Fire and Emergency Services increasingly operate in an environment where there is competition for available funds from areas such as health, policing and education.
Consequently sound business management strategies need to be employed to ensure that service levels to the community are maintained, or even enhanced, using the limited funds available.
The primary intent of the Collaborative Purchasing Initiative is to facilitate a collaborative approach to the procurement of commonly used items by AFAC member agencies. It is expected that both cashable and non-cashable savings will be achieved due to enhanced purchasing power and a reduction in duplication of effort. This collaborative approach to doing business will ensure agency operational staff are provided the best possible products available that meet nationally and internationally recognised standards.
Historically agencies have worked in isolation when procuring goods that will now be procured collaboratively as part of the CPI. The procurement process has invariably been underpinned by agency specific specifications that have achieved outcomes that vary little from those achieved by other agencies creating a duplication of effort across agencies. Under the CPI the intent is that:
- Relevant agency technical experts will jointly prepare specifications common to all AFAC member agencies
- Specifications will be output based and focused on functional outcomes rather than the highly specific specifications currently in use by a number of AFAC agencies
- Where applicable, specifications will be underpinned by the mandated use of certification to Australian Standards or where none is available another recognised standard
- A national database of technical projects being undertaken by AFAC member agencies will be kept to minimise duplication of effort and encourage sharing of information.
Invariably much of the focus of the CPI will be on the identified year-on-year savings that can be achieved by agencies aggregating their purchasing power.
Other identified longer-term benefits include:
- Adoption of a national approach to specifying, testing and acceptance activities
- Adoption of common risk assessments and training materials
- Greater operational interoperability between agencies resulting in an increased capacity to deal with major disasters
For more information contact:
Arthur Tindall, CPI Project Manager
Ph: 0419 034 637 or
Russell Shephard, AFAC Standards Manager
Ph: + 61 2 6207 9543
