Re-procuring whole of government panel with on-demand procurement specialists
Scalable On-Demand Procurement Specialist Support for Complex Commonwealth Procurements
Grosvenor provided scalable, on-demand access to senior procurement specialists to a Commonwealth organisation to support the delivery of a $3 billion Whole of Government Legal Services Panel procurement. This enabled rapid evaluation scaling, robust consensus decision-making and compliant contract negotiations. Additionally, they maintained probity, defensibility and full adherence to the Commonwealth Procurement Rules. For organisations facing complex government procurements, scalable on-demand procurement specialist support is essential for timely delivery.
Situation
The Commonwealth undertook an open tender to re‑procure the $3 billion Whole of Government Legal Services Panel — one of its most complex and scrutinised professional services procurements.
The procurement involved a very large number of submissions, extensive response volumes and a multi‑stream evaluation engaging evaluators from agencies and departments across the Commonwealth. At the same time, the timeline was immovable. The new panel needed to be established within six months of tender close. This was necessary to ensure continuity of legal services and avoid operational disruption. In such a scenario, scalable on-demand procurement specialist support for complex government procurements can make all the difference.
While the Commonwealth had strong internal capability, it did not have the capacity to rapidly scale resources to manage a procurement of this size and complexity. Attempting to do so without assistance would increase risk. Probity, compliance with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs), and defensibility of decisions were non‑negotiable.
Task
Grosvenor Procurement Advisory was engaged to provide Procurement as a Service — scalable, on‑demand access to senior procurement specialists to support the evaluation and contract negotiation stages.
Approach
Grosvenor deployed its tried and tested procurement process, using a flexible, team‑based delivery model tailored to a high‑stakes Commonwealth procurement. Their solution demonstrated how scalable on-demand procurement specialist support for complex government procurements addresses surge requirements and sustains quality outcomes.
For the first two months, Grosvenor provided ten procurement specialists, enabling the parallel facilitation of eight evaluation sub‑teams. This allowed the evaluation to proceed at pace without placing unsustainable pressure on internal teams.
Grosvenor structured and facilitated the capture of qualitative commentary from 111 evaluators across the Commonwealth. Large volumes of raw input were consolidated, tested for consistency and synthesised into clear, evidence‑based narratives aligned to the evaluation criteria. Scoring conflicts were identified early and resolved through structured consensus processes. As a result, decisions were compliant, defensible and transparent.
A dedicated Project Director retained end-to‑end accountability for quality, risk and coordination. Senior team members led evaluation streams, identified risks, and coordinated internal resources supporting drafting and data analysis.
As the procurement progressed, Grosvenor transitioned to a core team of three senior specialists to support report drafting, clarifications, value for money assessment and contract negotiations. Throughout the engagement, Grosvenor also provided practical procurement advice on evaluation interpretation, report structure, and data presentation. This support helped ensure informed delegate decisions.
Result
The results we delivered together with our client’s team were significant:
› The Whole of Government Legal Services Panel was established on time
› Outcomes were robust, compliant and defensible, capable of withstanding scrutiny
› New firms, including small and medium enterprises, were appointed to the panel
› Social procurement objectives were supported
› Internal Commonwealth teams experienced reduced delivery pressure while retaining governance control.
Specifically, Grosvenor:
› Rapidly scaled evaluation capability under tight timeframes
› Facilitated a complex, multi‑team evaluation process
› Ensured strict probity and CPR compliance
› Produced robust, defensible evaluation and value for money documentation
› Supported tender clarifications and contract negotiations.
This engagement demonstrates how Procurement as a Service enables the Commonwealth to scale quickly, manage risk and deliver high‑stakes procurements smoothly — without compromising probity, compliance or outcomes. When you need scalable on-demand procurement specialist support for complex government procurements, consider how a flexible delivery model helps achieve compliance and value for money under pressure.
Explore what this could look like in your organisation
Start the conversation with Nicholas Leask, Procurement Lead