Reference group participants key to procurement program success

A collaborative approach to procurement is helping HealthShare Victoria (HSV) identify best-value outcomes that reflect Victoria’s diverse health sector requirements.

All new HSV contracts are established through a reference group process involving health service representatives, working parties and other advisory forums.

HSV’s reference groups play a key role in our sourcing program by providing health service subject matter expertise and clinical guidance essential to the procurement process.

“Reference groups evaluate products to ensure they best meet the needs of health services, and health service participation is critical to the success of our procurement program,” says HSV Director Procurement Joe Neill.

In 2020, 264 health service employees from across Victoria participated in HSV procurement activities, despite activity being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of the year.

The pandemic has affected the normal operation of HSV’s reference groups. Health services are seeking to minimise the need for their expert representatives to meet face-to-face for product evaluation activities, especially during lockdown restrictions. At the same time, suppliers have reduced the availability of samples which can be provided across a broad geographic area.

As a result, HSV is working with health services to explore ways in which products can continue to be evaluated in a timely way in this more constrained environment.

“The role of reference group coordinators in facilitating nominees from their health service is highly valued,” Joe says.

“HSV relies on the knowledge and expertise of reference group members in establishing collective contracts so that we can achieve the best clinical, operational and financial outcomes for all health services,” he says.

In 2020, health services from all regions of Victoria were widely represented in HSV reference groups.

Region	HSV reference group members
Barwon South West	12
Gippsland	12
Grampians	16
Hume	29
Loddon Mallee	14
Metropolitan	181
Grand total	264