How procurement is saving lives in Western Australia

Extreme weather events such as floods, storms and wildfires are becoming common globally as the impacts of climate change worsen. Indeed, 2025 data from Nasa revealed a dramatic rise in the intensity of such events, finding that they were becoming more frequent, longer lasting and more severe.

Western Australia (WA) is on the frontline of extreme weather risk, not least fierce and deadly bushfires, with over 90% of the state considered bushfire prone. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is responsible for mitigating these risks and protecting WA’s community and landscape from natural hazards and emergency incidents. It’s no small job, given WA is the largest emergency services jurisdiction in the southern hemisphere and covers about a third of the country.

As the primary hazard management agency in the State (unusual in itself, as most other jurisdictions have a number of separate organisations rather than one central body), DFES guards against eight hazards including bushfire, structural fire, cyclone, storm, flood, tsunami, earthquake and hazmat (hazardous materials). It employs around 1,100 career firefighters and works with more than 26,000 volunteers across organisations such as Bush Fire Brigade, Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, Marine Rescue and State Emergency Service.

“It’s a huge geographical and organisational remit,” says Daniel Earl, the DFES assistant director strategic procurement. “This is a unique organisation with unique challenges.” The operational nature of the organisation means, he adds, that there can be a level of “scepticism” around corporate functions and processes.

Professionalising DFES’s procurement function

In recent years however, creating a more ‘strategic’ procurement function has helped dispel much of that scepticism, adding clear value to DFES and helping to make both the organisation itself and the community it serves, more resilient in the face of severe hazards. Procurement has gone from being “a postbox that would process sourcing requests” to a category-management-led function, proactively managing more than 500 contracts covering an aggregated value of AUD$1.6bn, explains Earl.

DFES worked with CIPS, both in 2019 and in 2025, to train procurement professionals in strategic category management, figuring out where savings can be found and where extra money can be put into “the things that matter: that actually save lives.”

A two-day bespoke programme, developed by CIPS for the organisation’s 2025 training, focused on how to embed practical tools and frameworks to support a deeper transition to category management. This ranged from introducing supplier relationship management plans to practical metrics and frameworks, drawing on approaches taken by comparable government entities.

“There's been a substantial increase in the volume of activity that has been brought under contract, to better manage risk and budgets while getting a better deal for the state,” Earl explains. His function is structured around three portfolios: ICT, professional services and corporate; fleet, equipment and apparel; and aviation and logistics.

The fleet category can be particularly challenging and complicated, given the need to import most parts from outside of Australia. “It’s a challenge to get standardisation and continuity of supply, and to have diversity of suppliers,” Earl says. “It’s the balance of maintaining the capacity and sustainability of local industry and supply chains in Western Australia, but also getting the best.” And of course, when lives are at stake, only the best will do.

Developing a strategic approach

As well as responding to incidents, DFES does a lot of risk mitigation work, such as planned mitigation to protect against bushfires. A proportion of suppliers doing this work are Aboriginal Registered businesses. “They have a close connection to country in many of the remote and rural areas in which we operate,” Earl says. It can be challenging given some Aboriginal Registered businesses may not have the administrative capacity to tender for an organisation the size of DFES, so sometimes it is about partnering with key organisations that can bring smaller operators on board.

Much of what DFES procures is costly, and given the nature of the operations, cost-cutting is often not an option. However, Earl explains that there is a big difference between business-as-usual and emergency periods. “When the high threat period kicks off [during Australia’s summer], all bets are off,” he says, with incident costs coming out of a different budget. “With BAU, it’s under a much tighter rein.”. A new finance system will aim to control emergency costs more tightly “while still giving flexibility to people out in the field to get what they need as soon as they need it, and have the best gear available to help them save lives and property”, says Earl.

Procurement plays a key role in building resilience: there is no time for the function to act as a blocker. “It’s about getting the best contracts in place and the most diverse, capable suppliers in place as quickly as possible and as widely as possible, and having the contracts in place for as long as possible to reduce disruption,” Earl explains.

Earl is ruthlessly outcomes-focused in his approach, and encourages his team to be the same, thinking laterally while always remaining compliant. “There’s always the ability within a process to get to a desired outcome quickly,” he believes. It’s about finding flexibility within policy and process parameters.

This approach can help build relationships with even the most challenging of stakeholders.

“Being a successful CPO in government is about learning where the flexible points are and where the shades of grey are so you can have an outcomes-focused approach,” Earl concludes. “You have to be willing to have a little bit of flexibility while still remaining compliant.”

Earl’s top tips:

1. Think laterally and be outcomes focused. Where is there flexibility within the government process to get to a desired outcome quickly?
2. Manage your relationships and keep your network. Be generous with your time; lean on people and be lent on. That means you will always have assistance when you need it.
3. Use project budgets to flex and try new staff on fixed-term contracts, allowing you to take a risk on talent and give people a chance to perform.

Building procurement capability with CIPS

CIPS offers a comprehensive range of training and capability development services aligned to organisational goals, including:

• In-company skills training
• Targeted workshops covering a wide range of procurement and commercial topics such as contract management, AI in procurement, negotiation, supplier relationship management (SRM), risk, and ethics.

All courses are delivered by accredited CIPS tutors, ensuring participants learn from recognised experts in procurement and supply. Training content is aligned with globally accepted procurement and supply chain standards and practices.

These practical, skills-based workshops are designed to help organisations build procurement excellence, enhance commercial outcomes, and support professional development pathways. Find out more by emailing the CIPS ANZ team at corporate.solutions@cipsa.com.au

CIPS  supports individuals, teams and organisations to drive continuous improvement in managing risk and building resilient supply chains. Our world-leading portfolio includes globally recognised qualifications, applied learning programmes, experiential routes to MCIPS, targeted training courses, practical guides and tools as well as our Procurement Excellence Programme and consultancy services.