Where Public Money Concentrates
Procurement Concentration and Limited-Tender Leakage Across Australian Government
Read the full report →Headline Numbers
All figures read directly from the Commonwealth contract register on 10 June 2026. Every statistic is verifiable against the public record.
Suggested Story Angles
Five structurally distinct angles. Each is supported by a specific data pattern from the public register.
One in four dollars never goes to tender
$3.30B — 25 cents in every Commonwealth dollar analysed — was awarded by limited tender or direct source. In Defence alone the share reaches 48.6%. The question is structural: at what point does limited tender become a standing arrangement in everything but name?
Twenty suppliers control three-quarters of the market
Top 20 suppliers hold 77.97% of total analysed spend. The single largest holds 32.74% via one contract. In any regulated private market this level of concentration would attract scrutiny. In federal procurement it is unreported.
$6.18 billion priced in secret — after open tender
Some of the largest open-tender contracts carry a confidential flag that hides the price from public scrutiny. The government ran a competition, then suppressed what it cost. The public cannot judge value for money on $6.18B of spending.
Contracts grow $9.39M on average after award
$12.71B in post-award amendments across 587 contracts. The price at award — the one tested by competition — is not the price ultimately paid. Average uplift: $9.39M per amended contract. Largest single uplift: $470M on a fuel supply contract.
Spending clusters just below approval thresholds
Contract values bunch at $74K–$79,999 and $449K–$499,999 — immediately below the reporting and approval thresholds. The distribution is inconsistent with random contract sizing. This is the classic signature of threshold management.
Copy-Ready Statistics
These sentences are drafted for direct use in copy. Attribution: "according to Blackline Intelligence" or "Blackline Intelligence analysis of the public register shows." Every figure is sourced from the Commonwealth contract register.
- Commonwealth procurement data shows 25.0% of analysed spending — $3.30 billion — was awarded by limited tender or direct source rather than open competition, according to analysis by Blackline Intelligence.
- The top 20 suppliers in Commonwealth contracting hold 77.97% of the $13.19 billion analysed, with the single largest supplier holding 32.74% through a single contract, Blackline Intelligence data shows.
- More than $6 billion in Commonwealth contracts carry a confidential pricing flag that prevents the public from assessing value for money — even where the contract was let through open tender, according to Blackline Intelligence.
- $12.71 billion in contract value was added to Commonwealth contracts after their initial award, across 587 separate contracts, Blackline Intelligence analysis of the public register shows.
- Contract values in Commonwealth procurement cluster immediately below $80,000 and $500,000 — the thresholds at which additional reporting and approval obligations apply — according to Blackline Intelligence analysis of 3,933 contracts.
What Blackline Intelligence Can Provide
Agency-level breakdowns
Concentration, limited-tender share, and post-award amendments for any specific Commonwealth agency — pulled from the same live pipeline.
Supplier profiles
Full contract history, agency spread, and procurement method breakdown for any supplier in the register — across all agencies in one view.
Trend data over time
How concentration, limited-tender share, and pricing transparency have shifted year-on-year. Register data goes back to 2004.
Custom cuts for your story
A specific sector, a specific agency, a specific dollar threshold. If it is in the register, we can isolate and verify it against the source record.
Data & Methodology Note
- Source
- Commonwealth contract register (AusTender), public record
- Period
- FY2024 – FY2026 year-to-date (publish date ≥ 1 July 2023)
- Universe
- 3,933 unique contracts, deduplicated on contract number
- Data read
- 10 June 2026 · Last register ingestion 7 June 2026
- Scope
- Agency and supplier level only. No natural persons named.
- Full report
- blacklineintelligence.com.au/reports/076-procurement-concentration-leakage
Blackline Intelligence reads the Commonwealth contract register continuously. Every figure cited in this report is a direct read from the public record — nothing is estimated, modelled, or interpolated. The full methodology is published alongside the report.
Media Enquiries
For interviews, additional data cuts, or verification of any figure in this report, contact Blackline Intelligence directly. We can turn around agency-level or supplier-level data on request.
Any figure or finding from this report published in media should be attributed to Blackline Intelligence. We provide this research on that basis — and are happy to continue providing data on the same terms.