Embedding the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) in a New Commonwealth Agency
Published: 19 May 2026
Project Overview
Executive Summary
In 2024, AcademyGlobal was asked to prepare a series of training sessions for a newly established Commonwealth Government department which was drawing staff from a range of different government departments, both state and Commonwealth, and also from the private sector. The staff were required to follow the revised version of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs). Together with the Chief Procurement Officer, under the oversight of the agency’s Chief Financial Officer, AcademyGlobal developed an outline for a half-day or four-hour virtually delivered program. This comprised various staff from finance, procurement, contracting, the General Counsel’s Office, and senior agency delivery staff.
The Challenge
The agency, being a new and smaller organisation, did not have a large breadth and depth of expertise across public sector procurement and contract management. Having sourced staff from state and private sector environments, the senior executive and the Chief Procurement Officer were concerned that there may be some inconsistencies in understanding and application of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules in practice.
The agency was small, and neither the senior executive nor the Chief Procurement Officer had the bandwidth to run a structured uplift program internally. They needed a partner who could design content matched to the revised CPRs, deliver it virtually to staff across multiple locations, and produce verifiable assurance that staff had understood the material.
Inconsistent application of the CPRs in a Commonwealth agency exposes the entity to Australian National Audit Office findings, potential parliamentary committee scrutiny, and reputational damage in the agency’s formative period.
The agency is newly-established and the leadership should be the one to ensure that compliance is of high standard.
The Strategy and Solution
Together with the Chief Procurement Officer, with oversight of the agency’s Chief Financial Officer, AcademyGlobal developed an outline for a half-day or four-hour virtually delivered program. This comprised various staff from finance, procurement, contracting, the General Counsel’s Office, and senior agency delivery staff.
A case study was developed which demonstrated a goods contract being established from the planning through to the sourcing and contract phase. A second case study was based upon a services contract. Throughout the journey of the program, each stage of the planning, sourcing, and managing of the contract was linked back to the requirements under the Commonwealth Procurement Rules.
Two case studies were used in preference to one for a specific reason. Goods and services procurement diverge meaningfully under the CPRs, particularly around specification, evaluation, and contract management. Running both ensures staff cannot leave the program thinking they have understood the CPRs when they have only understood one half of them.
AG drew on its broader procurement training catalogue, including the Procurement Fundamentals and Contract Management Essentials programmes, to shape the underlying content.
The choice of virtual delivery was deliberate. Staff were spread across Australia, and a virtual format meant the program could be delivered in a single sitting without requiring travel. The four-hour duration kept the program tight enough to hold attention while leaving room for genuine case study work.
Delivery and Execution
Phase 1: Design and alignment with the CPO
AG and the Chief Procurement Officer agreed the scope, the cohort, the case study contexts, and the assessment design. The CFO was kept in the loop throughout because the post-program assurance was a financial-control concern as much as a procurement concern. The design phase lasted over 2 weeks and it involved interviews of the Chief Procurement Officer and Learning & Development business partners.
Phase 2: Virtual delivery
The four-hour program was delivered virtually. Staff worked through the goods contract case study and then the services contract case study, with each stage of the planning, sourcing, and managing of the contract linked back to the requirements under the Commonwealth Procurement Rules. Facilitated discussion was run throughout so staff could surface where their previous experience differed from the CPR requirement.
Phase 3: Knowledge check and remediation
Following the training program, staff were required to undertake a brief online knowledge check type of assessment, which served to provide high levels of assurance to the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Procurement Officer that the staff understood the learnings and the application of the CPRs to their roles across both goods and services procurement activities. The workshop was assessed via online evaluation and self-assessments. Participants who had not successfully completed their post-workshop assessment were either coached individually or given an opportunity to reset their online assessment activity.
The Results and Success
This led to an increased level of confidence in the CFO and the Chief Procurement Officer in relation to compliance. It also provided an opportunity for participants who had not successfully completed their post-workshop assessment to either be coached individually or have an opportunity to reset their online assessment activity. This was another example of a successful tailored project delivered virtually to staff across Australia, which was tailored to the individual requirements of this new, small Commonwealth government agency.
AG continues to deliver tailored virtual programs of this kind for Commonwealth and state agencies. Open-enrolment equivalents include Procurement Fundamentals and Contract Management Essentials. For agencies seeking the same custom format, AG’s tailored in-house programs remain the preferred route.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Commonwealth Procurement Rules are issued by the Minister for Finance and govern how Commonwealth entities procure goods and services. They apply to non-corporate Commonwealth entities and to prescribed corporate Commonwealth entities, setting the framework for value, fairness, and competition in procurement.
A focused virtual program for an entire agency cohort can be delivered in a single four-hour session when paired with structured case study work and a post-program knowledge check. Longer formats are appropriate where staff need deeper grounding in specific elements of the rules.
A short, structured assessment after training gives the CPO and CFO documented evidence that staff understood the rules and can apply them. It also identifies any staff who need additional coaching, which can be provided before the staff member is asked to make procurement decisions in role.