Funding and Procurement Complaints Procedures

This page provides information about the procedures for making complaints regarding funding and procurement processes

Introduction

The Department of Health and Ageing’s (DoHA) role is to achieve the Australian Government’s priorities for health and ageing. In order to achieve these priorities DoHA invests a substantial amount of Commonwealth monies in programs via a range of procurement and funding activities.

In order to ensure administrative transparency the department has a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory complaints handling procedure for procurement and funding.

This page provides guidance to participants involved in procurement or funding processes who may wish to lodge a complaint about either of those processes.

Process for lodgement

If you wish to lodge a dispute or complaint about a procurement or funding process, you should do so by advising in writing the Departmental Contact Officer for that process. You should provide details of the basis upon which the dispute or complaint is being lodged, including:

a clear statement regarding what you consider was defective in the tendering/funding process;
copies of, or references to, information to support the complaint; and
a statement regarding what you wish to achieve from the complaint process.

The Contact Officer or his/her manager will acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing within 10 working days of receiving it. If further correspondence or information is required, you will be given no less than 15 working days to respond to any communication from DoHA unless the matter is urgent.

The Departmental Contact Officer, and his or her manager will attempt to resolve the matter.

The department will advise you of the decision in writing within a reasonable timeframe, which will usually be within 15 working days of receiving all written correspondence relating to a complaint.

Process for review

If you are not satisfied with the department’s response then you may seek an independent internal departmental review of the complaint.

The internal review officer will promptly notify you in writing to advise of their appointment and the expected time frame for making the internal review decision. The notice will also include a request for any further information that may be required to conduct the review. You will be given no less than 15 working days to provide any further information unless the matter is urgent.

The internal review officer will notify you in writing of the decision within the timeframe specified in the original notice.

Where you are not satisfied with the department’s response, you may wish to lodge a complaint with the Commonwealth Ombudsman.