Assessing a seller's value for money

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Why we assess sellers

We want all buyers on the Marketplace to be confident of sourcing the best possible seller for their needs. With this in mind, all sellers on the Marketplace are required to meet a set of minimum standards. Only sellers who successfully pass our value for money assessment can respond to opportunities.

How it works

Sellers submit their application to join the panel through an online process. It's thorough, efficient, simple, and fair. The process ensures:

  • the application process is consistent, transparent and fair for all sellers
  • all documents and information needed to assess a sellers application is collected
  • each application is assessed by an independent assessment team
  • financial, commercial, and technical capability criteria are met

Screenshot of the seller sign up process

seller_sign_up_screen.png

Caption: An example of the online seller assessment process. Sellers must be approved for each stage.

A two-step process of assessment

Sellers go through a two-step process of assessment when they first apply to join the Marketplace. Step 1 is when we assess a seller's commercial capabilities and they first become a registered seller. Step 2 is when we assess a seller’s pricing and technical capabilities. This is when a seller becomes an approved seller on the Marketplace, and can start responding to opportunities.

Value for money

Value for money (VFM) is part of the comprehensive assessment of sellers on the Marketplace. To assess VFM, both the cost and value of the service being offered by you is considered. This is represented by the pricing as represented by your maximum daily rate and technical and commercial capabilities. The Marketplace also asks for a comparable level of pricing across all sellers, to ensure that businesses offer value for money to government buyers.

Corporate capability

An independent assessment team conducts corporate capability checks. This ensures:

  • seller businesses are active, with an ABN that matches the business name
  • company details and locations are valid (or are part of a larger company group)
  • all disclosures are reviewed internally for risk
  • financial statements, professional indemnity, public liability insurances and workers compensation certificates are valid (buyers can request these documents at any time)
  • a seller's website, LinkedIn and business contact information is current and correct

Where indicated, we also check if the seller:

Technical competency

Sellers can select from several areas of expertise. These relate to the services they wish to provide to buyers. Technical competency is assessed against the relevant criteria for each category selected. Every submission is reviewed by two independent experts.

Only case studies that meet the minimum number of assessment criteria for the area of expertise are approved. Sellers are required to add at least one case study with a referee, then submit it online for assessment.

Categories include:

Pricing

Sellers list their maximum daily rate (including GST) for each service they offer. We use Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) level 5 as a guide. The daily rates trend charts helps buyers and sellers understand the market.

Pricing is assessed against rates that have been provided by other sellers. This helps to determine if the price is competitive compared to other sellers.

If sellers don’t normally offer services on a daily basis, they must still provide a rate for assessment purposes.

Further help

If your procurement teams have any questions, please contact us. Buyers can also request a buyer demo or seek guidance on sourcing your digital capability needs.

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