About category management

Queensland Government takes a whole-of-government approach to creating and sustaining value.

We do this by coordinating our procurement through forward planning and grouping procurement activities into categories of spend (category management). Category management represents best-practice procurement across government.

Category groups

There are 6 major categories of spend (category groups). Each category group is managed by a lead agency and governed by a category council that oversees the category strategies and endorses related execution plans. The category councils are supported by agency-led category working groups.

The 6 categories of spend are below.

• Building construction and maintenance includes building contractors, specialists (including consultants), trade contractors, building operations, materials and equipment, and property and real estate (managed by the Department of Housing and Public Works).
• General goods and services includes professional services, employee services, contingent labour, business equipment and services, marketing, travel, logistics and utilities, clothing and personal protective equipment, schools, and food and catering services (managed by the Department of Housing and Public Works).
• Information and communication technology (ICT) includes ICT services hardware, software and telecommunications (managed by the Department of Housing and Public Works).
• Medical goods and services includes medical consumables, medical equipment and maintenance, medical services, and pharmaceuticals and prosthetics (managed by Queensland Health)
• Social services includes social and community services that support our most vulnerable groups such as child protection, domestic violence prevention and disability and youth services. It also includes human services, such as support for education and training, employment, sport and recreation, and culture and the arts (managed by the Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors).
• Transport infrastructure and services includes machinery, plant and equipment, construction materials, construction delivery and transport delivery services (managed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads).

More about category management

Category teams work collaboratively with industry, business and government departments to optimise expenditure through innovative planning and smarter practices.

This approach:

• enables a holistic view of industry challenges and market trends
• provides for a coordinated approach when dealing with industry and supplier markets
• helps to facilitate whole-of-government consideration of how procurement can support policy objectives such as local content and value for money.

The benefits of category management include:

• helping develop and achieve shared longer-term goals
• better supporting the government's broader economic, environmental and social objectives
• developing supply markets and driving innovation into the delivery of government services
• identifying what represents value and how this can be assessed during procurement processes.

Category management encompasses:

• category planning
• demand management
• sourcing
• contract and supplier management.

More information

• Learn how to buy for Queensland Government
• Find a standing offer arrangement
• Achieve value for money

Contact

For queries about category management, email betterprocurement@hpw.qld.gov.au.