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National firm Holding Redlich has established a procurement practice group, which it says is in response to growing demand for advice in an area set for “sweeping legislative changes”.
The firm’s procurement team will be led by partner Scott Alden and is comprised of both construction and infrastructure as well as corporate and commercial partners.
“We are currently awaiting and preparing for two major legislative changes that are likely to have a far-reaching impact on procurement practices,” he said.
“Modern slavery legislation in NSW is set to be overhauled later this year when the Modern Slavery Act 2018 comes into effect. A large focus of the act is ending modern slavery-like practices in organisations and their supply chains by imposing a series of mandatory measures and setting penalties of up to $1.1 million.”
In addition, the Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Bill 2017, that “seeks to establish an independent and effective complaints mechanism for procurement processes”, is also on the horizon, he added.
“We are seeing so many changes coming through in this sector. And as well as the formal legislative reform, there is also increased pressure on business to conduct procurement using sustainable processes.”
“Times have changed and both public and private organisations must now be acutely aware of the consequences of choices they make regarding what to buy, how to buy it and who to buy it from,” he said.
Decisions about procurement, he mused, are increasingly being made by professionals who are key members of an organisation’s management or executive team.
“These are important decisions that are now often being made at senior executive level – but nagivating this area is becoming more complex and high-stakes,” he said.
“As demand for advice about this area has grown, we decided it was time to set up a dedicated team.”
Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
You can email Jerome at:
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Jerome Doraisamy
