Streamlining procurement and contract management processes (Brisbane, Australia)

Brisbane South Primary Health Network (Brisbane South PHN)

The client

Brisbane South Primary Health Network (Brisbane South PHN) is one of Australia’s 31 Primary Health Networks and is responsible for addressing health needs and improving health outcomes in its region.​

Brisbane South PHN commissions a range of primary health services within a large geographic area south of the Brisbane River, including metropolitan, rural and remote island locations.

The challenge

As part of their continuous quality improvement approach, Brisbane South PHN identified a requirement for the review and refinement of the processes and practices underpinning the procurement and contract management phases of their commissioning cycle. ​

While Brisbane South PHN had systems and processes in place, there were gaps in the end-to-end process and little guidance surrounding procurement and contract management, leading to inconsistent and incomplete practice.​

In February 2020, Brisbane South PHN enlisted Rebbeck to guide Brisbane South PHN through a current state review and to co-design a robust future state model.

The impact of our work

Working collaboratively with the Brisbane South PHN team, we co-designed a streamlined procurement and contract management approach.​

We embedded a standardised process for procurement and contract management across the organisation. Team roles were clearly defined as were the technology platforms enabling the new process. ​

The approach was adapted for different type of procurements, namely, open tenders, select/closed tenders, direct purchase and contract variation.​

We developed a practical implementation plan with a series of recommendations for continuous quality improvement that have been adopted by Brisbane South PHN.

“Rebbeck have been a delight to work with, demonstrating a deep understanding of both the Australian healthcare system and their applied international health insights.

They delivered an excellent final report including a set of recommendations that have made a significant impact in improving the procurement processes in our organisation.”

Lucille Chalmers

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Brisbane South Primary Health Network