Engagement types under the P&MS Scheme

Updated: 6 Jan 2020
Categories of professional services, including consultancy services, covered by the Performance and Management Services Scheme (SCM0005).


The following professional services are covered by the Performance and Management Services Scheme (P&MS Scheme).

Suppliers on the scheme are assessed and approved to service certain engagement types. P&MS Scheme engagement types help you identify the category of services you need and the suppliers you may engage.

Capped rates apply to engagement types 1 to 12

The standard commercial framework has commercial arrangements that support negotiations with suppliers, including capped rates, discount structure, resource mix and others.

1. Government and business strategy

'Government and business strategy' capped rates apply to engagement type 1.

  • Strategy review, evaluation, development and advice. Setting the long-term vision for an organisation, function, department
  • Customer service and channel strategy development. Modelling and redesign, service evaluation
  • Corporate and shared services strategy
  • Planning strategy implementation (for strategy implementation, see 3A Project management)
  • Building the commercials and deliverables around a proposed strategy
  • Feasibility reports to test alternate hypotheses or compare strategies
  • Commercialisation of an operation to improve revenue generation
  • Preparing business cases
  • Cluster/agency/department effectiveness
  • Corporate/cross-functional departments effectiveness
  • Examine program appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency and economy in single or across multiple agencies
  • High-level organisational program and project performance
  • Designing a transformation framework for business improvement (for strategy implementation, see 3A Project management)
  • Organisation structure advisory services (for organisation and staff capability, see 8A Human resources and 14D Training and development)
  • Cluster/agency/department appropriateness and fit within an organisation
  • Cluster/agency/department program appropriateness
  • Total organisation and team structure review
  • Comprehensive market analysis and benchmarking
  • Identifying best industry practices domestically and internationally
  • Performance improvement frameworks and programs, demand management program development, cost models, pricing models
  • Establishing baseline financials, processes and ways of working to compare proposed changes or best practice
  • Advice on appropriate governance structures and their remit, such as boards and managing committees
  • Advice on delegations of authority levels, terms of reference, Information reporting structure
  • Program and project performance, performance improvement framework, service level agreements, benchmarking and best practice
  • Review how policies are developed and established within an organisation
  • Examine the appropriateness of policy setting in an agency or cluster
  • Policy research (quantitative or qualitative), policy analysis

2. Business processes

'Operations' capped rates apply to engagement type 2.

  • Mapping current processes and workflows
  • Business process review, gap analysis, evaluation and redesign (for finance team process reviews, see 5C Financial services)
  • Business process outsourcing, feasibility and improvement strategies
  • Gateway reviews, advice and guidance on document development

3. Project management

'Operations' capped rates apply to engagement type 3.

  • Leading and managing projects using best practice tools, qualified staff and following recognised project management methodology
  • Project planning in advance of starting the project
  • Facilitation services, for example 'lean', 'agile', 'design thinking'

4. Change management

'Operations' capped rates apply to engagement type 4.

  • Management service provided when a significant change occurs within a cluster/agency/department
  • Communication planning of a project or change to all stakeholders

5. Financial services

'Financial services' capped rates apply to engagement type 5.

  • Financial modelling and financial benchmarking
  • Budget and target setting, management, review
  • Data analytics, identifying trends in large databases, consolidating data from different sources
  • Spend optimisation review and management
  • Australian accounting standards advice. Interpretation, guidance, best practice application of standards
  • Reviewing compliance with recognised accounting principles
  • Mapping current processes and workflows within finance teams and systems
  • Cash flow, balance sheet, working capital, asset management
  • Valuation of balance sheets fixed assets, for example property, stock, vehicles
  • Economic forecasts. Resource modelling, value for money, willingness to pay, cost-benefit at a market level
  • Forensic accounting
  • IT investigation and forensic financial investigations

6. Audit, quality assurance and risk

'Audit, quality assurance and risk' capped rates apply to engagement type 6.

  • Internal audits, compliance audits
  • Performance (operational audit). Examine factors leading to an agency not meeting budgetary or performance targets
  • Assessment of processes for internal management to improve efficiency
  • External Audit
  • General computer controls (including information systems security)
  • Risk assessment and frameworks, identifying risk areas, for example PESTEL measures (political, economic, social, technology, environmental, legal)
  • Risk prioritisation and risk mitigation
  • Probity advisory, probity audits

7. Taxation

'Transaction, actuarial and taxation' capped rates apply to engagement type 7.

  • Australian GST accounting standards advice. Interpretation, guidance, best practice application of standards
  • Australian general tax accounting standards advice. Interpretation, guidance, best practice application of standards

8. Human resources

'Operations' capped rates apply to engagement type 8.

  • Workforce planning: optimising the use of workforce, resource planning and allocation, identifying workforce skill groupings, shift and roster analysis
  • Employee performance management: tools, techniques for managing performance
  • Specialist advice on the need for and design of HR processes and systems, for example payroll systems, employee databases
  • Managing workplace relations. Understanding the requirements of legislation, managing risk or potential breaches
  • Cultural mapping and profiling, employee engagement and climate surveys
  • Advice and support on how to manage staff affected by investigations
  • Occupational health and safety advice and support. Tools and templates for monitoring and managing
  • Work health and safety audits
  • Market salary benchmarks for skill grouping or grade
  • Remuneration package advice. Understanding payroll on costs, for example payroll taxes, superannuation, leave loadings
  • Strategies and plans for retaining staff, minimising turnover
  • Market assessments of emerging areas of employee turnover risk
  • Understanding diversity legislation, requirements. How to embrace and manage diversity needs

9. Procurement and supply chain

'Operations' capped rates apply to engagement type 9.

  • Strategic sourcing, tender development, operational support
  • High-level specialist procurement expertise providing consulting advice
  • Commercial contract advice and reviews, contract management
  • Procurement analytics. Detailed spend analysis. Report insights and trends
  • Development of organisational KPIs for strategic, tactical and operational procurement
  • Negotiation strategy advice, support or participation in complex deals
  • In-depth market analysis
  • Supplier relationship and development and relevant tools
  • Data-driven performance management
  • Establishment of KPIs
  • Procurement accreditation support to review an entity's capability and advise on improvements required to meet standards
  • Procurement accreditation conducted to confirm an entity has met target standards
  • Process improvements and appropriate tools
  • Logistics and supply chain management.  Identifying efficiencies in the management and delivery of goods and services after they have been sourced
  • Comparison of alternative channels for moving product. Managing stock levels. Safe delivery of goods. Mitigating risk

10. Marketing and customer

'Marketing and customer' capped rates apply to engagement type 10.

  • Market surveys, focus groups, research projects
  • Independent verifiers, mystery shoppers
  • Methodology and techniques for understanding the customer
  • Customer satisfaction measures, continuous improvement
  • Customer satisfaction surveys. Net promoter score assessments
  • Benchmarking, for example the competitiveness of any service offered by government
  • Pricing advice on goods and services (for detailed modelling, see 1F Cost management)

11. Actuarial services

'Transaction, actuarial and taxation' capped rates apply to engagement type 11.

  • Financial risk modelling and forecasting
  • Assessing and planning for the impact and management of financial risk

12. Transaction services

'Transaction, actuarial and taxation' capped rates apply to engagement type 12.

  • Investigation of an organisation prior to a merger, acquisition (M&A) or sale
  • Advisory services for M&A or sale
  • Transaction implementation for M&A or sale

13. (not in use)

Telecommunications used to be covered by the P&MS Scheme under engagement type 13. It has now transferred over to the ICT Services Scheme.

14. Specialised services

The standard commercial framework does not apply to this category.

  • Developing, reviewing and testing business continuity plans and crisis management plans
  • Environmental impact assessments
  • Corruption and fraud Investigation (for people management, see 8B Culture)
  • Conduct and performance investigation, grievance (including discrimination and harassment)
  • Fraud control review, corruption prevention review
  • Training programs, leadership courses, skills development
  • Capability reviews, assessment and development programs
  • Knowledge management advice and support
  • Strategic and corporate communications to internal agency staff
  • Developing speeches and presentations for internal use
  • Public relations (PR) agencies helping to manage organisational reputation with the external media or general public
  • Reviewing and developing public relations strategies and planning
  • Risk mitigation and developing responses – communication plans for the management of issues
  • Developing speeches and presentations for external use
  • Identifying and sourcing suitable locations and facilities
  • Providing marketing content, production, lighting, audio and video, MC services (master of ceremony speeches)
  • Channels and access operation, service support systems; customer relationship management, and complaint and compliments systems
  • Service implementation and delivery

15. Infrastructure services

The infrastructure advisory standard commercial framework. is recommended for this category.

  • Financial and investment strategies, urban development, commercial property, public/private partnership strategy, environmentally sustainable development strategy, resource management, project definition, development and packaging
  • Risk assessment and management, construction risk and due diligence
  • Planning and process analysis, procurement review, supply chain review, strategic sourcing, project leadership and governance and project assurance
  • Contract (commercial terms only), contract negotiations and contract administration
  • Stakeholder engagement and communication/technical writing, issues management