Join public sector and industry leaders for a practical discussion on how stronger judgement, defensible decision-making and human accountability can improve procurement outcomes, reduce risk and build public trust.
Live online events
Description
Every procurement decision involves judgement. Public sector professionals operate within established rules, policies and governance frameworks, but achieving strong public outcomes requires more than compliance alone. It requires people who can exercise sound judgement, work with incomplete information, engage stakeholders effectively, balance competing priorities and make decisions that are transparent, ethical and defensible.
At the same time, procurement teams are operating under increasing pressure. Resource constraints, compressed timelines, changing markets, greater expectations around transparency and public value, and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence are changing both how decisions are made and who, or what, contributes to them.
AcademyGlobal and the Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) invite you to an executive panel conversation examining what better decision-making looks like in practice across public sector procurement and delivery.
Moderated by Teresa Scott, Executive Director, Australasian Procurement and Construction Council Inc., the webinar will bring together perspectives from government and industry to examine the real decision points that influence procurement outcomes.
Joining the discussion will be:
- Kate Ingham, Assistant Under Treasurer, Procurement Policy and Strategy, Department of Treasury and Finance
- Andrew Bennett, Deputy Director-General, Queensland Government Procurement & QFleet, Department of Housing and Public Works
- Paul Gordon, CEO & Technical Director, Catalyze
- Shona Bernard Chandler, Senior Consultant & People & Culture Lead, Catalyze
The panel will explore the practical realities of making good decisions within government: when to exercise judgement, how to make decisions defensible, how to involve stakeholders without losing momentum, and how to retain human accountability as technology increasingly supports the decision process.
The discussion will explore:
- From compliance to outcomes: how procurement professionals can work confidently within governance frameworks while exercising the judgement needed to achieve better outcomes.
- What makes a decision defensible: the importance of transparency, evidence, documentation, ethics and clear reasoning when making decisions involving public money.
- Judgement under pressure: how time, resource constraints, incomplete information and competing priorities influence the quality of decisions.
- The cost of not reconsidering: what organisations may forgo when contracts, procurement approaches or existing arrangements are simply rolled forward because teams lack the capacity to revisit the underlying decision.
- Stakeholders and perspectives: how better engagement with users, suppliers, subject-matter experts, communities and other stakeholders can improve decision quality without unnecessarily complicating the process.
- Governance and decision-making: why governance and decision-making are closely connected but distinct, and how governance can support rather than constrain good judgement.
- Ethics and public trust: how organisations can create environments in which practitioners are empowered to exercise judgement while ensuring decisions remain ethical, transparent and accountable.
- AI and the future of procurement decision-making: how AI can reduce administrative workload, support analysis and improve access to information while ensuring that accountability for decisions remains firmly with people.
- Lessons from practice: examples from procurement, government programs, projects and organisational decision-making in Australia and internationally, with a particular focus on the everyday and medium-scale decisions faced by public sector practitioners.
Webinar Format
Time | Topic |
5 mins | Welcome and introductions – Genevieve Malcolm opens and hands over to Moderator Teresa Scott, who introduces the panel and frames the discussion around judgement, decision quality and public value. |
40 mins | Executive panel discussion and case study conversation – Moderated conversation drawing on government and industry experience, practical examples and different perspectives on the core themes. |
10 mins | Audience Q&A – Questions from participants, with additional moderator questions available to extend key themes. |
5 mins | Key takeaways – Practical reflections from each panellist on strengthening decision capability within public sector organisations. |
Who should attend?
This webinar will be particularly relevant to:
- public sector procurement and contract management professionals
- procurement and commercial managers
- project and program professionals
- category and sourcing specialists
- government managers and emerging leaders
- governance, risk and assurance professionals
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to move beyond a purely compliance-based approach to decision-making and apply sound judgement, stronger governance and greater accountability to achieve better public outcomes.
