Executive Procurement Compliance Across Government
Published: 19 May 2026
Project Overview
Executive Summary
In 2025, AcademyGlobal was approached by a major state government department. This government department comprises a large number and variety of agencies, which are quite different in the services which they provide. A number of the smaller agencies had been found to not be operating in line with the New South Wales government policies in respect to contract disclosures and segregation of duties in the procurement and contract management phase of the procurement lifecycle. Rather than simply running a training intervention for the benefit of those staff directly involved in the procurement and contract management function, the Secretary of the government department required all of her senior executives, including Deputy Secretaries, Chief Executives, and Executive Directors, to attend a full-day workshop.
The Challenge
Three agencies within the department had been found to not be operating in line with the New South Wales government policies in respect to contract disclosures and segregation of duties in the procurement and contract management phase of the procurement lifecycle.
Where contract disclosure obligations are missed, or where the same officer plans, sources and approves a contract, the conditions for probity failure, conflict of interest, and potential fraud would be in place.
Rather than simply running a training intervention for the benefit of those staff directly involved in the procurement and contract management function, the Secretary of the government department required all of her senior executives, including Deputy Secretaries, Chief Executives, and Executive Directors, to attend a full-day workshop.
Procurement and contract management compliance is ultimately an executive responsibility. Where senior leaders are unclear on the legislative framework, the role of bodies such as the Audit Office of New South Wales and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, or their own accountability for decisions taken below them, compliance becomes patchy.
Continued non-compliance would have exposed the department to audit findings, potential referral to integrity bodies, reputational damage across multiple agencies, and the prospect of contract decisions being unwound.
Alignment of the deputy secretary and senior executive to consistent understanding of roles and responsibilities across procurement lifecycle is needed.
The Strategy and Solution
AcademyGlobal designed a single intensive day specifically for the senior executive cohort. The day was deliberately structured in two halves so that the legislative and policy foundation was settled before executives were asked to reason through realistic scenarios.
The workshop comprised a refresh and review of legislation, policy, and the role of the investigating and integrity agencies, including the Audit Office and Fraud and Corruption Commissions, and ran through areas that executives must be aware of regarding procurement and contract management compliance necessity.
The second part of the day was driven by a series of case studies, which were loosely based upon actual problems, issues of maladministration, lack of conflict-of-interest disclosure, and, in some cases, potential fraud events.
Executives worked through the case studies collectively in individual table groups, with senior executives reporting back to the broader group on their individual case study, the background to their case, and their recommendations for why the course of action that was originally intended was inappropriate, as well as recommendations for what should have been done as an alternative.
This approach was chosen over a generic compliance briefing for three reasons:
- Executives respond to scenarios they recognise; abstract policy lectures do not move behaviour.
- Peer-to-peer report-back surfaced different agencies’ interpretations of the same rules, making inconsistencies visible.
- The case study method produced shared language and shared expectations that executives could take back into their agencies the next day.
AG drew on its work as the APCC-certified provider of probity-related training and on the framework set out in the Probity and Integrity in Practice programme to shape the workshop content.
Delivery and Execution
Phase 1: Discovery and alignment
AG worked with the department’s central procurement leadership and the office of the Secretary to identify the specific compliance gaps, recent audit findings, and the executive cohort to be enrolled. Case study material was drafted from real anonymised events within the department’s agencies so that the day would resonate. The design phase lasts two weeks, and the workshop scope was based upon the feedback received from each prior workshop.
Phase 2: Workshop delivery
This in-person program was attended by over 100 executives and was delivered as a full-day workshop. The first half of the day comprised learning and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of senior executives against legislation and policy. The second part of the day was driven by a series of case studies, with senior executives working in table groups and reporting back to the broader group.
Phase 3: Reinforcement and follow-through
After the workshop, AG supported the department to translate the shared executive understanding into ongoing coordination practices between procurement leaders and the broader executive group.
The Results and Success
The impact of this workshop has been to raise the level of awareness and understanding, and to strengthen the compliance posture of agencies within the broader department. The Department Secretary and Deputy Secretaries arrived and spoke of increased confidence in ensuring that their executives were familiar not only with the black-letter law and policy, but also the practical application of these in the context of their individual agencies, as well as the repercussions associated with a failure to follow these areas appropriately.
The other result has been a much greater sense of coordination and regular communication between executives and the procurement and contract management leaders across the agencies, including the central agency functions for the department.
AG continues to deliver similar tailored executive workshops for state and Commonwealth government departments. The Procurement for NSW Public Sector course is the closest open-enrolment equivalent for staff within the procurement function, and the Strategic Risk Management programme covers the broader risk and governance picture for executives. For agencies seeking the same custom format, AG’s tailored in-house programs remain the preferred route.
Frequently Asked Questions
Procurement and contract management compliance is an executive responsibility. Where senior leaders are unclear on the legislative framework or the limits of their delegations, audit and integrity risk follows. Training executives produces consistent decision-making and stronger oversight of the procurement team’s day-to-day work.
A combined refresh of legislation and policy, the role of integrity bodies including the Audit Office and corruption commissions, executive accountability for contract decisions, conflict of interest, segregation of duties, and case study analysis of realistic scenarios drawn from the agency’s own context.
AG works with the client to identify the specific compliance gaps, recent audit findings, and the executive cohort to be enrolled. Case study material is drafted from real anonymised events so that the workshop resonates. AG’s tailored in-house programs are designed exactly this way.