Ministerial Directions
The Minister for Planning has issued three Ministerial Directions in relation to public construction, under the Project Development and Construction Management Act (1994).
Each direction has an associated Guide published by the Secretary DPCD.
Ministerial Directions and their associated Guides prescribe principles and procedures that Victorian Government departments and public bodies must follow when they procure public construction works and services, including:
- The construction tendering procedures that must be used, based on the estimated value of the works or services
- The general conditions of contract to be used for public construction and the principles to be followed when developing contract conditions
- Requiring that buildings of a public nature be designed taking into account the building site’s risk of bushfire attack
Ministerial Direction No 1: Tendering provisions for public construction
Ministerial Direction No 1: Tendering provisions for public construction (July 2008) prescribes the tendering methods to be used by Victorian government departments and public bodies for construction works and related services, based on the estimated value of the tender.
The tender thresholds in Ministerial Direction No 1 reflect Government construction procurement practices and align closely with tendering thresholds for Government goods and services procurement.
The tendering thresholds in Ministerial Direction No 1 will be reviewed in 2013.
- Ministerial Direction No. 1 - Tendering provisions for public construction (DOC - 80 KB)
- Ministerial Direction No. 1 - Tendering provisions for public construction (PDF - 153 KB)
Guide to Ministerial Direction No. 1
The Guide to Ministerial Direction No 1 (May 2009) is incorporated into and should be read in conjunction with the Ministerial Direction.
The Guide supports the implementation of Ministerial Direction No 1 by:
- Providing information on public construction tendering, supplier and tender assessment and reporting protocols
- Specifying approved mandatory and recommended criteria and the requirements and conditions for the accreditation of registers of pre-qualified suppliers
- Approving whole of Victorian government and agency-specific registers of pre-qualified building and construction industry suppliers (the Construction Supplier Register and the VicRoads pre-qualification schemes)
Ministerial Direction No 2: Contractual provisions for public construction
Ministerial Direction No. 2 - Contractual provisions for public construction prescribes the principles that must be adhered to in the form and content of construction contracts used by Victorian Government departments and public bodies for public construction projects.
Ministerial Direction No 2 specifies that conditions of contract, including ‘special conditions’, must be in a form approved by the Secretary DPCD.
- Ministerial Direction No. 2 - Contractual provisions for public construction (DOC - 99 KB)
- Ministerial Direction No. 2 - Contractual provisions for public construction (PDF - 61 KB)
Guide to Ministerial Direction No 2
The Guide to Ministerial Direction No. 2 is incorporated into and should be read in conjunction with the Ministerial Direction.
The Guide lists the forms of contract approved for use by Victorian Government departments and public bodies for public construction.
The Guide also establishes the terms of reference and membership of the Construction Contracts Advisory Panel.
- Guide to Ministerial Direction No. 2 - Contractual provisions for public construction (DOC - 56 KB)
- Guide to Ministerial Direction No. 2 - Contractual provisions for public construction (PDF - 25 KB)
Ministerial Direction No 3: Bushfire provisions for buildings of a public nature
Ministerial Direction No 3: Bushfire provisions for buildings of a public nature, applies to construction undertaken by Victorian Government departments and public bodies after 1 February 2010.
The direction requires the design process for government buildings to include a bushfire attack risk assessment to identify an appropriate design response based on the site and its assessed risk of bushfire attack.
Buildings of a public nature are specified in the Building Code of Australia.
Guide to Ministerial Direction No 3
The Guide to Ministerial Direction No. 3 is incorporated into and should be read in conjunction with the Ministerial Direction.
The Guide to Ministerial Direction No 3 specifies that one of the assessment methods in Australian Standard AS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas must be used to assess the bushfire attack risk of the particular construction site.
The Guide provides additional explanatory information regarding how the provisions of AS 3959 – 2009 are expected to be applied to public construction projects.
The use of AS 3959 – 2009 is an interim arrangement which will remain in place standards suitable for application to buildings of a public nature have been developed.
- Guide to Ministerial Direction No 3: Bushfire provisions for buildings of a public nature (DOC - 58 KB)
- Guide to Ministerial Direction No 3: Bushfire provisions for buildings of a public nature (PDF - 85 KB)
For more information about Ministerial Directions contact Building Policy on (03) 9223 1824 or email to building.policy@dpcd.vic.gov.au.