Who must comply with Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs)?

All federal procurement governed by CPRs — value-for-money + procurement-connected policies.

The Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) are issued by the Finance Minister under section 105B(1) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and govern how Commonwealth entities buy goods and services. Their core test is value for money, and they require procurement to be ethical, efficient, effective and economical, transparent and accountable. The rules have two divisions: Division 1 applies to every procurement, and Division 2 adds rules (open tender by default, minimum time limits, written reports for limited tenders) for procurements at or above the relevant procurement threshold. The current version took effect on 17 November 2025 and prioritises Australian businesses and small and medium enterprises for some procurements. Suppliers are not bound directly, but a supplier's tender, contract terms and records must meet what the procuring entity is required to ask for.

Applies only if you tender for Commonwealth contracts. Whether it applies turns on a fact that no industry, structure or size settles on its own.

How the regulator frames it: Officials of non-corporate Commonwealth entities, and of the prescribed corporate Commonwealth entities listed in section 30 of the PGPA Rule 2014, when performing duties related to procurement. Businesses tendering for Commonwealth work meet the CPRs through the entity's approach to market and contract terms.

What triggers it: A relevant entity procuring goods or services. Division 2 is additionally triggered when the expected value of a procurement is at or above the relevant procurement threshold, unless an Appendix A exemption applies.

Jurisdiction: Commonwealth law, so the test is the same in every state and territory.

Outcome across the 35 industries Rules Mate maps (35 of 35: no).

The answer is the same in every industry: no. Industry does not change who must comply.

Structure does not change the answer across all industries: for every structure the answer is "no".

Size does not change the answer across all industries: at every size band the answer is "no".

Each line is one run of the Rules Mate applicability engine for a single business profile, with the reason the engine gives:

• Pty Ltd company in real estate agents with 6–19 employees, turnover $1M–$3M: does not apply. Requires a trigger outside this questionnaire.

Starting from a small or large professional services company that does not otherwise meet the test, each of these single facts changes the engine's answer:

• The business supplies government customers: it becomes worth checking, because it applies only if you tender for Commonwealth contracts.

The engine shows this obligation as "check whether this applies" when a business has government customers. It then applies only if you tender for Commonwealth contracts. That fact is not something Rules Mate can infer from industry, structure or size.

When due

Contracts at or above the reporting threshold must be reported on AusTender within 42 days of entering into them ($10,000 for non-corporate Commonwealth entities; for prescribed corporate entities $400,000, or $7.5 million for construction services). Amendments and standing offers are also reported within 42 days. Open tenders must allow at least 25 days for submissions (10 days in limited circumstances).

Frequency

Ongoing

Evidence to keep

Current procurement plan on AusTender; approach-to-market and request documentation; evaluation and value-for-money records; a written report for each contract awarded by limited tender at or above the threshold; AusTender contract, amendment and standing offer notices; written notices and debriefings to tenderers.

Status

Current

Priority

Medium

Maximum penalty: The CPRs carry no monetary penalty. Non-corporate Commonwealth entities must report non-compliance through the Commonwealth's compliance reporting process (CPRs para 2.3), and officials remain subject to their PGPA Act duties for the proper use and management of public resources.

Rules Mate has not yet classified the audit or assurance level for this obligation. Any audit, review or certification requirement is set by the regulator source listed below.

Rules Mate tracks 1 published obligation tagged "procurement", 0 of them rated critical. For a professional services Pty Ltd company with 6–19 employees operating in every state, 0 of those apply outright. This obligation is rated medium priority, and is an ongoing duty.

Regulated by Department of Finance.

Finance: Federal budget + procurement + PGPA Act administration + Commonwealth property.

• Department of Finance

Free tools that help with this obligation:

• Compliance calendar builder