To ensure integrity and transparency are maintained, it is common for Government procurement processes to involve more than one person. For businesses this can cause confusion as to who is the decision maker for a particular process.

In selling to Government, it is important to know who your customer or end user is. This can be challenging for businesses given the size and complexity of Government.

For lower value purchases, the Government buyer running the procurement process will generally be the person who will actually use the good or service your business is providing.

For higher value purchases, the process may be more complicated with a procurement resource running the procurement process and the end user(s) of the particular good or service being involved with the development of the tender specification and an evaluation panel.

Contract Execution

Outside of the team running a procurement process, it is common for the responsibility to execute a contract to rest with a senior officer or executive who has the financial authority to execute an agreement on behalf of the Government. For high value contracts, the Minister or Cabinet’s authority is required to execute a contract. This responsibility to execute a contract is based on the outcomes of the procurement process and the recommendations of the Government procurement team.