Worth a closer look
Patterns in contract notices
These rules pick out contract notices with patterns that deserve a second look: values that grew after award, late publication (singly or in batches), values just under a procurement threshold, repeated limited tenders to one supplier, and limited tenders that grew past the threshold. Each rule is a fixed, measurable test applied to every contract published on AusTender. A match is not a finding of wrongdoing, and each rule lists common legitimate explanations.
Counts cover contracts published in 2025-26 and 2026-27 to date.
Value increased after award
414 contracts across 57 agencies, involving $3.7bn.
- What it measures
- The contract’s value rose after it was first published.
- When it applies
- An increase of at least 50% and at least $1 million from the first published value.
- Why it matters
- Agencies must publish amendments that change a contract’s value. Large increases can mean the original scope or price was understated.
- Common explanations
- Additional work or an extended term agreed after award. Options in the original contract that were later taken up. A correction to a value entered wrongly.
Largest matches
| Contract | Detail | Amount involved |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing ServicesVENTIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD · Department of Defence | +83% on first published value | $332m |
| Management Support ServicesAUSTAL DEFENCE SHIPBUILDING AUSTRALIA PTY LTD · Department of Defence | +102% on first published value | $283m |
| New Lease - 50 Marcus Clarke St Canberra ACT 2600WALKER ASSET HOLDINGS PTY LIMITED · Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | +1318% on first published value | $262m |
Published long after it started
866 contracts across 84 agencies, involving $2.3bn.
- What it measures
- The contract notice was published more than six months after the contract’s start date.
- When it applies
- Publication more than 180 days after the start date, for contracts worth $100,000 or more. AusTender does not publish the date a contract was signed, so we measure from the start date and allow a wide margin. Notices published in a batch are counted under “Published late in a batch” instead.
- Why it matters
- The Commonwealth Procurement Rules require agencies to report contracts on AusTender within 42 days of entering into them.
- Common explanations
- A start date set earlier than signing, to cover work under an earlier arrangement. A lease or agreement republished under a new notice when it was renewed or varied. Administrative delay in reporting.
Largest matches
| Contract | Detail | Amount involved |
|---|---|---|
| New Lease - 50 Marcus Clarke St Canberra ACT 2600WALKER ASSET HOLDINGS PTY LIMITED · Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | published 5912 days after start | $282m |
| Lease - 50 Marcus Clarke St Canberra ACT 2600The Trust Company (Australia) Ltd A The 747 Collins St Trust and The Tr · Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | published 1894 days after start | $246m |
| Property LeaseGrowthpoint Properties Australia Li · Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | published 6954 days after start | $134m |
Published late in a batch
8 batches of 119 notices across 5 agencies, involving $1.1bn.
- What it measures
- An agency published many contract notices on one day, each more than six months after the contract started.
- When it applies
- Ten or more notices from one agency on the same day, each published more than 180 days after its start date and worth $100,000 or more. Each batch counts once.
- Why it matters
- The Commonwealth Procurement Rules require agencies to report contracts on AusTender within 42 days of entering into them. A batch usually means a reporting backlog was cleared at once.
- Common explanations
- A new agency, or one changed by a machinery-of-government move, publishing contracts it took over. A review that found unreported contracts, followed by a correction. Leases or standing arrangements reported again under new notices.
Largest matches
| Contract | Detail | Amount involved |
|---|---|---|
| The Supply of Mobility and Functional Support EquipmentCOUNTRY CARE GROUP · Department of Veterans' Affairs | one of 18 late notices the agency published that day | $300m |
| VHC SP - Veterans' Home Care ServicesFRONTLINE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD · Department of Veterans' Affairs | one of 13 late notices the agency published that day | $23m |
| VHC AA - VHC assessment and coordination servicesADSSI IN-HOME SUPPORT · Department of Veterans' Affairs | one of 10 late notices the agency published that day | $22m |
Several contracts just under the open-tender threshold
8 agency–supplier pairs in a financial year, covering 35 contracts across 2 agencies, involving $3.7m.
- What it measures
- The same agency awarded the same supplier several contracts by limited tender, each valued just below the open-tender threshold, in one financial year.
- When it applies
- Three or more limited-tender contracts within 10% below the threshold ($80,000, or $125,000 for contracts published from 17 November 2025; $400,000 for corporate entities; $7.5 million for construction) from one agency to one supplier, published in the same financial year. Open-tender and panel contracts, and contracts under Appendix A exemptions, are not counted.
- Why it matters
- For non-corporate Commonwealth entities, open tender is generally required at or above the threshold. Splitting a requirement to stay under it is not permitted.
- Common explanations
- Separate, genuine requirements that happen to be similar in size. Call-offs from a standing offer or panel with fixed engagement sizes. A construction contract outside AusTender category 72, which we cannot tell apart from other services.
Largest matches
| Contract | Detail | Amount involved |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic EquipmentTHALES AUSTRALIA · Department of Defence | one of 7 contracts just under the threshold | $124k |
| Software Licence SubscriptionLEAP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD · Department of Defence | one of 4 contracts just under the threshold | $123k |
| Supply of BinocularsAmnesium Pty Ltd · Department of Home Affairs | one of 3 contracts just under the threshold | $123k |
Repeated limited tenders to one supplier
142 agency–supplier pairs in a financial year, covering 1678 contracts across 11 agencies, involving $2.1bn.
- What it measures
- The same agency awarded the same supplier several contracts by limited tender in one financial year.
- When it applies
- Five or more limited-tender contracts at or above the open-tender threshold ($80,000, or $125,000 for contracts published from 17 November 2025; $400,000 for corporate entities; $7.5 million for construction), worth $1 million or more in total, published in the same financial year. Contracts below the threshold, where limited tender is routine, and contracts under Appendix A exemptions (such as legal counsel) are not counted.
- Why it matters
- Above the threshold, limited tender is allowed only in defined circumstances, such as urgency or a single capable supplier. Repeated use with one supplier reduces competition.
- Common explanations
- A specialised supplier with no practical alternative. Additional deliveries that must match existing equipment or systems. Urgent requirements, such as disaster response.
Largest matches
| Contract | Detail | Amount involved |
|---|---|---|
| War Vehicle ComponentsTHALES AUSTRALIA · Department of Defence | one of 155 limited tenders to this supplier | $217m |
| Weapon Spare PartsL3HARRIS COMMUNICATIONS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD · Department of Defence | one of 21 limited tenders to this supplier | $173m |
| ICT EquipmentData#3 Limited Formerly: Data #3 Business · Department of Defence | one of 41 limited tenders to this supplier | $49m |
Grew past the open-tender threshold
131 contracts across 35 agencies, involving $20m.
- What it measures
- A contract awarded by limited tender below the open-tender threshold later rose in value to the threshold or above.
- When it applies
- Limited tender, first published below the threshold ($80,000, or $125,000 for contracts published from 17 November 2025; $400,000 for corporate entities; $7.5 million for construction), with a current value at least 25% above the threshold and at least 50% above the first published value. Contracts under Appendix A exemptions are not counted.
- Why it matters
- The Commonwealth Procurement Rules require an agency to estimate a procurement’s maximum value, including options and extensions, before choosing how to buy. Open tender is generally required at or above the threshold.
- Common explanations
- Extra work that could not have been foreseen at award. A nominal value published at award and updated once the actual amount was known. A construction contract outside AusTender category 72, which we cannot tell apart from other services.
Largest matches
| Contract | Detail | Amount involved |
|---|---|---|
| Aviation FuelFRENCH AIR AND SPACE FORCE · Department of Defence | first published at $18k | $2.0m |
| Legal servicesAustralian Government Solicitor (AGS) · Office of the Australian Information Commissioner | first published at $69k | $1.5m |
| AWS GovAI Consumption ChargesAMAZON WEB SERVICES AUSTRALIA · Department of Finance | first published at $117k | $794k |
Supplier’s ABN was new
100 contracts across 32 agencies, involving $658m.
- What it measures
- The supplier’s ABN had been active for less than three months when the contract started or was published.
- When it applies
- An ABN active for fewer than 90 days before the earlier of the contract’s start and publication dates, for contracts worth $100,000 or more. The Australian Business Register gives only the date an ABN’s current status began, so an ABN that became active after the contract started is not counted. Government bodies and suppliers who are individuals are not counted.
- Why it matters
- When assessing value for money, the Commonwealth Procurement Rules ask agencies to consider each supplier’s performance history and the relative risk of each proposal. A business with a short record has less history to assess.
- Common explanations
- A joint venture, partnership or trust set up for one project or lease. A new company formed when an established business restructured or was sold. An Australian subsidiary set up by an established overseas supplier. An ABN cancelled and later reactivated, which the register shows as a new start date.
Largest matches
| Contract | Detail | Amount involved |
|---|---|---|
| Management Support ServicesAUSTAL DEFENCE SHIPBUILDING AUSTRALIA PTY LTD · Department of Defence | ABN active 8 days before award | $561m |
| Service Providers for Inclusive Employment Australia ProgramASURIA PEOPLE SERVICES PTY LIMITED & MOMENTA GLOBAL PTY LTD · Department of Social Services | ABN active 49 days before award | $29m |
| Business Operations and Maintenance AdviserKEOLIS SC PTY LTD · High Speed Rail Authority | ABN active 21 days before award | $18m |