Best Practice Procurement Guidelines
The Victorian Local Government Best Practice Procurement Guidelines (the guidelines) provide a set of principles and practices that represent the most efficient and practical course of action for each council in developing and maintaining their legislated procurement policy.
The policy and practices should reflect best practice local government procurement processes to,
- Achieve value for money outcomes and continuous improvement in the provision of services for the community.
- Ensure resources are used efficiently and effectively to support councils’ strategic objectives and improve the overall quality of life of people in the local community with sustainable future outcomes in mind.
- Comply with relevant legislative requirements.
- Achieve high standards of openness, fairness, accountability, risk management, probity, and transparency.
- Minimise the cost of preparing submissions for potential suppliers by ensuring a competitive process.
The Municipal Association of Victoria accepted a request from Victorian local government procurement professionals to assist them in preparing updated procurement guidelines for the sector. The aim of the guidelines was to address current local government procurement best practice and the requirements for procurement under sections 108 and 109 of the Victorian Local Government Act 2020. A sector reference group of procurement professionals from the sector was established to undertake this task.
MAV Procurement would like to acknowledge the following people for their contribution to the development of the Guidelines: Marnie Benny, Tony Caccaviello, David Cecala, Danielle Cox, Luke Crampton, Julia Cushing Marcus Daniel, Jason Farrugia, Nicole Kennedy, Fran Miller, Greg Painter, Molley Qi, Georgina Riddington, Samantha Rodriquez, Paul Sherwood, Kelly Stevens, Miranda Somers, and Julie Wiggins.
Best Practice Procurement Template
Under sections 108 and 109 of the Local Government Act 2020, every Victorian council is required to prepare, adopt and comply with a procurement policy.
To support this, MAV has partnered with a working group of procurement professionals from across the Victorian local government sector to deliver a new, best practice Procurement Policy Template.
This new policy framework builds on previous models developed by the Northern and Southern Regional Procurement Groups and has been purpose-built to support consistent, compliant, and collaborative procurement practices across the state.
What’s Included:
- A streamlined, audit-ready policy aligned with the Local Government Act 2020 and 2024 Best Practice Procurement Guidelines
- Editable, plug-and-play appendices for:
- Spend thresholds
- Delegations of authority
- Exemption grounds
- Contract variation limits
- *Optional* Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Quadruple Bottom Line (QBL) measures.
Best Practice Procurement Executive Summary
To help councils fast-track internal briefings and reporting, a ready-made Executive Summary is included. It’s ideal for:
- Briefings with Council staff, Executive Leadership Teams and Councillors
- Supporting Council or Audit Committee reports for endorsement.
Why It Stands Out:
- Practical and flexible – ready to drop into your governance framework with minimal changes
- Localised – designed for rapid tailoring to reflect your council’s priorities
- Future-focused – separates the “why” (policy) from the “how” (manuals and procedures), enabling quick updates when audit expectations or market conditions change
- Collaborative and proven – shaped by real procurement professionals working in local government today.