Entities generally have found it beneficial to maintain a contracts register that contains details of all entity contracts. A contract register can be maintained centrally, with staff in work areas providing details to the work areas responsible for maintaining the register of all contracts entered into. Alternatively, details can be input remotely by individual work areas. The contract register could also consist of a number of sub registers maintained by business or geographically-based work areas that collectively represents the entity's contract register.

As well as assisting in meeting reporting responsibilities, contract registers should be used to monitor contract end dates, and opportunities to exercise contract extensions to assist entities to commence new procurements in a timely manner.

Better practice contract registers will have the following characteristics:

•  the register will contain all relevant contract details and be configured to be able to produce reports that can be used to meet the entities' management and reporting responsibilities45

•  responsibility for maintaining the register will be clearly assigned to an individual(s) or work area(s)

•  formal procedures will be promulgated for maintaining the accuracy and completeness of the register. These procedures will provide for a reconciliation or cross-check between the register, the entity's financial management information system and AusTender (where relevant). They should also provide for a periodic quality assurance review of the register

•  the automation, to the extent feasible, of the input of data that will limit, or eliminate the multiple input of data into different systems, assist in improving consistency and reduce the incidence of human error

•  the provision of links to individual contracts, subject to security and confidentiality considerations

•  system access controls designed to ensure unauthorised staff do not have access to, and cannot amend or alter, contract details, and

•  the periodic review by internal audit or other review mechanism.

Entities generally have found it beneficial to maintain a contracts register that contains details of all contracts.