Using the workplace and classroom furniture contract

Using this contract

• 1

  Determine your requirements

  Start by determining your agency's requirements and what you need to source from the panel.

  Keep in mind your agency's current model for office or classroom furniture, and what you may need in the future.

  Your agency should consider:

  1. annual or anticipated demand for furniture
  2. scale of fit out
  3. product scope (storage, seating, workstations, meeting rooms)
  4. recycling and upcycling current furniture
  5. warranty, maintenance and support services.

  By determining your requirements ahead of time, you can form a clear picture of what outcome you want to achieve.

• 2

  Review the suppliers

  Consider each supplier's value-add services, profile and how they align with your requirements. You can find this information on the workplace and classroom furniture suppliers page (requires an agency login).

  Workplace and classroom furniture suppliers

  You don’t need to select a single supplier for a fit out. A range of suppliers can be used to cater to different requirements. For example, a particular supplier may be able to supply your storage cabinets, and another may be able to supply your desk chairs.

  Our suppliers have targets to increase the proportion of their products that have sustainability accreditations. This can help support your own sustainability goals.

  Workplace and classroom furniture broader outcomes

• 3

  Talk to the suppliers

  Talk to the suppliers to learn more about their services and tell them your needs.

  Depending on the estimated value of your engagement, you may have to seek quotes from a selection of panel suppliers.

• 4

  Decide on a selection process

  Your secondary procurement process will be determined by the value of your engagement. This is based on the estimated whole of life contractual value, according to your agency’s procurement policy.

  For expenditure greater than $100,000

  Your agency can seek quotes from as many relevant panel suppliers as necessary, according to your internal procurement policy. You don’t have to seek quotes from all of them, but seeking quotes from a greater number of suppliers leads to better value for money. If the fit out is particularly high value or complex, you may need layout design services or installation services as well. In this case, you can use a Request for Proposal (RFP) process instead.

  For expenditure of $100,000 or less

  Your agency must act according to your internal procurement policy. Depending on your policy, you can either choose a supplier without requesting a quote, or request quotes from multiple different suppliers. Your agency can source products directly from your chosen commodity furniture supplier if the products are standalone items and not part of a fit-out project. If you want to purchase like-for-like replacements or extra furniture related to a fit-out, you can do this directly through the supplier who managed it.

• 5

  Request information

  Issue a Request for Quote (RFQ) to the selected panel suppliers. The RFQ should contain as much of the following as possible:

  1. quantity and description of product required
  2. colour, quality, material, style and functionality requirements
  3. relevant timeframes
  4. location of delivery
  5. weighting criteria for the final selection of suppliers
  6. a point of contact for any clarification questions.

  You can also include any other criteria you think are necessary. If a supplier can meet your requirements, they may respond to the RFQ.

  Government model RFx templates

• 6

  Evaluate the responses and select a supplier

  Evaluate the response(s) against your requirements. It’s good practice to establish an evaluation panel with members that have a range of relevant expertise, like in property management or facilities management. You can find more information about evaluation panels below.

  Setting up the evaluation panels

  Once you have chosen your supplier and agreed on the service requirements, you need to issue either a purchase order, other order documentation, or a Statement of Work to the successful supplier. You can find the Statement of work template in the Contract documents section.

• 7

  Debrief unsuccessful suppliers

  Unsuccessful suppliers should be offered a debrief. This can be a face-to-face meeting, phone call or email. In the debrief, you must:

  • provide the reasons why an offer was not successful
  • explain how the offer performed against the evaluation criteria
  • indicate the advantages of the successful offer
  • answer any concerns or questions from the supplier.

  You can find more information about supplier debriefs below.

  Debriefing unsuccessful suppliers

  End of process