DEECA’s procurement framework

DEECA's procurement framework is underpinned by high standards of probity, accountability and flexibility, with a focus on:

Value for money This judgment takes a range of financial and non-financial factors into account,  including the mix of quality, cost and resources; fitness for purpose; total cost of ownership; and risk.
Accountability The Accountable Officer may conduct procurement activities and reviews to provide value-for-money outcomes.
Probity Procurement activities and processes are held to high standards of behaviour and actions, including equity, confidentiality, avoiding conflicts of interest, and upholding consumer/supplier confidence in the integrity of government procurement processes.
Scalability The complexity of a procurement project is measured against the tendering organisation’s capability to conduct it to achieve a good procurement outcome.

Procurement activity plan

DEECA's planned procurement activity for at least the next 12-18 months is summarised in the following document.

DEECA 2023-24 forward procurement activity plan

This plan is prepared in response to a Victorian Government Purchasing Board policy requiring departments to publish a summary forecast of planned procurement activities for each financial year.

Please note that:

  • Tenders will not be released on this website.
  • All tenders will be issued on the Victorian Government Tenders System. Suppliers interested in participating in any of the public procurement activities should regularly monitor the Buying for Victoria.
  • All DEECA planned procurement projects are subject to revision or cancellation. The information in the Procurement Activity Plan is provided for planning purposes only. The plan does not represent a solicitation or constitute a request for proposal, nor is it a commitment by DEECA to purchase the described goods or services.
  • This plan is updated annually and was last updated on 15 August 2023.

Guide for suppliers

Suppliers must ensure that they and their employees, workers, representatives, suppliers and subcontractors comply with the standards of conduct set out in the guide and in other contractual obligations to the department.

Overview of Zycus and the ZSN portal

We have recently implemented Zycus as our new source-to-contract system. Zycus is now used at DEECA to manage its procurement sourcing activity including request for quote, request for proposal and request for information, as well as managing contract and supplier information.

ZSN enables suppliers to engage with DEECA through an online portal. Once registered, suppliers are able to respond to DEECA sourcing events and view details of their contracts.

As a ZSN registered supplier, you can:

  • view and update your address and contact information
  • access current contracts and track the progress of contract award/signing
  • engage with DEECA for tendering/ sourcing events.

Benefits of ZSN

The benefits of using the ZSN portal include:

  • Improved collaboration: The ZSN portal is a one-stop shop where you can view your existing contract details, engage with DEECA for any current and future business and update your company contact details.
  • Improved communication: Submit sourcing responses and communicate with your DEECA buyer via the ZSN portal and the Zycus eForum.
  • Reduced errors and enquiries: Ensure your information stays current and correct, preventing errors or delays in the source-to-contract process.

ZSN supplier registration

Before you can access the ZSN portal, you need:

  • an internet connection
  • an internet browser installed on your computer (Google Chrome is the preferred browser)
  • You must self-register as a supplier with the department

Access the DEECA Zycus supplier network self-registration

ZSN portal login

If you have already registered as a supplier on ZSN, access the ZSN portal login page

If you have forgotten your password for ZSN, click the ‘Forgot password?’ link on the sign-in screen to reset your password.

Support videos and further help

The videos and resources below are being updated to reflect the department's new name. Where you see references to the Department of Land Water and Planning or DELWP, this can be interpreted as meaning the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action or DEECA.

The following online support can help you:

Zycus - Supplier registration video
Zycus - Supplier portal navigation video
Zycus - Supplier portal navigation video transcript

The Zycus Supplier Network or ZSN is a web-based portal that enables you to engage with us the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action, or DEECA.

DEECA was formerly known as DELWP.

In order to do any future business with the Department you will need to be registered on this portal.

This video will walk you through the portal.

It will show you how to use ZSN to respond to sourcing events or tenders released by DEECA and how to respond to a request for an offer also known as a BAFO.

Once you have registered and completed your login to ZSN you can use the link provided to you by your DEECA buyer.

You are presented with a ZSN home screen.

Here you will see the:

Home icon

all customer's drop-down listing

manage companies

settings

and help drop-down menus.

You can also see your profile information.

Also present the contracts card will show the contracts you have been awarded. The sourcing events card shows current and past sourcing events.

Clicking the department icon will open a new screen with 4 distinct tabs.

These are:

Accounts

Events

Contracts and

Reference documents

Under account there are 4 sub-tabs:

My requests

My Companies

Completed requests and

My Alerts

Next is the events tab where you will find:

Sourcing events and Downloads

This is where you will find a list of sourcing events past and current that you've been invited to respond to and any sourcing-related documents.

The next tab is Contracts. This displays a listing of your contracts with the department.

The final tab is Reference Documents.

This consists of 2 sections – customer documents and reference links.

When a DEECA buyer has invited you to respond to a sourcing event or tender you can access the details from the events tab in ZSN.

Select the hyperlinked event name. Or under actions select enter event.

Then confirm your participation in the event.

After confirming your participation use the prepare response screen to respond to the section questions forming the sourcing event. These may contain a mix of mandatory and optional questions.

Once you have completed your responses to all sections submit them to the buyer. You will need to submit your responses before the event time expires. This is shown on the top right-hand side of the screen.

Responses must be submitted to all mandatory questions.

Colour indicator shown on the screen will guide you to ensure a response to all mandatory or red indicator questions have been answered. When you are submitting your response there should only be green or yellow indicators showing.

Use buyers attachments to view attachments released as part of the tender by the departmental buyer.

If there is a mandatory requirement to upload documents as part of the sourcing event response use the upload event level attachments function to do this.

You can save your work at any time. Submit your response once you have completed the response for each section in the event.

The Zycus eForum allows the departmental buyer to communicate with suppliers both privately and as a collective group from within the ZSN sourcing event. It also allows a supplier to contact the buyer in relation to the sourcing event. You can see the communication by using the go to eForum function.

If you want to create a new eForum to initiate communications with the buyer you can do this using the new eForum function.

A request for offer or best and final offer also known as a BAFO can be initiated by your buyer as part of the sourcing negotiations. You can submit your revised offer via the sourcing event in the Negotiation trail screen.

To access the request navigate to your sourcing events card. The sourcing event will now have a status of negotiation in progress. This will allow you to submit a revised offer for your sourcing event.

Click on the sourcing event to open the negotiation trail screen. To provide revised offer as part of the BAFO.

You will download an Excel template provided by the departmental buyer. This is done in the Negotiation trail screen use the action button to export and use the Excel sheet.

Enter your new offer amount and then upload and import the template back into ZSN.

Use the send for approval option to submit it to the buyer for review and evaluation.

Now that you have completed the online video you can contact your departmental buyer if you require further assistance when registering on ZSN or when completing your responses to sourcing events.

Thank you for watching this video.

Portal navigation guide

ZSN Portal Navigation Guide (DOCX, 12.5 MB)

If you require additional support or have questions relating to engaging with DEECA via the Zycus Supplier Network (ZSN) portal, your buyer at DEECA will be your first point of contact.

For any technical issues relating to the ZSN, please contact Zycus Support via email at support@zycus.com or access the online help within the ZSN portal.

Tenders

DEECA requests for tenders and expressions of interest for contracts are available from the Buying for Victoria website. Other state government department tenders are also advertised at this site.

Environmental considerations in procurement activity

DEECA is committed to minimising the environmental impact of the goods and services purchased to meet DEECA requirements. DEECA aims to meet this commitment by:

  • Purchasing goods and services that have reduced impacts on the environment, compared with competing goods and services that achieve the same function and value for money outcomes
  • Defining environmental procurement priorities based on assessment of environmental risks and their ability to influence environmental outcomes
  • Considering environmental impact when defining specifications for goods and services
  • Assessing the potential environmental impact of entering into a commercial engagement with a supplier, where appropriate.

Supplier satisfaction survey

To help the Victorian Government and DEECA better understand your experience of the procurement process and identify areas for improvement, we would greatly appreciate your feedback on the procurement process via a short online survey.

The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

The survey is being conducted by YouGov, an independent market research company, on behalf of the Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB). YouGov will treat all your responses, comments and information as strictly confidential. No individual or supplier will be able to be identified from the research results.

Supplier Satisfaction survey

Procurement and ethical employment

DEECA is committed to ensuring that all providers of goods and services to DEECA meet all obligations to their employees under any applicable industrial instruments recognised or registered under the National Workplace Relations System.

More information

Email: procurement@delwp.vic.gov.au

Contact the DEEC Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

Procurement complaints management

To lodge a complaint regarding an aspect of the DEECA procurement process, write to:

Chief Procurement Officer (CPO)
Level 13 - 2 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Or email the CPO at procurement@delwp.vic.gov.au.

Complaints will be managed in a consistent, fair and transparent manner in accordance with the process outlined in the framework.

For other types of complaints, please go to DEECA Making a Complaint.

Page last updated: 11/04/24