About Gavan

Gavan Mackenzie is a leading commercial lawyer specialising in government procurement, grants, ICT contracting and complex public sector transactions. He advises all levels of government on the design, delivery and management of high-value, high-risk and strategically significant programs. Gavan is trusted by senior government stakeholders to provide pragmatic, solutions-focused advice on matters where outcomes are critical and scrutiny is high. His work consistently supports agencies to deliver legally robust, commercially sound, and operationally effective outcomes.

Gavan works at the centre of government decision-making, supporting agencies to deliver critical public services and major transformation initiatives across sectors including technology and artificial intelligence, health, social services, intelligence and security, environment, and science. His advice is routinely sought on matters that involve complex policy settings, heightened scrutiny, and significant delivery risk.

Gavan advises on the full lifecycle of government commercial activity, with particular expertise in:

• Establishing and running large-scale procurement and grant processes, including advising on approach to market strategies, evaluation frameworks, and defensible decision-making.
• Advising on complex software licensing arrangements, re-seller arrangements, and complex ‘as-a-service’ arrangements (including whole-of-government arrangements).
• Designing and implementing panel, standing offer and whole-of-government arrangements, particularly in the technology context.
• Structuring, negotiating, and managing complex contracts, including those operating within complex legislative and policy frameworks.
• Managing and resolving disputes in relation to high-value government contracts and programs.
• Advising on probity, integrity frameworks, and governance arrangements to ensure processes withstand audit and external scrutiny.

He is particularly recognised for his ability to translate complex legal, policy and probity requirements into clear, practical, and actionable advice that enables agencies to proceed with confidence. Gavan brings strong commercial judgement and a disciplined focus on risk management, helping clients balance delivery objectives with accountability and compliance obligations.

Experience

• Commonwealth ICT procurement delivery

  Advising on large‑scale Commonwealth ICT procurements for major service delivery agencies, supporting successful tender processes and contract outcomes for nationally significant systems and platforms.

• Digital transformation and multi vendor commercial models

  Supporting complex digital transformation and services programs, including structuring commercial models that appropriately allocate risk and support delivery across multi‑vendor environments.

• Panel and standing offer arrangements

  Acting on the establishment and operation of panel and standing offer arrangements, enabling agencies to procure services efficiently while strengthening governance and consistency of outcomes.

• Procurement strategy, probity and assurance

  Advising on procurement strategy, probity and assurance for high‑value and high‑profile procurements, supporting defensible decision‑making and compliance with Commonwealth requirements.

• Contract management and dispute resolution

  Providing contract management and dispute resolution advice on complex and sensitive government projects, assisting clients to manage performance issues, variations and contract exits while minimising disruption to service delivery.