New Zealand government procurement is shaped by our 6 principles, the Government Procurement Charter and supported by the Government Procurement Rules.
The broad framework we've developed to support good practice in all kinds of procurement includes:
You can use the Rules as well as the Principles and the Charter to help guide the process on any procurement project. All government procurement and the Charter must follow the Principles and some agencies must follow the Rules for certain projects.
The Principles are our overarching values. They apply to all government procurement and provide the foundations of good procurement practice. The 6 principles are:
The Charter sets out Government’s expectations of how agencies should conduct their procurement activity to achieve public value. The New Zealand government directs agencies to:
The Government Procurement Rules exist to support good market engagement, improve cost efficiencies and help drive better outcomes for agencies, businesses and New Zealand.
Anyone can use the Rules to guide procurement best practice. Some agencies must use the Rules for certain projects.
These are other government procurement policies that have been agreed to by Cabinet that you may be required to follow.
The Living Wage policy is one of these. It applies to all public service departments listed in schedule 2 of the Public Service Act. Other policies may be issued in future.
In addition to policy and rules, anyone involved in procurement must be aware of relevant statutes that relate to contracting and buying goods and services, as well as the common law of contracts.
If you are uncertain about any of these aspects, please seek the necessary legal advice.