Checklist of potential risks in the goods and services procurement process

Understatement of the need

Purchase of unsuitable product or service

Money wasted

Need not satisfied

Analyse need accurately

Overstatement of the need

Greater expense

Poor competition

Analyse need accurately

Use functional and performance requirements

Misinterpretation of user needs

Totally unacceptable purchase or not most suitable product or service

Time lost

Increased costs

Possible downtime

Improve consultation with users

Obtain clear statement of work and definition of need

Insufficient funding

Delay in making the purchase

Additional costs for re-tender

Obtain appropriate approvals before undertaking process

Improve planning

Impractical timeframe

Inadequate responses from tenderers

Reduced competition

Delivery schedule not met

Improve forecasting, planning and consultation with users

Improve communication with potential tenderers

Probity issues

Increased procurement costs

Misuse of resources

Most suitable product not obtained

Unethical conduct

Implement best practice policies, guidelines and practices

Maintain ethical environment

Improve training of personnel

Put suitable controls and reviews in place

Consider using a probity adviser

Improve communication with potential tenderers

Narrow definition or commercial specification (eg. use of brand name)

Fewer alternatives

Most suitable product or service may not be obtained

Increased costs

Define the specification in terms of required outputs

Use functional and performance specifications

Definition of inappropriate product or service

Need not satisfied

Time lost

Increased costs

Possible downtime

Ensure specification is consistent with needs analysis

Improve market knowledge

Use functional and performance specifications

Biased specification

Inadequate responses from tenderers

Claims of unfair dealings

Use functional and performance specifications

Implement a control mechanism to review specification before release

Inadequate statement of requirements

Variety of offers

Insufficient responses

Products offered not meeting needs

Difficult to evaluate

Be familiar with requirements

Use functional and performance specifications

Use an Expression of Interest or Request for Information to clarify requirements (be careful not to infringe intellectual property rights or copyright)

Failure to identify potential sources

Lack of offers from suitable tenderers

Improve procurement planning processes

Improve market knowledge

Seek industry participation

Use the Industry Capability Network (ICN)

Selecting inappropriate method

Need to seek offers again

Possible cost variations

Failure to obtain value for money

Improve implementation of procurement policies, guidelines and practices

Improve tender documentation and clearly identify the evaluation criteria in Request for Tenders

Provide staff with appropriate training and experience

Terms and conditions unacceptable to tenderers

Loading of costs in offers

Having to modify tender terms and conditions

Disruption

Low response

Use standard documentation prepared by Crown Law

Select appropriate documentation for purchase type (ie. goods, services, goods and services, or information technology related)

Improve tender planning

Assess and allocate risks appropriately

Consult with Crown Law

Use commercially acceptable terms

Provide staff with appropriate tender planning and procurement skills

Providing inadequate information

Loading of costs in offers

Variations in offers

Having to provide clarifying information, causing delays in tender closing

Additional costs

Ensure staff have appropriate tender planning and documentation training and experience

Improve tender planning and preparation

Review tender documents before issuing them and ensure evaluation criteria contain the critical factors on which assessment of tenders will be based

Failure to adequately address enquiries from tenderers

Claims of unfair practices

Offers with qualifications by tenderers

Withdrawal of offers

Implement standardised procedures for responding to enquiries

Provide staff with appropriate tender management training and experience

Respond in a timely manner to enquiries

Allow adequate time for tenderers to respond

Actual or perceived favouritism in providing information

Complaints from tenderers

Withdrawal of offers

As above

Answer queries in writing and provide copies to all potential tenderers

Ensure that all potential tenderers are provided with any addenda

Actual or perceived breach of confidentiality

Complaints from tenderers

Mistrust by tenderers

Establish formal security procedures

Train staff in their obligations

Perform regular audits and reviews of security processes

Advise tenderers of security measures

Insufficient number of responses

Need to undertake process again

Increased costs

Delayed delivery to the client

Poor value for money due to limited competition

Use appropriate tender advertisement strategy to increase competition (eg. consider advertising tenders in other publications as well as the local paper)

Consult with the ICN to identify potential tenderers

Provide potential tenderers with advance notice of tender requests

Improve tender documentation and specifications

Allow sufficient time for tenderers to respond

No response from known quality suppliers

Reduced competition

Increased costs of products or services

Actions as above for insufficient number of responses

Improve your market knowledge

Review specifications or conditions

Seek feedback from known suppliers on their non-response

Failure to follow effective evaluation procedures

Inconsistent evaluations

Possible complaints from tenderers

Subjective not objective evaluation of offers

Provide staff with appropriate tender assessment and evaluation training and experience

Improve tender assessment and evaluation processes

Maintain, audit and review evaluation procedures

Ensure that Evaluation Committee members declare any conflicts of interest

Breaches of security

Claims of unethical or unfair practices

Loss of faith with tenderers

Maintain, audit and review security procedures

Provide staff with appropriate training and experience and monitor performance

Ensure that Evaluation Committee members understand and sign Confidentiality Agreements

Offers fail to meet needs

Need to call tenders again

Additional costs

Delay in delivery

Improve market knowledge

Improve tender documentation

Conduct market research

Develop functional and performance specifications

Failure to identify a clear winner

Decision made on subjective grounds

Claims of unethical and unfair behaviour

Complaints from tenderers

Ensure evaluation criteria contain the critical factors on which the assessment of tenders will be based and that they are clearly identifiable to tenderers in tender documents

Ensure evaluation criteria are appropriate and measurable

Ensure that Evaluation Committee members sign Declaration of Conflict and Confidentiality Agreements

Selecting an inappropriate supplier

Failure to fulfil the contract

Provide staff with appropriate tender evaluation, financial and technical skills training and commercial expertise

Improve evaluation procedures

Improve evaluation criteria and clearly identify them to tenderers in tender documents

Reject unacceptable offers

Perform financial, technical and company evaluations before awarding contract

Procurement Review Committee to review tender and selection process prior to awarding contract

Selecting inappropriate product

Failure to meet the client's need

Ensure users are involved in the evaluation/selection process

Improve technical evaluation procedures and train staff as appropriate

Procurement Review Committee to review tender and selection process prior to awarding contract

Not matching the expectations of buyer and tenderer

Contract disputes

Delivery delays

Cost variations

Reduction in value for money

Purchase of less suitable product

Inefficient use of resources

Improve communication, including ensuring that Conditions of Contract form part of the Request for Tender

Provide staff with training in contract planning and management

Define terms carefully

Record each party's obligations

Clarify all ambiguities before signing the contract

Deadlock on details of agreement

Delays in delivery

Need to restart procurement

Possible cost of legal action

Look at alternatives to share risk

Distinguish between essential and non-essential goals and requirements

Failure to secure mandatory conditions

Inability to finalise contract

Delays in delivery

Variations in cost

Inefficient use of resources

Establish baseline before negotiations

Distinguish essential goals from others

Consider variations to contract

Provide negotiators with adequate training

Unfair or onerous requirements on the tenderer in the contract conditions

Contract disputes

Invalidity of contract

Legal action

Poor supplier/customer relationship

Provide negotiators with adequate training and support

Negotiate commercial terms

Terms should be fair and reasonable

Failure to reflect the terms offered and agreed in the contract

Contract disputes

Legal action

Poor supplier/customer relationship

Check final draft of contract with successful tenderer

Keep records of all negotiations and agreements

Inadvertently creating a contract without the delegate's prior approval

Expense of negotiating out of the contract and paying damages

Committing to other associated work prior to main contract existing

Procedure in place to ensure delegate's approval obtained first

Provide negotiators with adequate training

Variations in price and foreign exchange

Cost overruns

Agree on prices and the basis of prices

Agree on a formula for calculating variations

Unwillingness of the supplier to accept the contract

Delays in delivery

Need to restart procurement

Seek legal redress if non-acceptance causes loss

Negotiate but retain integrity of the contract

Failure of either party to fulfil the conditions of the contract

Contract disputes

Failure to satisfy needs

Delays in delivery

Downtime

Legal action

Ensure good contract administration and performance management

Hold regular inspections / meetings and ensure progress reports

Ensure all staff know responsibilities and conditions

Ensure good record keeping and documentation

Inadequately administering the contract

Cost increases

Failure of contract

Full benefits not achieved

Delivery of unsatisfactory product

Contract/supply disputes

Maintain up-to-date agency procedures and practices

Ensure all staff are suitably trained and experienced in contract planning and management

Commencement of work by the supplier before contract is exchanged or letter of acceptance issued

Potential liability to pay for unauthorised work

Possibility of legal action for perceived breach of contract

Confirm verbal acceptance of contract with written advice

Accept all contracts in writing

Ensure approvals are received before allowing work to start

Unauthorised increase in scope of work

Unanticipated cost increases

Contract disputes

Ensure all contract amendments are issued in writing

Record all discussions and negotiations

Confirm instructions in writing

Loss of intellectual property

Loss of commercial opportunity

Unwarranted reliance on supplier for product support

Ensure suitable clauses are included in the contract

Failure to meet liabilities of third parties (eg. royalties or third party property insurance)

Legal action

Damage to the agency's professional reputation

Check that all obligations are covered in the contract

Agree on responsibilities

Implement appropriate safety standards and programs

Loss or damage to goods in transit

Delays in delivery

Downtime

Liability disputes

Include appropriate packaging instructions in specification

Agree on insurance cover for supplier to provide

Accept delivery only after inspection

Know when title of goods is transferred to buyer

Fraud

Misuse of resources

Legal action

Disruption to procurement activities

Maintain an ethical environment

Follow and maintain fraud control procedures

Key personnel not available

Progress on project disrupted

Less expertise

Include requirement in specification and ensure compliance in post-tender negotiation

Know the market

Accept risk and manage possible delay

Failure to evaluate procurement and management processes

Failure to improve procurement and management processes

Develop systematic evaluation methods, techniques and evaluation criteria

Failure to identify and address problems

Procurement objectives not achieved

Possible failure in the future

Agree on performance criteria (with supplier and customer)

Develop good relationships with suppliers

Include evaluation clause in the contract

Implement performance management strategies

Collusive bidding at auction

Not achieving best return

Claims of unethical and unfair practices

Set reserve prices

Deal with reputable firms

Include disposal clause in initial contract

Maintain ethical environment

Inadequate tender management

Claims of bias and favouritism to organisations or individuals

Reduction in value for money

Sell by open tender

Document reasons for decision

Provide staff with appropriate training