Business and Finance (Tranche 1) December 2015

Transcription

1 Business and Finance (Tranche 1) December 2015

2 For more information on anything covered in this guide, please contact the Consultancy Services Centre of Expertise (CoE) at the details below: Consultancy Services CoE New Zealand Government Procurement Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment PO Box 1473 Wellington We want to ensure this guide concisely provides agencies with all the information they require in order to use the Consultancy Services All-of-Government (AoG) contract. If you have any feedback around how we could improve this guide please send it to the Consultancy Services CoE. Publishing date December 2015 CROWN COPYRIGHT 2015 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence. In essence, you are free to copy, distribute and adapt the work non-commercially, as long as you attribute the work to The Crown and abide by the other licence terms. To view a copy of this licence, visit Please note that no departmental or governmental emblem, logo or Coat of Arms may be used in any way that infringes any provision of the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act Attribution to The Crown should be in written form and not by reproduction of any such emblem, logo or Coat of Arms.

3 Contents Introduction... 4 Context... 4 About New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP)... 4 About All-of-Government contracts... 4 Collaborative contracts... 4 About the Business and Finance Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide... 5 Consultancy Services Centre of Expertise... 6 Eligibility... 6 Resources... 6 Consultancy Services contract information... 7 Solution at a glance... 7 Business and Finance Consultancy Services panel of providers Participating in All-of-Government contracts Contractual relationships Roles and responsibilities Transitioning to this contract How do I join? How do I choose a provider? How do I manage the provider relationship? Other contracts All-of-Government contracts NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 3 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

4 Introduction Context The goods and services provided by our suppliers are often critical to the public and the country s economic and social well-being. On average 37 cents in every dollar spent by a government agency is with a supplier. Effective procurement helps government agencies deliver better public services while realising value for money. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) influences and shapes public service provision through the Procurement Functional Leadership (PFL) programme. MBIE s focus is on raising standards, improving capability and reducing duplication in government procurement through a collaborative, centre-led approach. About New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP) NZGP delivers on MBIE s PFL objectives to shape procurement excellence and deliver value for New Zealand. The following objectives drive our programme of work. Lift performance, add value and maximise results. Create an environment where New Zealand businesses can succeed. Unlock cost savings and value for money. Assisting the Canterbury rebuild. We lead a range of initiatives aimed at building procurement capability and fostering collaboration across the New Zealand Public Sector. About All-of-Government contracts We have established All-of-Government (AoG) contracts to take the hassle out of procuring common goods and services, so government agencies can focus on achieving strategically important business outcomes. AoG contracts harness the collective purchasing power of government by establishing single supply agreements for the supply of selected common goods and services. AoG contracts account for about 2% of government spend with third party suppliers and are designed to improve engagement with government suppliers. They also go some way to standardise procurement engagement with government, reduce transaction costs and improve overall service quality for government and suppliers alike. They deliver high quality products and services to government and value for money for the New Zealand taxpayer. Collaborative contracts Collaborative contracts allow eligible agencies to purchase goods and services collectively. Each collaborative contract has a lead agency responsible for the procurement process and the resulting collaborative contract. In addition to the All-of-Government contracts lead by NZGP, the following two types of collaborative contracts are also available to eligible agencies: Open Syndicated (OS) contracts Common Capability (CC) contract The Collaborative Contracts Register lists all established collaborative contracts. For more information, procurement@mbie.govt. For a full list of existing AoG contracts, visit the Other contracts section of this guide. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 4 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

5 About the Business and Finance Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide This guide is designed to provide government agencies with the information they need prior to joining the Allof-Government (AoG) Consultancy Services solution for the supply of Business and Finance Consultancy Services within the following sub categories: Accounting Audit Finance and Economics Procurement and Logistics Taxation It provides an overview of: the key features, benefits and scope of the contract the panel of providers contractual relationships amongst all parties how to join, transition to and buy from this contract. GCIO Services Sub Panel The Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) has established a GCIO Services Sub Panel. This panel offers eligible and mandated agencies a choice of 19 panel providers who specialise in the provision of Independent Quality (IQA) and Technical Quality (TQA) for ICT-enabled projects and programmes. Additional information for agencies on how to choose a provider, including the GCIO Sub Panel Directory and provider services catalogues, can be found within the Consultancy Services area on insource. Phased approach to sub categories The AoG Consultancy Services project is divided into three main categories: Business and Finance Property and Construction ICT We are introducing categories in a phased approach i.e. taking tranches of sub categories to market over time. This approach will allow us to develop and refine the process before undertaking subsequent sub categories. The table below details this phased approach. Main category Tranche 1 Tranche 2 Tranche 3 Tranche 4 Business and Finance Business and Finance Property and Construction Sub categories Accounting TBC TBC TBC Audit Finance and Economics Procurement and Logistics Taxation Please visit the AoG Consultancy page for the latest updates. ICT NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 5 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

6 Consultancy Services Centre of Expertise The Consultancy Services Centre of Expertise (CoE) manages the development, negotiation, supplier performance, and on-going contract management of the Consultancy Services contract within New Zealand Government Procurement. The CoE is there to help you assess the value the Consultancy Services contract can deliver for your agency both at implementation phase and throughout the life of the contract. This could include general advice relating to the contract, as well as additional value that can be achieved through best practice purchasing. Get in touch with the Consultancy Services Centre of Expertise at: Eligibility Agencies within the State Sector, as well as Local Authorities, and State funded Schools (together, the New Zealand Public Sector) are eligible to buy from AoG contracts. For more information, or to assess your eligibility to join AoG contracts, please visit the NZGP website or Resources Visit for more information including further guides, tools and templates and AoG Consultancy page for the latest updates. insource insource is a secure, web-based library of the most up-to-date and commercially sensitive information on AoG contracts including current supplier contact details, contracts, pricing, and other contract management tools. If you would like access to insource or want to register additional users for your agency or school, please visit the Registration page or contact insource@mbie.govt.nz for more information. Glossary of terms For explanations of common procurement words and expressions please refer to the NZGP Jargon Buster. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 6 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

7 Consultancy Services contract information Solution at a glance The AoG Consultancy Services Business and Finance (Tranche 1) solution, offers eligible government agencies specialist advice and competitive solutions from a panel of experienced consultancy services across specific market categories and sub categories. This Buyer s Guide relates to the solution for the Business and Finance consultancy panels. These panels have the necessary capacity, capability and expertise to deliver world class services and solutions to eligible agencies. The scope of the Business and Finance (Tranche 1) category of the AoG Consultancy Services solution includes Consultancy Services in the following sub categories. Providers may also provide additional focus areas per sub category. Accounting Including: Accounting advisory services (technical and transaction) Business accounting services (bookkeeping, payroll etc.) Financial reporting, compliance and accounts preparation Including: Quality assurance and advice including independent quality assurance and quantitative risk analysis For ICT-enabled projects and programmes please refer to the GCIO Services Sub Panel information available on insource. Scope Audit Including: Compliance and regulatory audit Financial statement audit Forensic accountancy investigations Fraud audit Internal audit, investigations, and advisory services IT systems audit Probity audit Special purpose audits and review engagements Finance and Economics Including: Appraisal of investment proposals Economic analysis and modelling Financial strategy (including asset sales) Investment and banking services (including Treasury management and Treasury risk management) NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 7 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

8 Project financial management (including budgeting, estimating, forecasting, and modelling) Public Private Partnerships (including business case and strategy) Systems and solutions (including enterprise resource planning and financial management information systems) Procurement and Logistics Including: Policy, strategy and design Sourcing (excluding Public Private Partnerships) Spend analysis Supply chain (including logistics, strategy, policy, and inventory management Taxation Including: Tax compliance and preparation Tax planning and advisory Providers are appointed across three tiers within each sub category. Tiers are based on capacity, capability and value of agency spend. Each tier has been appointed in relation to their current Government spend and their ability to provide services in one or more sub categories. Agencies can select a provider from across the tiers, depending on which provider best suits their needs. The table below explains the characteristics of each tier. Tier characteristics Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Structure 7 providers Medium large sized companies Higher level of CoE evaluation Ongoing performance measurement High capacity Signed an AoG Services Agreement 32 providers Medium sized companies Medium level of CoE evaluation Ongoing performance measurement Medium high capacity Signed an AoG Services Agreement 129 providers Small medium sized companies Lower level of CoE evaluation Limited performance measurement Medium low capacity Signed a reduced form of an AoG Services Agreement and terms Note: the above noted number of providers relates to the total number per tier for Tranche 1. Not all providers within a tier service each sub category therefore, the number of providers per sub category varies. Please refer to the Consultancy Services Business and Finance insource page for further information on tier characteristics. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 8 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

9 Out of scope Features & benefits Panel providers Savings Contract commencement Review period Administration fee Consultants are covered by this contract. PLEASE NOTE that Contractors are out of scope. Contractor is defined as: if an individual is being provided to an agency with no defined outcome, agreed milestones, or extensive warranty regarding these, this constitutes a recruitment service for the provision of a contractor and is covered by the AoG External Recruitment Services Contract. Contact the Consultancy CoE if you need advice on what is out of scope. Access to a range of providers offering quality and good value for money services. Ease of process and engagement through a standardised Consultancy Services Order. No need to negotiate individual terms and conditions with individual providers. Save time and money by not having to undergo primary procurement process on GETS when sourcing consultancy services. Provision of provider performance (Tier 1 and 2) information from the CoE so that agencies can review provider performance prior to engagement. Panel directory tool provided on insource for ease of provider selection. This interim tool will be replaced in early 2016 by a final Online Panel Directory. The panel includes 153 providers as listed in the Business and Finance Consultancy Services Panel of Providers section of this guide. Hard savings The CoE has secured maximum rates per consultant per provider. A full outline of maximum rates is available via a panel directory set up specifically to assist agencies with identifying suitable providers. Agencies will be able to negotiate rates below the maximums recognising the uniqueness of each engagement. Soft savings The establishment of the AoG Business and Finance Consultancy Panel enables eligible agencies to reduce the cost of engagement through providing pre-qualified providers to select from. 6 November 2015 The panel is constructed as an open panel which allows for new providers to join during the annual intakes. Reviews of the performance of the panel will be undertaken frequently. Due to this construct the panel contracts have no set expiry date. Most AoG contracts include an administration fee. This fee is a simple, effective, and transparent way of recovering the cost of developing, sourcing, implementing and managing AoG contracts. For the Consultancy Services Contract, an administration fee of 1% is applicable on Tier 1 and Tier 2 provider services. Engagement of Tier 3 providers will not incur an administration fee. The provider adds the administration fee as an additional cost at time of invoicing. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 9 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

10 Terms & conditions Refer to the Memorandum of Understanding on insource or by contacting the Centre of Expertise. All commercially sensitive information, including pricing, contractual documents, and supplier contact details, can be found on the Consultancy Services insource page. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 10 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

11 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Business and Finance Consultancy Services panel of providers The panels offer the necessary capacity, capability and expertise to deliver world class service and solutions to participating agencies. A Panel Directory including provider service catalogues can be found on insource. Alternatively, you can contact the Consultancy Services Centre of Expertise. Tier 1 Tier 1 Provider Aurecon New Zealand Ltd Beca Deloitte Ernst & Young Limited Grant Thornton NZ Limited KPMG PwC NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 11 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

12 Accounting* Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 2 Tier 2 Provider ArcBlue Consulting Audit New Zealand Azimuth Consulting Limited BDO WELLINGTON LIMITED Business and Economic Research Limited Caravel Group (NZ) Ltd Castalia Central TAS Covec Cranleigh Crowe Horwath (NZ) Ltd Deloitte Asparona DeloitteTango Ltd (trading as Tango) Equinox IT IQA New Zealand Limited (IQANZ) KordaMentha MartinJenkins NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 12 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

13 Accounting* Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 2 Provider McHale Group Limited Public Sector Morrison Low NZ Institute of Economic Research Probity Consulting Resolve Group Ltd Resultex Limited SageBush Sapere Research Group Limited Starfish Consulting TaxTeam Limited TDB Advisory TDM Consulting Ltd Techspace Consulting Tenzing The Practitioners *The Accounting sub category has no Tier 2 providers. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 13 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

14 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 3 Tier 3 Provider 3P Plus Ltd ACIL Allen Consulting Advisian ALCO Consulting Aquenta Consulting ARC Management Consulting Ardmore Project Services Ltd Ascendo Limited Audit New Zealand Axenic Ltd Bancorp Treasury Services Limited BCI Technology Pty Ltd BDO WELLINGTON LIMITED Beca Bennett & Associates Bentley Strategic Management Ltd Beyond Services Ltd NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 14 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

15 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 3 Provider Big Sky Consulting BIZview Limited Brett Percival Brimblecombe Consultancy Ltd Brodie Consulting Limited Bruce D White Consulting Limited Business Cycles Caravel Group (NZ) Ltd Central TAS Chris Livesey Consulting CMG Solutions Limited Comprara Pty Ltd Cooper Associates Ltd Corum Ltd Cranleigh Credit Consultants Group NZ Ltd Crowe Horwath (NZ) Ltd David Butcher and Associates Ltd NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 15 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

16 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 3 Provider Davies Howard Group Ltd Debtworks (NZ) Ltd Decision Analysis Services Ltd Education Personnel Ltd Empower Advisory Services Limited Entity Group Limited Eunomia Research & Consulting Limited Expert Procurement Solutions (EPS) Fernhill Solutions Gemtech Genesis Consulting Group Limited Grant Thornton NZ Limited Gravelroad Ltd Height Helmsman International Howard Consultancy Ltd Hudson Chartered Accountants Ltd Hunter Group NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 16 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

17 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 3 Provider Infometrics Ltd inforethink Ltd Information Integrity Solutions Pty Ltd Infosys Portland IntuiSec ipa Consulting Limited JacksonStone Consulting Ltd Kahanui (Kahanui Ventures Limited) KordaMentha Legion Ltd Link Consulting Group Limited Lyne Opinion Limited Margules Groome Consulting Ltd MartinJenkins Maven Consulting Maxsys Limited McDermott Miller Strategies Limited McGredy Winder & Co Ltd NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 17 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

18 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 3 Provider McHale Group Limited - Public Sector Meliorative Professional Services Momentous Consulting Ltd Monarch Consulting Ltd Morgan Wallace Limited Motu: Economic and Public Policy Research Trust MSH Consulting Niche Consulting Optimation New Zealand Ltd Outcome Insights PA Consulting Group Peter Castle Price Perrott Limited Project Insights Project Plus Prosperity and Harvest Ltd Qual IT Solutions Ltd Quantum Security NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 18 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

19 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 3 Provider RE Business Services RedAnt Group Pty Ltd Resource Economics Richard Paling Consulting Ltd Ridgeway Consulting RiskIQ Ltd Rockpoint Ltd Ross Tanner Consulting Ltd Ruia Harris Consulting Limited Sapere Research Group Limited Satori Group New Zealand Limited Scarab Systems Ltd Schiff Consulting Sobi Consulting Ltd SSS - IT Security Specialists Stace Consulting Strategic Sourcing Consultancy (SSCL) StratNZ Limited NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 19 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

20 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 3 Provider Sysdoc Team Group Ltd Techspace Consulting Tenzing The Clarity Project The Integral Group Limited The Practitioners The Property Group Limited Tregaskis Brown TressCox Lawyers True North Business Consulting Ltd Tylee & Co Limited Vantage Consulting Group Vapour Ltd Venture Consulting Group Voco Ltd White Owl Consulting Ltd Woodward Partners NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 20 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

21 Accounting Audit Finance & Economics Procurement & Logistics Taxation Tier 3 Provider X4 Consulting Limited Xelocity Limited Zephyr Consulting (Wellington) Limited Zusammen Investments Ltd NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 21 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

22 Participating in All-of-Government contracts Contractual relationships The below diagram demonstrates the contractual relationships between MBIE, Participating Agencies and Providers. MBIE Provider(s) CSO Participating Agency The table below provides a brief overview of the contractual documents between each of the three parties; these documents can be found on the contract s insource page. Document Services Agreement Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Letter of Accession (LoA) Consultancy Services Order (CSO) Definition Signed between MBIE and each provider when the contractual relationship is formed. Signed between MBIE and eligible agencies to allow access to AoG contracts and commercially sensitive information. coe@mbie.govt.nz to request the NDA for AoG contracts. Note: eligible agencies only need to sign a NDA once to gain access to information across all AoG contracts. Sets out the relationship between the CoE and participating agencies. It highlights the obligations of each party and the key points in the contract as they relate to participating agencies. Signed by eligible agencies to confirm agreement to the MoU. By signing the LoA eligible agencies join the contract as a participating agency. A Consultancy Services Order (CSO) is used to engage providers under the panels. This outlines the details relating to the individual piece of work. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 22 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

23 Roles and responsibilities Role Participating Agency Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE) Centre of Expertise (CoE) within New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP) Provider (s) Responsibilities Contract User Participating agencies maintain day-to-day operational relationships with their selected provider. Key responsibilities include: Fulfilling obligations set out in the contract and applicable CSO. Managing strategic and operational relationship with provider/s and their performance in relation to each service provided under any CSO. Notifying provider/s of any and all policy, security clearances and probity checks required as necessary to provide the services to that agency. Escalating any disputes with providers or other non-performance issues to the CoE. Contract Owner MBIE negotiates and enters into all AoG contracts on behalf of the Crown, as part of the PFL programme. Contract Manager The CoE within NZGP is responsible for managing the AoG contract, key responsibilities include: Monitoring the provider s performance against Service Level Agreements. Managing provider audits. Managing strategic relationship with provider. Managing all other changes to the AoG contract including extensions/renewals. Signing up new participating agencies. Monitoring agency and provider satisfaction. Dispute resolution that is escalated by either the supplier or the participating agency. Provider of Services Key responsibilities of each provider under the AoG Consultancy Services contract include: Providing services to participating agencies as per the Service Level Agreements. Providing transition services as required by the participating agency. Providing reporting. Providing account management to participating agency. Providing contract management to the CoE. Promoting contract to other eligible agencies. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 23 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

24 Transitioning to this contract It s important that eligible agencies consider any existing contracts when assessing the suitability of the Consultancy Services contract for their business needs. Below are some common scenarios for agencies transitioning onto this contract and supporting information to assist in the transition. You can contact the Consultancy CoE for more information or support around transitioning. Scenario one Government agency has an existing contractual arrangement (i.e. outside of the AoG Consultancy Services contract) for services with a provider on the AoG Consultancy Services contract panel. The CoE will notify providers once you ve signed up to the contract. You will need to work with your current provider(s) to ensure they move your services onto the new terms and conditions as quickly as possible. For any engagements that are already underway, the work will run to completion under your existing arrangement and any new engagements will be under AoG. Scenario two Government agency has an existing contractual arrangement (i.e. outside of the AoG Consultancy Services contract) for services with a provider NOT on the AoG Consultancy Services contract panel. For any services that you have with non-aog providers, you should select the provider(s) you want to work with from the panel and transition as soon as practical. See the How do I choose a provider? section of this guide for support on selecting a new provider. For any engagements that are already underway, the engagement will run to completion under your existing arrangement and any new engagements should then be with AoG panel providers. You can encourage your existing provider to apply to join the AoG Consultancy Services panel at the next annual intake. Alternative scenarios We understand that you might have a mix of these two scenarios or a different situation all together. The CoE can help you work through this and assist in designing a transition plan to meet your needs. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 24 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

25 How do I join? Note: if you ve already joined any other AoG contract, start at the third step below Log into insource. Check eligibility Agencies within the State Sector, as well as Local Authorities, and State funded Schools (together, the New Zealand Public Sector) are eligible to buy from AoG contracts, Common Capability contracts and Open Syndicated contracts (Collaborative Contracts). For more information about eligibility or to find out if your agency is eligible to join AoG contracts, visit the NZGP website or coe@mbie.govt.nz. Sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Agencies who have not yet signed up to an AoG contract must sign and return a NDA before they can access confidential contract information relating to AoG contracts. coe@mbie.govt.nz to request a NDA or to confirm whether your agency has already signed one. Log into insource Once NZGP has the signed NDA, the agency representative will be issued with a log-in to insource; the secure online library that hosts all of the confidential information, tools and guidance (including pricing and other commercial details) relating to the contract. If you re having trouble accessing insource, insource@mbie.govt.nz. Assess your business requirements against the contract offering Agencies need to consider any existing contracts when assessing the suitability of the Consultancy Services contract for their business needs. See the Transition section of this guide for more information. Using the information, tools and guidance available in insource, agencies can then identify how the contract can best meet their business needs. Read the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Each AoG contract has a related MoU, which sets out the relationship between the CoE and participating agencies. It highlights the obligations of each party and the key points in the contract as they relate to participating agencies. Sign a Letter of Accession (LoA) By signing a LoA, agencies agree to the terms and conditions of the MoU and the related AoG contract. This allows agencies to access the contract. Agencies need to sign a specific LoA for each individual AoG contract they wish to join. While there is no limit to the number of contracts an agency can join, a new LoA will need to be signed for any new AoG contracts. The Consultancy Services CoE is here to help agencies work through what the contract offers and how to maximise the benefits available. Contact the CoE for more information or support around joining the contract. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 25 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

26 How do I choose a provider? Please see below for an overview of what s involved in buying from the Business and Finance Consultancy Services contract. Full support and guidance for each step is available on insource or by contacting the CoE. Determine requirements Start by determining your requirements and ascertaining what you have the capability to do in-house in order to establish what you need to source from the panel. By determining your requirements you can form a clear picture of what outcome you would like to achieve. Contact the Consultancy CoE if you need assistance. Selection process A participating agency can choose to source a provider from the panel directly or undertake a secondary selection process. In making this decision consider the budget, timeframes and specific nature of the brief, any existing or past relationships, as well as any internal financial delegations and processes your agency may have. The AoG Consultancy CoE has developed a Panel Directory on insource to assist with searching and identifying suitable panellists for your engagement. Note: You do not need to advertise your requirements on GETS. Complete a Consultancy Services Order (CSO) Once you have made your selection, complete a CSO to be signed by both your agency and the provider of choice. If you select multiple providers a separate CSO will need to be completed with each provider. All other documentation (such as briefs, cost estimates, and variations) generated as part of the delivery of services can be referenced or attached to a master CSO as appendices for purposes of audit, invoicing, and reporting. Brief providers Brief your provider(s) for every piece of work you undertake. A written brief ensures that both your agency and your provider are clear about what your objectives and expected outcomes are. A combination of a written brief followed by a verbal brief is ideal for larger projects. If required, any amendments to the CSO should be made at this point prior to contract commencement. Provider executes brief and measures outcomes Delivery of services as outlined in the brief, to your agency by your provider(s). Outcomes are measured and reported back to your agency (where applicable). NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 26 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

27 How do I manage the provider relationship? Participating agencies will continue to be responsible for managing their provider relationships from both a strategic and operational perspective. Reporting Participating agencies will need to consider what kind of reporting they require from providers (e.g. monthly spend, accuracy of invoicing, timeliness of payment etc.) and ensure all reporting requirements are captured in the agreement with the provider, before they order or purchase any products and/or services. Performance reporting The CoE monitors the overall performance of providers against the contracted Service Level Agreements, with reporting available to agencies, usually on a quarterly basis. Consultancy Services Order and invoice (bill) Participating agencies use a variety of methods to place consultancy service orders for services from providers. Best practice methods include ecommerce platforms, websites, or ICT integration between provider and agency. Consolidated invoicing provides the greatest benefit to participating agencies due to decreased administration required by the agency. Payment Payment of invoices is due on or before the 20 th of the month following the month the invoice was received. Payment is made directly to the provider by the agency. AoG prices are negotiated on the understanding that government agencies pay in full, on time. Resolve disputes The provider and agency must do their best to resolve disputes. Agencies are encouraged to contact the CoE to discuss any issues. The following table shows the formal escalation process for disputes in an AoG contract. Timeframe The day the dispute arises If not resolved within 10 business days If not resolved within another 10 business days If not resolved within a further 10 business days Escalation Both parties attempt to resolve the dispute Agency and provider escalate to their respective senior representatives Agency escalates to Consultancy Services CoE and provider escalation contact remains the senior representative Agency escalates to MBIE s manager for collaborative procurement and provider escalates to the General Manager/Director NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 27 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide

28 Other contracts All-of-Government contracts Advertising Media Advertising Services Air Travel Banking Services Design Services Electricity External Legal Services External Recruitment Services IT Hardware Mobile, Voice and Data Services Office Supplies Print Technology and Associated Services (PTAS) Rental Vehicles Reticulated Gas Risk Financing and Insurance Intermediary Services Travel Management Services Vehicles Baseline discounts on the placement of advertising in media. Client, creative, production and media planning and buying services. Domestic and International services. The supply of Crown Transactional Banking Services, Foreign Exchange Services, Payment Services and Card Services. Client, design and production services including provider sourcing. Supply of electricity and associated services. All external legal service excluding Barristers Sole & Queen s Counsel, core Crown legal matters, patent attorneys and overseas firms. Supply of primary recruitment for permanent, temporary and contractor placements. A growing range of products including desktops, laptops, tablets and thin client devices. Access to provider s mobile network, mobile voice, text and data services and mobile hardware. Key office Supplies, Washroom Consumables, Cleaning and Hygiene Consumables, ICT Consumables and Educational Supplies. Designed to enable eligible agencies to meet their print related product and service requirements through one contract. Latest model vehicles and competitive insurance rates for the domestic market. Time-of-Use (TOU) and non-tou supply in the North Island. The supply of risk financing and insurance intermediary services including specialist advice and competitive solutions. A suite of travel management services including, online booking tools, expert travel consultants, account management, reporting, risk management, travel policy and spend controls, and consolidated invoicing. Passenger and light commercial vehicles. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 28 Consultancy Services Buyer s Guide