ASSISTANCE WITH OVERSEAS PROPERTY PROCUREMENT

The Overseas Property Office within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for developing and maintaining the Commonwealth’s extensive suite of overseas embassy complexes. AGS has been providing legal and probity advice to assist with procurements associated with the department’s international property portfolio.

2008–09 has been a busy year for the Overseas Property Office, with a number of important maintenance, upgrade and construction projects for which we acted as legal and/or probity adviser. These projects include:

• the engagement of design consultants to construct new embassies in Bangkok and Jakarta
• security upgrade projects at various locations
• refurbishment of the head of mission residence in the Netherlands, and the upgrade of staff apartments in Tokyo
• construction and fit-out projects in Abu Dhabi, Seoul, Amman, Paris, Dhaka, Madrid, Budapest, Nairobi, Phnom Penh, Vientiane and Kuala Lumpur
• the purchase of land in a number of locations.

Our advice covered procurement strategies to identify the most appropriate approach for each particular project, including tender processes and documentation. We also:

• advised on the use of different contracting models (including models based on Australian and local country standard form contracts)
• assisted with negotiations
• identified ways to protect the Commonwealth’s interests while also taking account of local norms and the practical issues unique to each project.