19 October 2018
The Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Act 2018 (Cth)
The Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Bill 2018 (Cth) was passed by the Parliament yesterday and received Royal Assent today. It is expected to commence operation in 6 months.
The Act will enable suppliers to seek an injunction or compensation for a contravention of 'relevant Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs)' by a Commonwealth entity or official. The relevant CPRs will be the provisions in Division 2 as well as provisions in Division 1 of the CPRs which are declared to be relevant for the purposes of the Act. A number of Division 1 paragraphs are proposed to be declared.
The Act will only apply in relation to procurements where both Divisions 1 and 2 of the CPRs apply (unless it is in a class of procurements that has been exempted in a determination made by the Finance Minister under the Act). It will generally therefore apply where the estimated value of the procurement is at or above the relevant procurement threshold (as set out in the CPRs) and where it is not covered by the list of exemptions in Appendix A of the CPRs.
Further detail is contained in our earlier Express law about the Bill, available at: /publications/express-law/el257.pdf
The Department of Finance has indicated they will provide further guidance to entities prior to commencement.
For further information please contact:
Anna Lehane
Senior General Counsel
T 02 6253 7330
anna.lehane@ags.gov.au
Sam Arnold
Counsel
T 02 6253 7244
sam.arnold@ags.gov.au
Bill Napier
Chief Counsel Commercial
T 02 6253 7131
bill.napier@ags.gov.au
Cathy Reid
Deputy Chief Counsel Commercial
T 03 9242 1203
cathy.reid@ags.gov.au
Adrian Snooks
Deputy Chief Counsel Commercial
T 02 6253 7192
adrian.snooks@ags.gov.au
Simon Konecny
Deputy General Counsel Commercial
T 02 9581 7585
simon.konecny@ags.gov.au
Kenneth Eagle
Senior Executive Lawyer
T 03 9242 1290
kenneth.eagle@ags.gov.au
Helen Curtis
Senior Executive Lawyer
T 02 6253 7036
helen.curtis@ags.gov.au
Garth Cooke
Senior Executive Lawyer
T 03 9242 1494
garth.cooke@ags.gov.au
Important: The material in Express law is provided to clients as an early, interim view for general information only, and further analysis on the matter may be prepared by AGS. The material should not be relied upon for the purpose of a particular matter. Please contact AGS before any action or decision is taken on the basis of any of the material in this message.