Published on Australian Maritime Safety Authority (https://www.amsa.gov.au)
Find out how to make complaints in relation to procurements we conduct.
Tenderers can make a general complaint about any aspect of our procurement process. (These are separate to complaints made under the Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Act 2018.)
If you have a concern during the tender process, raise it with us as early as possible. We may resolve your concern by:
Addressing concerns early can prevent more serious problems later.
To submit a formal internal complaint in writing, email contracts-enquiries@amsa.gov.au.
Tell us the concerns you have regarding the response to your general complaint.
Include the following information:
When we receive your complaint, we will:
We take complaints seriously and manage all complaints fairly and efficiently.
Your complaint won't affect your ability to be part of future procurement processes.
The Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Act 2018 (GPJR) establishes an independent complaint mechanism for government procurement processes.
As a Commonwealth entity, we have the responsibility to investigate complaints and suspend procurements during the investigation, unless there is a public interest certificate.
The Act requires that we are responsible to formally investigate complaints made in accordance, and to suspend procurements during the investigation of a complaint, unless a public interest certificate is in place.
If you think AMSA has breached the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, you can lodge a complaint with the assigned AMSA contact officer for procurement.
How to submit your complaint:
Please review the legislation or obtain advice to understand this option.
Under the Act, upon receiving a complaint covered by the Act, we must investigate and under section 19 (1) (b) prepare a report of the investigation.
Should you wish to withdraw the complaint prior to completion of the investigation, we will seek to have this confirmed in writing by you as the complainant.
If our response following investigation of your formal complaint does not satisfy you, you may seek a review by the Whole-of-Australian-Government Procurement Coordinator.
To learn more about the Procurement Coordinator's role in managing complaints and how to report a complaint, please refer to the Department of Finance website.
You can also raise your complaint with the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The Commonwealth Ombudsman considers and investigates complaints about the administrative actions of Commonwealth entities. The Ombudsman seeks to resolve disputes through consultation and negotiation. The Ombudsman can suggest or recommend a particular course of action but cannot override a decision made by AMSA. The Ombudsman will report its findings to the complainant and to AMSA (including a recommendation to reverse a decision, if appropriate) and may report to Parliament.
Please visit the Commonwealth Ombudsman website for more information.
Public officials who suspect wrongdoing within the Commonwealth public sector can raise their concerns under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013.
Conduct which may be the subject of a public interest disclosure includes, but are not limited to:
Learn more about how to make a public interest disclosure to AMSA.