Nadine Lennie
Chair, Victorian Government Purchasing Board
Over the past year, the Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB) oversaw the delivery of the final milestones in its 2021–2023 strategic plan and, in January, the Board held a planning workshop to consider its strategic priorities for the next three years.
The VGPB policies now cover 10 government departments and over 150 agencies. Reflecting this larger coverage, continued complexity in the procurement environment including growth in artificial intelligence, and a renewed focus on costs, the Board has established a set of four strategic priorities to guide its activities in the coming years. These priorities are to:
- Streamline procurement for buyers and suppliers and facilitate data-driven decisions
- Build procurement capability to support good decision-making
- Engage to support good procurement
- Create fit-for-purpose procurement policy.
In 2023, the Board introduced a new strategic priority to uplift procurement capability across the Victorian Government. This priority has been maintained and will continue to be one of our key areas of focus.
Our strategic priorities
A key milestone delivered against our procurement capability priority was the launch of the Procurement Knowledge Hub. The Hub is an online platform where agencies can access eLearning courses and resources developed by the Department of Government Services (DGS) tailored to the VGPB policy framework. In 2023–24, the VGPB launched the 'Introduction to Procurement' series of eLearning courses to help broaden procurement capability across departments and agencies.
Our data analytics capabilities also continued to evolve, with a range of high-quality dashboards and reports giving state purchase contract (SPC) category managers and departmental chief procurement officers (CPOs) insights to enable informed decision making.
The introduction of the Digital Marketplace and Supplier Hub were important milestones to simplify and streamline the procurement process for buyers and suppliers.
The Digital Marketplace is an online platform that enables buyers to purchase from SPCs and registers, managing the entire source-to-award process in one place. Linked to this platform, the Supplier Hub allows suppliers to centrally update their business information, eliminating the need to register separately with each Victorian Government department and agency they engage with. Over the year, seven SPCs and registers were added to the Digital Marketplace and more than 1 300 suppliers registered on the Supplier Hub.
On the policy front, our key achievement was finalising changes to VGPB policy to support collaboration between agencies in their procurement processes. The changes clarify the authorising environment for agencies when collaborating and provide guidance on appropriate procurement models and governance arrangements to support both value for money and good governance in collaborative procurement.
Stakeholder engagement
Engagement has also been a key focus for the VGPB over the year to support agencies to complete their transition to the VGPB policy framework and greater use of SPCs. The Board welcomed nine department and agency CPOs to its Board meetings during the year to present their procurement profiles. DGS has also been connecting with many agencies throughout the year, providing advice and support for the transition. These engagements help deepen the VGPB’s understanding of the diversity of procurement across VGPB agencies to better inform the VGPB’s priorities and activities.
Board renewal
In 2023–24, I was both humbled and excited to be appointed for a second three-year term as VGPB Chair. I look forward to working with DGS and continuing to support the Minister for Government Services to progress the Government’s vision for procurement.
During the year, we reappointed Board members Raoul Wainwright and Peter Gluskie for a second three-year term and Claire Thomas was reappointed for a third three-year term. The Board will continue to benefit from the expertise and insightful perspectives of Raoul, Peter and Claire.
In July 2024, we will welcome new member, Helen Vaughan, to the Board. Helen is an experienced senior public sector leader with extensive experience in corporate governance, providing advice to Ministers and Boards, and leading reform. I look forward to the continued contribution from Raoul, Peter and Claire and to welcoming Helen to the Board.
I would like to thank departing Board member Samantha Winter. Samantha was a valuable member of the Board over the past three years. We wish Samantha well with her future endeavours.
Seat at the Table program
During the year, the VGPB hosted two participants from the Seat at the Table leadership program. Run by the Centre for Multicultural Youth, this program aims to address underrepresentation of young multicultural women in governance and leadership positions by placing participants with boards and committees to observe governance structures.
To support the program’s objectives and provide real-life experience and exposure to leadership, strategic planning and decision-making, each participant attended up to three VGPB meetings. I was also pleased to meet with the participants both before and after each meeting to discuss the papers and answer questions. I was impressed by their curiosity and dedication to learning from the program.
The Board was pleased to support this program and help pave the way for a more equitable future that reflects the diversity of the community.
Once again, I thank the team in DGS for their hard work and support to the VGPB. I also wish to thank the CPOs of the departments and agencies and their teams for their cooperation and support in helping us progress our strategic priorities.
Nadine Lennie
Chair, Victorian Government Purchasing Board
Updated