Image: The Department of Communities' Women’s Interests team led a successful two-year Gender Equality in Procurement WA Public Sector Pilot, supported by the Department of Finance, with 19 participating government agencies.
From 1 July 2024, all eligible suppliers bidding for State agency contracts will be required to disclose their compliance with Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) reporting obligations. A number of Government Trading Enterprises (GTEs) will also implement gender responsive procurement measures in a separate pilot project.
This follows the successful two-year pilot by the Department of Communities, supported by the Department of Finance, in which a clause relating to gender equality was included in certain procurement documents.
The gender equality disclosure clause will be asked of suppliers with 100 or more employees. They will be required to provide evidence of their compliance with reporting requirements under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (C’wlth) when submitting bids in response to publicly advertised requests.
This new initiative will continue to raise awareness of the benefits of workplace gender equality.
Western Australia was one of the first jurisdictions in Australia to introduce a gender equality clause into selected public sector procurement processes.
Since the Gender Equality in Procurement Pilot was introduced in July 2022, public sector agencies have awarded contracts worth more than half a billion dollars through procurement processes which included the gender equality clause.
Outcomes of the pilot also showed that more than 90 per cent of relevant suppliers (100 or more employees) awarded contracts under the Pilot were compliant with their WGEA reporting obligations.
Smaller suppliers awarded contracts under the Pilot are also reporting a higher-than-expected level of workplace gender equality actions and policies, such as having work practices to facilitate family or caring responsibilities, which are still largely carried out by women.
Earlier this year, the $63 million Fremantle Hospital Mental Health Unit redevelopment became the first State Government non-residential construction project to trial gender equity targets and reporting as part of the Gender Equality in Procurement Pilot.
More information is available on the Gender Equality in Procurement Pilot webpage.
