Government Chief Digital Officer assurance services panel

What's covered

The Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) assurance services sub-panel ('the GCDO sub-panel') covers the following categories:

• Project assurance
• Programme assurance
• Portfolio assurance
• Technical design assurance
• Technical implementation assurance

What’s not covered

For all other assurance services, you should use the All-of-Government (AoG) consultancy services contract.

Consultancy services

How it works

This is a sub-panel of the 'Assurance' category of the AoG Consultancy services contract.

Before being appointed to the GCDO sub-panel, providers must first be appointed to the panel of providers for Consultancy services, in the Assurance category. This means that providers must first sign an AoG services agreement for consultancy services.

The following organisations are required to use the GCDO sub-panel for Independent Quality Assurance (IQA) and Technical Quality Assurance (TQA) services for digital investments, regardless of whether the investment is high risk or not:

• public service departments
• non-public service departments
• certain Crown entities (ACC, Natural Hazards Commission (formerly EQC), NZQA, Waka Kotahi, Kainga Ora, NZTE, TEC, Te Whatu Ora).

Other agencies are encouraged and welcome to opt-in at any time.

Contract information, including the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and services agreements, can be found on the Consultancy services page. The information below relates specifically to the GCDO sub-panel.

Consultancy services

To use a provider from this sub-panel, your agency first has to determine the requirements for the engagement.

Then, you can choose a provider, either directly from this sub-panel or using a secondary selection process. Make sure you refer to the Consultancy services providers page when choosing a supplier, as this shows providers that the GCDO has approved. 

Consultancy services providers

You can also choose a lead reviewer. You’ll need to get approval for the Terms of Reference and then fill in a Consultancy Services Order.  

At the end of the engagement, you’ll need to review the assurance report and fill in a survey.

More detail on each of these steps is on the ‘Using the Government Chief Digital Officer assurance services panel’ page.

Using the Government Chief Digital Officer GCDO assurance services panel

Features and benefits

The GCDO sub-panel aims to improve the quality, consistency and independence of assurance services that agencies receive. It also aims to: 

• Help agencies make better-informed investment decisions.
• Give the Chief Executive (or equivalent) and other key stakeholders confidence that expected investment outcomes and benefits will be achieved.
• Deliver value for money and efficiencies for agencies by not having to maintain their own panels or perform lengthy tender processes.

Joining this contract

Government agencies eligible to participate in All-of-Government (AoG) contracts can access the Consultancy services contract by signing the joining form.

The joining form confirms that your agency agrees to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Annexure A in the MoU has information about the GCDO sub-panel, including agency responsibilities.

There are no additional requirements for agencies to access the GCDO sub-panel. Joining documents can be found on the Consultancy services page.

Consultancy services

Contract documents

Roles and responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) and New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP)

The GCDO is responsible for the day-to-day management of this sub-panel, including:

• monitoring the provider’s performance against GCDO service levels
• strategic provider relationship management
• helping participating agencies to manage ad hoc issues with the provider
• managing GCDO assurance services disputes that have been escalated to the GCDO.

NZGP continues to be responsible for:

• approving new participating agencies
• any changes to the Consultancy services contract, including increasing/decreasing rates with providers.

More information about the roles and responsibilities of each party for All-of-Government contracts in general can be found on the roles and responsibilities page.

Roles and responsibilities

Relationship to other panels

There’s a relationship between:

• the All-of-Government Consultancy services contract
• this sub-panel (GCDO assurance services)
• the Information security professional services panel managed by Department of Internal Affairs

The panel your agency should choose depends on the type of services you want to source. If you want to procure assurance services for digital investments, and your agency falls within the scope of the GCDO’s mandate, you must use this GCDO sub-panel. For all other assurance services, you should use the Consultancy services contract.

If you want to procure ICT security consulting services, you should use the Department of Internal Affairs’ Information security professional services panel. This includes the certification and accreditation of new systems. The Information security professional services panel has a dedicated page with more information. 

Information Security Professional Services | NZ Digital government ICT Security and Related Services Panel