New Zealand Government Procurement (NGZP) is set to implement new procurement codes aimed at minimising security risks.
The said codes will apply to all government procurement organs starting 14 August and will help them identify and evaluate the level of risks through a supplier risk matrix.
The NGZP said compromised supply chains make a country vulnerable to outside influence, particularly foreign states. The NGZP has not mentioned any specific foreign state as the reason for this new measure.
“States typically make efforts to influence other states. However, national security risks arise when their actions are purposely misleading, deceptive, to adversely impact New Zealand.”
“The supply of goods and services could be a way in which this is achieved. This could be by granting a foreign state access to, or control over, sensitive New Zealand assets – either physical or digital,” the NGZP said on their website.
The NZGP ‘s new codes will include guidance on reducing negative impacts during the stages of planning, sourcing and managing. These guidelines will also provide recommendations for best practices and contractual terms.
The NGZP said the codes are a product of a series of consultations, which revealed issues that needed to be solved.
“Last year we consulted with agencies on this issue. Feedback reinforced the view we need tools to better deal with these issues. Cabinet recently considered this and gave the NZGP approval to introduce a new sub-Rule,” the statement said.
The country has yet to decide on whether it would join Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in the trilateral AUKUS security framework.
However, Defence Minister Andrew Little said it was looking at opportunities for collaboration in areas like cybersecurity, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.