The Senate Order for Departmental and Agency Contracts (the Senate Order) requires FMA Act agencies to make available through their internet site, a list of all contracts to the value of $100 000 or more entered into or not fully performed during the previous months. The Senate Order specifies that the list indicates for each contract whether any confidentiality provisions have been agreed, and if so, the reasons for the confidentiality arrangements. The Senate Order does not apply to CAC Act bodies.27
Where agencies have sufficiently accurate AusTender data, it can assist reporting against the Senate Order or Annual Report requirements. At the time of finalisation of this Guide, the Department of Finance and Deregulation was investigating options to simplify and rationalise these requirements, including the use of AusTender as the sole procurement reporting tool for agencies.
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27 In August 2008 the Government rejected a Senate Committee recommendation that the Senate Order be extended to cover CAC Act bodies.