Request for Proposal for talent acquisition services paused

This RFP seeks to refresh the current external recruitment services contract and change its title to better reflect the evolving way of finding candidates and matching them to roles in the public sector.

All-of-Government talent acquisition services – GETS

The current All-of-Government (AoG) external recruitment services (ERS) contract expires on 30 September 2023. The Request for Proposal (RFP), issued on 5 August and closing on 30 September, prompted feedback from the recruitment sector – in particular about a change in pricing structure. Pausing now, to give us time to work through feedback, is the best path forward.

One hundred and seventy-nine government agencies participate in the ERS contract and in the last financial year spent $142 million on permanent, temporary, and contractor placement types roles in common administration and corporate, and common IT job families. In practice, this represents 41 recruitment agencies in almost continuous interaction with government agencies. We had hoped that the change from percentage fees to a fixed fee structure would remove complexity, improve clarity, and allow for greater transparency for everyone involved.

It became clear that while we consulted, issued a Request for Information (RFI), spoke with our Client Advisory Group, and held supplier briefings and one-to-one meetings, we did not hear all the right voices.

The RFP has been paused for the next four weeks and potential suppliers will not be able to provide responses via GETS during this time. This will allow us to further engage with government agencies who procure recruitment services and the recruitment industry who provide the services.