Language of Government
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If you’re not familiar with database lingo or public sector slang it can often seem impossible for businesses to effectively communicate with the public sector. To help you gain a better understanding of the public sector we have put together a list of common abbreviations and useful key terms.
General Government Terms
MoG- Machinery of Government refers to the restructuring and reorganisation and reshuffling of government departments and organisations. This includes changing the names of government departments as well as significant changes to the company hierarchy and organisational structure.
EOI- Expression of Interest. This is often the first step the government will take when considering purchasing a product or service. This gives suppliers an opportunity to provide general information about their product or service before the official tender process starts and gives the public sector organisations a feel for what is out there.
RFT- Request for Tender. This is a formal invitation for suppliers to provide proposals outlining how they can fulfil the request of the tender. These are most often used for products that need to be customised or purchases that come at significant costs.
RFQ- Request for Quotation. As opposed to RFTs which are normally for expensive and customised products or services, RFQ are normally used for run-of-the-mill products that do not involve huge expenditure and do not need to be customised. This allows the procurement managers to find the product or service that offers the best value for money.
Whole-of-Government- This refers to operations and initiatives that span across the whole government rather than being isolated to specific departments. This is where the whole government works together to achieve a shared goal.
Shared Services- This refers to certain corporate roles being shared amongst departments. Services like IT and Human Resources might work across a number of government departments to save on costs.
B2G- Business to Government. This refers to direct marketing to government organisations and agencies by businesses.
Common agency abbreviations
ADFA- The Australian Defence Force Academy is located in Duntroon, Canberra and has a partnership with the University Of New South Wales (UNSW). ADFA provides military training to students while they complete an undergraduate degree.
ASIO- Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is responsible for ensuring Australia’s national security.
ASQA- The Australian Skills Quality Authority is responsible for overseeing and quality control of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) across Australia.
ATO- Australian Taxation Office is responsible for collecting revenue on behalf of the federal government.
CASG- The Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group is part of the Department of Defence that looks after military equipment and supplies.
CRICOS- The Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students is a register that grants permission for training organisations to offer courses to international students.
CSIRO- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national agency that carries out scientific research.
DFAT- The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for ensuring Australia’s position in the global economy and looking after Australia’s foreign policy.
DIBP- Department of Immigration and Border Protection works to protect Australia’s boarder and monitor immigration.
DSTO- The Defence Science and Technology Organisation works within the Department of Defence to deliver technology solutions for national security operations.
PM&C- The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is a major federal government department.