Entity
Australian Bureau of Statistics
+$96m (+13.6%) on 2025-26 estimated actual
Kind of expense
Traced to named suppliers and grant recipients
$146m falls in 2026-27, equal to 18.3% of this total: $146m in contracts and $0 in grants. estimate: annualised
From AusTender contract notices and GrantConnect grant awards published since 2022-07-01. Each contract’s or grant’s value is spread evenly from its start to end date. These values are commitments, not payments, and records published before 2022-07-01 are not included yet.
By program
| Program | 2025-26 estimated actual |
2026-27 Budget estimate |
Change | Share | Removed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program 1.1: Australian Bureau of Statistics | $702m | $798m | +$96m +13.6% | 100.0% | – |
Worth a closer look
Patterns in this agency’s contract notices published in 2025-26 and 2026-27 to date. Each is a measurable pattern with common legitimate explanations; none is a finding of wrongdoing. How these are defined.
- Value increased after award 3 contracts · $7.4m
The contract’s value rose after it was first published. - Published long after it started 3 contracts · $6.3m
The contract notice was published more than six months after the contract’s start date.
Who gets paid
Contracts active in 2026-27, from AusTender. Amounts for the year are each contract’s value spread across its term. estimate: annualised
- Contracts active
- 317
- Suppliers
- 239
- Limited tender
- 17.2% of value · 140 contracts
- Value added by amendments
- $168m across 140 amended contracts
Largest suppliers
Suppliers who are individuals are counted in the totals above but not listed. Why
| Supplier | Contracts | 2026-27 est. | Limited tender |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSAL MCCANN MEDIABRANDS AUSTRALIA P/L T/AS | 2 | $24m | 0.0% |
| Data#3 Limited Formerly: Data #3 Business | 14 | $16m | 0.2% |
| AMAZON WEB SERVICES AUSTRALIA | 7 | $10m | 70.5% |
| ACCENTURE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD | 5 | $6.4m | 0.0% |
| Slalom Australia | 1 | $5.5m | 0.0% |
| EVOLVE FM PTY LTD | 2 | $4.8m | 0.0% |
| NATIONAL MAILING & MARKETING P/L | 1 | $3.7m | 0.0% |
| Chalfont Consulting Pty Ltd | 2 | $3.3m | 0.0% |
| PEGASYSTEMS LIMITED | 1 | $3.0m | 0.0% |
| PUBLICIS SAPIENT | 1 | $2.9m | 0.0% |
| Challenger Life Nominee Pty Ltd ATF the Belconnen Property Trust & Challenger Life CDI Nominees Pty Ltd ATF the Challenger Diversified Property Trust 1 | 1 | $2.8m | 100.0% |
| Print Media Group | 2 | $2.4m | 0.0% |
| XAmplify Services Pty ltd | 2 | $2.3m | 0.0% |
| DevOps 1 Pty Ltd | 1 | $2.2m | 0.0% |
| TELSTRA (VIC) | 5 | $2.2m | 0.0% |
Largest contracts
Suppliers who are individuals are counted in the totals above but not listed. Why
| Contract | Supplier | Method | Term | Total value | 2026-27 est. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Census Campaign Advertising CN4244677 |
UNIVERSAL MCCANN MEDIABRANDS AUSTRALIA P/L T/AS | open tender | 2026-04-20 to 2026-12-31 | $33m | $24m |
| Microsoft licenses CN4260991 |
Data#3 Limited Formerly: Data #3 Business | open tender | 2026-07-01 to 2031-06-30 | $53m was $51m |
$11m |
| AWS Cloud Licences and Support CN4151793 |
AMAZON WEB SERVICES AUSTRALIA | limited tender | 2025-05-01 to 2028-04-30 | $19m | $6.4m |
| 2026 Census Digital Service CN4030166 |
Slalom Australia | open tender | 2023-12-14 to 2026-12-13 | $36m was $800k |
$5.5m |
| Technical Integration/Implementation Services CN4154589 |
ACCENTURE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD | open tender | 2025-05-23 to 2027-06-30 | $9.2m was $2.4m |
$4.4m |
| Property Operating Expenses (pass through costs) CN4176290 |
EVOLVE FM PTY LTD | open tender | 2025-07-01 to 2030-06-30 | $20m | $4.1m |
| Logistical Services - 2026 Census CN4146247 |
NATIONAL MAILING & MARKETING P/L | open tender | 2025-03-20 to 2027-03-31 | $10.0m was $8.6m |
$3.7m |
| ICT Professional Services CN4037957 |
Chalfont Consulting Pty Ltd | open tender | 2024-03-11 to 2026-12-31 | $18m was $362k |
$3.3m |
| Software as a Service CN4012174 |
PEGASYSTEMS LIMITED | open tender | 2023-10-13 to 2027-10-12 | $12m was $3.5m |
$3.0m |
| ICT Cloud Professional Services CN4045987 |
AMAZON WEB SERVICES AUSTRALIA | open tender | 2024-03-08 to 2026-12-31 | $16m was $10m |
$2.9m |
| Integration design and delivery services CN4153647 |
PUBLICIS SAPIENT | open tender | 2025-05-23 to 2027-06-30 | $6.0m was $1.0m |
$2.9m |
| ICT Software support and Maintenance CN4089746 |
Data#3 Limited Formerly: Data #3 Business | open tender | 2024-08-02 to 2027-08-01 | $8.5m | $2.8m |
| ABS House Lease CN4189484 |
Challenger Life Nominee Pty Ltd ATF the Belconnen Property Trust & Challenger Life CDI Nominees Pty Ltd ATF the Challenger Diversified Property Trust 1 | limited tender | 2025-07-01 to 2027-06-30 | $5.6m | $2.8m |
| Printing Services CN4058008 |
Print Media Group | open tender | 2024-04-22 to 2026-12-31 | $12m was $10m |
$2.3m |
| ICT Professional Services CN4035295 |
DevOps 1 Pty Ltd | open tender | 2024-03-04 to 2027-12-31 | $8.5m was $326k |
$2.2m |
Professional services by kind of work
Contracts active in 2026-27 that AusTender files under “management and business professionals”, sorted by an AI model reading each contract’s description. AI-classified estimate: annualised
A further $255k across 8 contracts has descriptions too vague to classify with confidence, and is left out of the categories above.
In 2024-25 the entity reported paying $3.2m on consultancy contracts (cash, including GST). Contracts classified as consultancy come to $3.2m for that year (AusTender values spread over each contract’s term). The two are measured differently, so they are not expected to match. How we classify.
Contract spending reported by the entity
What the entity reported in its annual reports, from the Transparency Portal: cash paid in each year, including GST. These are actual payments, unlike the AusTender contract values above. They are shown as published and are not used in any total on this site. reported
| Year | Consultancy | Other contracts |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | $3.2m 42 contracts |
$173m 496 contracts |
| 2023-24 | $1.3m 33 contracts |
$96m 427 contracts |
| 2022-23 | $1.8m 30 contracts |
$94m 461 contracts |
| 2021-22 | $3.9m 53 contracts |
$153m 502 contracts |
Organisations paid the most in 2024-25
As listed by the entity, usually its five largest of each type. Organisations who are individuals are not listed. Why
| Consultancy | 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| KPMG | $1.0m |
| ORIMA Research Pty Ltd | $488k |
| Ernst & Young | $397k |
| BDO Services Pty Ltd | $256k |
| Indigenous Professional Services Pty Ltd | $204k |
| Other contracts | 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| Evolve FM Pty Ltd | $22m |
| Slalom Australia Pty Ltd | $16m |
| Amazon Web Services Australia Pty Ltd | $16m |
| Data#3 Limited | $11m |
| Chalfont Consulting Pty Ltd | $8.4m |