Use of Consultants

Section 178 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 (ATSI Act) enables IBA to engage specialist consultancy services when skilled expertise unavailable within IBA is needed or when independent advice is required.

The terms and conditions on which consultants are engaged are as determined by the Board in writing. IBA is not subject to the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines and engages consultants in accordance with the requirements of an IBA General Manager’s Instruction on Procurement.

Consultants are distinguished from other contractors by the nature of the work they perform. A consultant is an individual, a partnership or a corporation engaged to provide professional, independent and expert advice or services. Section 189(2) of the ATSI Act requires IBA to include in each annual report particulars of consultants engaged under section 178. Appendix B, which draws on the terminology in the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines, includes all consultancy contracts let by IBA.

During 2008–09, 205 new consultancy contracts were entered into involving total actual expenditure of $2,181,940. In addition, 55 ongoing consultancy contracts were active during the 2008–09 year, involving total actual expenditure of $114,633.