Strengthening integrity of supplier conduct

A new Commonwealth Supplier Code of Conduct came into force on 1 July 2024. It is a key measure to strengthen the Australian Government’s identification of, and response to, supplier misconduct.

The government entered into procurement contracts with suppliers with a value of over $99 billion in 2023–24. The Commonwealth expects its suppliers to conduct themselves with high standards of ethics and consistently act with integrity and accountability.

Finance has taken a number of actions to strengthen supplier integrity and contract transparency. These include:

  • introducing the Code of Conduct which outlines the behavioural standards expected of suppliers and their sub-contractors during procurement processes and while under contract
  • introducing Notifications of Significant Events clauses into standard Government procurement contracts to further strengthen the ability of the government to cancel contracts in response to unethical behaviour
  • undertaking a whole-of-government review of confidentiality provisions and conflict-of-interest disclosures
  • upskilling the procurement capability of Australian Public Service officials to improve the procurement system and engagement with businesses
  • improving transparency of contracts through enhanced reporting on AusTender.

These actions build upon an already strong Commonwealth Procurement Framework.

This framework requires procuring officials to take into account the past performance of suppliers, including their ethical behaviour, when undertaking a value-for-money assessment as part of the procurement process.

It requires consideration of a wide range of matters in all value-for-money assessments and allows for tenderers to be excluded on grounds such as:

  • bankruptcy
  • insolvency
  • false declarations
  • significant deficiencies in performance of any substantive requirement or obligation under a prior contract.

These initiatives form a set of measures undertaken by the Australian Government to further bolster integrity protections following the breach of confidentiality by PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia during consultations with The Treasury on the development of tax laws.

This work complements the Australian Government’s APS Reform agenda, and APS Strategic Commissioning Framework, which aims to reduce the Commonwealth’s reliance on contractors and consultants and rebuild capability with the APS.

See also in this report

Integrity – Louder Than Words: An APS Integrity Action Plan

Capability and leadership – Strategic Commissioning Framework

Find out more

Finance (2024) Commonwealth Supplier Code of Conduct – Overview, Finance website, accessed 25 July 2025.

Finance (n.d.) Commonwealth Procurement Framework, Finance website, accessed 25 July 2024.

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