^{Date Published: 01 Jul 2011 11:07am}

The NSW 292 contract was launched at the Sydney Masonic Centre with representatives of the manufacturing and supply industry for fire and emergency service equipment.

This is a joint tender between the NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and the NSW Department of Procurement and Government Services in collaboration with the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC).

Mr Russell Shephard, Manager Standards AFAC, attended the launch and provided the forum with an overview of the Collaborative Purchasing Initiative (CPI) outlining benefits that exist for AFAC members and for the industry as a whole. Mr Shephard believes that this is the first important step in achieving national specifications and industry standards. He also commended both agencies for tirelessly working together to reach consensus on a large number of specifications that underpins this tender.

Mr John Hacking, Manager Procurement and Contracts for the Rural Fire Service, stated:

“The Fire and Emergency Services increasingly operate in an environment where there is competition for available funds from areas such as health, police and education.”

The term, ‘Collaborative Purchasing’, is a term all vendors will be hearing more of in the future as agencies struggle with tightening budgets. Agencies consistently pursue avenues or initiatives to save financial resources and supply fire fighters on the ground with the equipment they require.

The NSW Fire and Rescue and NSW Rural Fire Service, in partnership with AFAC, and along with the support of the other fire agencies from around Australia and New Zealand, have been together been developing a systemic joint approach to agency specifications. This is only the start of what’s to come.

The success of this project is demonstrated by the two largest fire fighting agencies in Australia, coming together in a partnership to produce a range of specifications that both agencies have agreed upon. This will not only improve the efficiencies between agencies, but ultimately between all fire agencies across Australia.

The primary intent of a collaborative purchasing initiative is to facilitate a coordinated approach to the procurement of commonly used, standard fire fighting equipment used by all agencies across Australia.

Committee members from both NSW Fire and Rescue and the NSW Rural Fire Service will evaluate the products tendered here in 292 on behalf of other AFAC agencies. Once the tender has been finalised, the results will be reported back our partners in AFAC to the Collaborative Purchasing Group. This allows the opportunity for all fire fighting agencies across Australia and New Zealand the benefit when purchasing from this one contract and to trust that financial benefits are realised for all agencies.