Australia Indigenous Procurement Policy (May 2026) 3.3: Apply the MSA before any other process, including before buying from a non-coordinated panel: search Supply Nation's directory for suitable Indigenous SMEs; where one is found test value for money under the CPRs and, if satisfied, buy from it (using Exemption 16 above the threshold), assessing several candidates proportionately and offering the contract down the value for money ranking if the best declines; where none is found document the search, consider Exemption 17 and proceed by ordinary process

What does 3.3 require?

Where the MSA applies the procuring official must first determine whether an Indigenous SME could deliver the good or service on a value for money basis, and only after that may Exemption 17 of Appendix A to the CPRs or ordinary procurement processes be used; other than for coordinated procurement arrangements the MSA must be applied before procuring from an existing panel. The official must search Supply Nation's directory for suitable Indigenous SMEs. If one is identified the official takes steps to determine whether it could deliver on a value for money basis consistent with the CPRs and, if so, the entity must purchase from it, using Exemption 16 where the value is at or above the relevant threshold; if several suitable Indigenous SMEs are identified they are assessed in a manner proportionate to the scale, scope and risk of the procurement and the contract awarded to the one representing best value for money, and if that SME declines the contract should be offered to each subsequent SME that met the value for money requirement. If no suitable Indigenous SME is identified the official documents the outcome of the search, considers Exemption 17, and follows the entity's ordinary procurement practice.