Business Engines Pty Ltd |
Project management and Refresh Business intelligence project (FaCS component of the Centrelink Refresh project) |
130 000 |
Bv |
D |
| Butlin & Lloyd Pty Ltd, trading as Amity Management Consulting Group |
Review of the crisis accommodation program |
54 120 |
A |
C, D |
| Canberra Fathers and Children Service Inc. |
A study on Canberra Fathers and Children Service' model and client group and transferability of the model |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Centre for International Economics |
Provision of consultancy services for preliminary cost–benefit research |
33 000 |
Bv |
D |
| Clarity Communications |
Prime Minister Employer of the Year Awards publicist |
20 000 |
Bi |
A |
| Clientwise Pty Limited |
Client satisfaction research for CSA programs |
33 768 |
A |
B, C |
| Colmar Brunton Social Research Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services to conduct action-research on four Indigenous Personal Support Programme pilot projects |
94 620 |
Bii |
D |
| Colmar Brunton Social Research Pty Ltd |
Client input consultancy for Family Relationships Services Program |
99 297 |
A |
C, D |
| Colmar Brunton Social Research Pty Ltd |
Action-research in relation to Personal Support Programme innovative pilots |
88 000 |
A |
B, C, D |
| Colmar Brunton Social Research Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services in relation to conducting the national SAAP satisfaction survey |
99 373 |
A |
B, C |
| Council for Homeless Persons |
A study on school-age children in SAAP transitional housing and support services |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Courage Partners Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services to develop an evaluation design for Family Tax Benefit and Child Care Benefit evaluation |
11 800 |
Bv |
A, D |
| CPT Global Ltd |
Development of a strategy for Tax Office computing structure disengagement |
44 700 |
Bii |
C |
| Dawn House Inc. |
Report on accompanied Indigenous children in Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) services |
11 000 |
A |
E |
| Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu |
Review of the Edge expert system |
174 479 |
Bii |
A, C, D |
| Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu |
Consultancy services relating to financial modelling for the Centrelink funding model |
15 000 |
Bi, Biv |
E |
| Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu |
Advice and assistance with the Centrelink funding model |
61 500 |
Bi, Biv |
E |
| Dimension Data Australia |
Feasibility study to determine security arrangements for external customer access |
48 000 |
Biv |
A |
| Edith Cowan University—School of Indigenous Australian Studies |
Laverton and Newman remote area service centre evaluation |
43 450 |
Bii |
D |
| Elizabeth Hoffman House |
A study on improving access and sustaining outcomes for young Koories in SAAP |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Empower Group Pty Ltd |
Human resource and workforce planning in relation to office-wide job and work analysis using work-level standards to determine accountabilities and improve work flows |
69 245 |
Bv |
D, E |
| Erebus Consulting Partners |
National evaluation of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP IV) |
312 000 |
Bii |
A, C, D, E |
| Erebus Consulting Partners |
Consultancy services in relation to the component module of the national evaluation of the SAAP (SAAP IV) titled 'Review of SAAP IV Accountability Framework' |
31 350 |
A, Bii |
C |
| Erebus Consulting Partners |
Consultancy services in relation to the component module of the national evaluation of the SAAP (SAAP IV) titled 'Review of SAAP IV National Research Program' |
25 300 |
A, Bii |
C |
| Ernst & Young |
Research on FaCS programs and provision of a report on FaCS' interaction with the community sector |
41 202 |
A |
C |
| Ernst & Young |
Provision of strategic property plan |
16 500 |
A |
A |
| Ernst & Young |
Risk assessment of SAP Human Resources system |
29 027 |
Biv |
C |
| Eureka Strategic Research Pty Ltd |
Undertake formative research on community awareness attitudes to identify better communication messages and approaches |
61 400 |
Biii |
A |
| Flinders University |
Research into identifying good practices and pitfalls in community-based projects |
80 000 |
C |
CD |
| Focus Pty Ltd |
Development of an Indigenous financial literacy research report |
58 300 |
A |
A, B |
| Griffith University |
National Youth Affairs Research Scheme research project 'Sustainable Consumption: Young Australians as Agents of Change' |
54 101 |
A |
C |
| Health Outcomes International Pty Ltd |
Evaluation of the 'Strengthening and Supporting Families Coping with Illicit Drug Use' program |
207 742 |
Bi |
B, C, D |
| Healthabitat Pty Ltd |
Housing for health in Indigenous communities, general advice and assistance in relation to 'Fixing Houses for Better Health 3' in 2003–04 and 2004–05 |
159 120 |
C |
E |
| ICON Recruitment Pty Ltd |
Project management and delivery of documentation and tools reviews to support information delivery across FaCS and Centrelink |
25 000 |
Bv |
D |
| Indigo Titan |
Development of a strategy for installation and configuration of human resource IT disengagement for CSA |
178 835 |
Bii |
C |
| Interaction Consulting Group Pty Ltd |
Analysis of family assistance ministerial correspondence, discussion with stakeholders, redrafting of standard ministerial paragraphs, and design and delivery of a staff seminar on preparation of ministerial responses |
27 000 |
Bv |
A, D |
| Interaction Consulting Group Pty Ltd |
Design of a capability development framework for FaCS |
28 215 |
Bv |
D |
| IT Newcom Pty Ltd |
Benchmarking services for CSA programs |
64 452 |
Biv |
B, C |
| Jenny Pearson & Associates Pty Ltd |
Case-based funding pricing review in relation to Open Employment Maintenance |
11 220 |
Bv |
B, C, D |
| Jenny Pearson & Associates Pty Ltd |
Research into the application of contemporary technology to the production of alternative format material |
56 074 |
Bii |
A, E |
| Urbis JHD Pty Ltd |
Family Relationships Services Program—independent review |
247 659 |
Bv |
C, D |
| John Christian Dahlsen |
Development of a constitution for the Non-Profit Council of Australia |
34 000 |
C |
D |
| John Robinson Consulting Services Pty Ltd |
Analysis of the provision of legal services in FaCS |
60 000 |
Bi, Bii, Biii |
A, C, D |
| KPMG |
Financial viability and corporate governance assessments of applicants' request for submission |
11 000 |
A |
D |
| KPMG |
Review of Active Job Services under the Disability Employment Assistance Program |
25 859 |
A |
D |
| KPMG |
Business reviews of supported employment services (business services) funded under the Disability Employment Assistant Program and recommendation of tailored assistance to improve their viability |
1 210 000 |
A |
A, C, D |
| KPMG |
Financial viability assessments of organisations seeking funding under the Job Placement, Employment and Training Program |
44 000 |
A |
D |
| KPMG |
Business reviews of supported employment services (business services) funded under the Disability Employment Assistant Program and recommendation of tailored assistance to improve their viability |
14 370 |
A |
A, B, C, D |
| KPMG |
Financial review under the Disability Employment Assistance Program |
13 375 |
A |
D, E |
| KPMG |
Review of case-based funding for business services—Phase 2 |
150 000 |
A |
A, B, C, D |
| KPMG |
Financial review under the Disability Employment Assistance Program |
21 505 |
A |
A |
| KPMG |
Green Corps Program compliance audit |
12 155 |
A |
C |
| The Learning Group Pty Ltd |
Building multimedia products |
33 165 |
Bii |
D |
| LennMac Consulting Pty Ltd |
Research into sustaining housing after homelessness |
50 000 |
Bii |
A, C, D |
| Managed Business Applications |
Business improvement process to review and enhance the internal structure of the CSA |
12 000 |
Bii |
D |
| Merri Outreach Services |
Study on what the m SAAP can do to help people to maintain long-term housing |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Minter Ellison Consulting |
Review of the effectiveness of the 'lead states' mechanisms in meeting FaCS' business needs |
40 000 |
Biv |
C, D, E |
| Minter Ellison Consulting |
Coordination of a suite of activities relating to the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, including the review of the program, managing the backlog of project proposals, stakeholder management and advice to the Minister |
47 520 |
Bv |
C, D |
| Mission Australia: Northern NSW Regional Office |
Study on tenant databases and their relationship to homelessness |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Morgan Disney & Associates Pty Ltd |
Feasibility study to review 'Transition from Care' program—costs and benefits of alternative pathways of young people leaving care |
21 945 |
Bii |
D |
| Morgan Disney & Associates Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services in relation to preparation, facilitation and write-up of strategic directions workshops and national forum relating to the Family Relationships Services Program |
52 950 |
Bi |
D, E |
| Murdoch Children's Research Institute |
Parenting information project—phase one |
637 211 |
Bv |
C, D |
| Naidu Consulting Services |
Advice and assistance in the selection process for a new FaCS program 'Supporting early childhood' |
25 000 |
Bi, Bii |
A |
| Noetic Solutions Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services in relation to FaCS Knowledge Committee's strategic direction and terms of reference |
24 200 |
Bi, Bii |
A, D, E |
| NSW Commission for Children and Young People |
Conduct of a national consultation process with children and young people on the Australian Action Plan for a World Fit for Children |
55 000 |
Bv |
B, C, D |
| Nucleus Consulting Group Pty Ltd |
Analysis of data set for Disability Support Pension—new claims project |
22 220 |
Bii |
B |
| O'Brien Rich Research |
Evaluation of the rural and remote pilot projects for Disability Employment Assistance |
144 302 |
A |
C, D |
| Orima Research Pty Ltd |
Research into customer awareness of Centrelink notification obligations |
74 000 |
A |
A, B, C, D |
| Orima Research Pty Ltd |
Research into study-related debt |
37 026 |
A |
A, C, D, E |
| Orima Research Pty Ltd |
Social security fraud deterrence survey |
33 000 |
A |
D |
| Orima Research Pty Ltd |
Assessing the effectiveness of the Personal Support Program |
293 217 |
A |
D |
| Orima Research Pty Ltd |
Research services regarding perceptions, attitudes and behaviours among family payment customers |
129 704 |
A |
A, D |
| Orima Research Pty Ltd |
Research into encouraging voluntary behaviour change among Centrelink customers |
43 697 |
A |
A, B, C, D |
| OVE ARUP Pty Ltd |
Comparative study in relation to Fixing Houses for Better Health and Indigenous Housing Management System Maintenance Project |
49 400 |
Bii |
C, E |
| PALM Management Pty Ltd |
Phase 1—Business improvement within People Branch, FaCS |
17 050 |
Bv |
D |
| Paxus Australia Pty Ltd |
Project management and delivery of documentation and tools reviews to support information delivery across FaCS and Centrelink |
130 000 |
Bv |
D |
| Pejovic Associates Pty Ltd |
Assistance with the preparation of expressions of interest and bids for international consultancy work |
40 000 |
Bii |
D |
| Peter Orchard & Associates |
Review of action-research within the Reconnect program |
19 840 |
C |
D |
| Practical Management and Development Pty Ltd |
Completion of community selection and feasibility studies, budget reviews and contract development for Fixing Houses for Better Health projects in Northern Territory and Western Australia in 2003–04 |
22 800 |
C |
E |
| Pricewaterhouse Coopers |
Case-based funding financial modelling |
55 000 |
A |
D |
| Pricewaterhouse Coopers |
Case-based funding financial modelling tool |
160 000 |
A |
D |
| Pricewaterhouse Coopers |
Development of a financial model to predict expenditure for the Personal Support Programme |
35 000 |
A |
D, E |
| Pricewaterhouse Coopers |
Statistical analysis of the processes and procedures of the random sample and risk-profiling programs |
88 000 |
A |
A, B, C, D |
| Pricewaterhouse Coopers |
Personal Support Programme cash flow modelling tool |
38 500 |
A |
D |
| Pricewaterhouse Coopers |
Business reviews of supported employment services (business services) funded under the Disability Employment Assistant Program and recommendation of tailored assistance to improve their viability |
1 210 000 |
Bi, Bii, Biv |
A, C, D |
| Robyn Penman |
Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) literature review |
45 500 |
Bi, Bii |
A, D |
| Queensland University of Technology |
Provision of expertise for the Reconnect Action Research Committee |
12 000 |
C |
D |
| University of Newcastle—Research Centre for Gender and Health |
National Youth Affairs Research Scheme research project 'Barriers to Service Delivery for Young Pregnant Women and Mothers' |
55 283 |
A |
C |
| RMIT |
Research into debt and compliance motivation |
65 000 |
Bii |
A, B, C, D |
| RPR Consulting Pty Ltd |
Research to inform the Family Relationships Services Program Review to strengthen focus on prevention, early intervention and early resolution of conflict covering key relationships and family transitions that best meet the needs of children involved |
27 720 |
A |
D, E |
| RPR Consulting Pty Ltd |
Familiarisation of the Family Relationships Services Program subprograms and evaluations and assessment of the implementation of recommendations and identify best-practice models of service delivery (Australia and overseas) including service quality issues and the approval requirements through a literature review |
49 220 |
A |
D, E |
| RPR Consulting Pty Ltd |
Evaluation of SAAP IV information management planning |
82 060 |
A |
A, C, D |
| RPR Consulting Pty Ltd |
Family Relationships Services Program approval requirements—organisation assessment and validation 2003–04 |
110 550 |
A |
C, D, E |
| RPR Consulting Pty Ltd |
Development and conduct of the Reconnect good-practice forums 2003 |
101 860 |
A |
A, D, E |
| RPR Consulting Pty Ltd |
Conduct of good practice forums for the Youth Activities Services and Family Liaison Workers program |
56 870 |
A |
D |
| RPR Consulting Pty Ltd |
Development and conduct of the Reconnect good-practice forum for 2003 |
10 065 |
A |
C, D, E |
| Salvation Army (Tasmania) Property Trust |
Review of the role of SAAP in providing support and meeting housing needs of ex-offenders |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Social Options Australia |
Investigation of the pathways into homelessness associated with problem gambling |
90 000 |
Bv |
B |
| Social Research Centre Pty Ltd |
Provision of research services regarding family assistance customers' preference for service delivery channels |
129 042 |
Bv |
B |
| Social Research Centre Pty Ltd |
Examination of the impact of Personal Adviser initiatives on income support customers—collection of qualitative and quantitative data, analysis and reporting |
434 244 |
Bii |
B |
| Social Research Centre Pty Ltd |
Evaluation of the Commonwealth Disability Strategy, stage one |
35 135 |
A |
C |
| Social Research Centre Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services in relation to study of parents on low income, survey component |
124 000 |
Biv |
B |
| Social Research Centre Pty Ltd |
Consultancy services in relation to Parenting Payment new claims survey, round 3 |
293 963 |
Biv |
A, B |
| Social Research Centre Pty Ltd |
Research into children in AAP |
31 977 |
Bi, Bii, Biv |
B, C, D |
| Social Ventures Australia |
Advice on possible support tools necessary for the successful running of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy |
60 000 |
C |
C, D |
| South Australian Centre for Economic Studies—Adelaide and Flinders universities |
Development of a high-performance indicator framework for the Personal Support Programme |
156 354 |
Bii |
A, B, C, D |
| South Australian Centre for Economic Studies—Adelaide and Flinders universities |
Youth gambling prevalence, literature review |
27 500 |
C |
D |
| Success Works Pty Ltd |
SAAP IV national evaluation, component module—Supported Accommodation Assistance Program strategic themes in practice and capacity of SAAP service system |
82 280 |
Bi, Bii |
A, C |
| Suzanne Kenney Consultant |
Development of an Indigenous pilot for the Personal Support Programme |
33 000 |
Bv |
D |
| Swinburne University of Technology—Institute for Social Research |
Research into costs and pathways to homelessness |
58 520 |
Bii, Biv |
A, B, C, D |
| Team Systems Pty Ltd |
Design and facilitation of processes relating to Alliance 2004 and provision of advice on change management activities |
78 070 |
Bii |
D |
| TestRight Computing Pty Ltd |
Redevelopment of SSATellite system |
30 000 |
Biv |
A, D |
| TestRight Computing Pty Ltd |
Quality assurance and technical review of the AMSWIN application and requirements |
43 200 |
Biv |
A, D |
| Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW) for Wesley Mission Homeless Persons Services |
Improving interagency cooperation and coordination in SAAP |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| WalterTurnbull |
Compliance audit of a Job Placement, Employment and Training (JPET)-funded recipient |
19 925 |
A |
D |
| WalterTurnbull |
Business reviews of supported employment services (business services) funded under the Disability Employment Assistant Program and recommendation of tailored assistance to improve their viability |
1 430 000 |
A |
A, C, D |
| WalterTurnbull |
Development of a detailed business plan for a funding recipient under the Disability Employment Assistance Program |
11 000 |
Bv |
A |
| WalterTurnbull |
Financial review of LaTrobe Valley Supported Employment Services under the Disability Employment Assistance Program |
13 750 |
Bv |
A |
| WalterTurnbull |
Reconciliation of participation allowance relating to the Green Corps Program |
18 179 |
A |
D |
| WalterTurnbull |
Compliance audit of a Job Placement, Employment and Training (JPET)-funded recipient |
11 000 |
A |
A |
| WalterTurnbull |
Business reviews of supported employment services (business services) funded under the Disability Employment Assistant Program and recommendation of tailored assistance to improve their viability |
13 750 |
A |
A |
| WalterTurnbull |
Financial review under the Disability Employment Assistance Program |
15 900 |
Bv |
A |
| WalterTurnbull |
Financial review of Westside Community Services under the Disability Employment Assistance Program |
15 000 |
A |
D |
| Western Domestic Violence Service Inc. |
A study on practice dilemmas in working with women with complex needs in SAAP |
11 000 |
Bv |
E |
| Total |
|
|
|
15 177 481 |
The legend provides an explanatory guide to the data contained in the above table.
