Sarah advises the Australian Government on capital equipment procurement, defence contracting, aviation, land vehicle and maritime asset acquisitions, competitive tendering and privatisations. She is a trusted Commonwealth adviser with 30 years of specialist experience.

Biography

Sarah acts for Commonwealth Government departments and agencies on procurement, contracting and governance matters. Her client base is primarily the Commonwealth and Commonwealth entities, with a particular focus on defence procurement and capital equipment acquisition.

Sarah advises on procurement activities for aviation, land vehicle and maritime assets, governance matters for statutory corporations, contract negotiations, competitive tendering processes and privatisations. She leads contract negotiations for Commonwealth clients, drawing on her deep understanding of the legislative and regulatory requirements Commonwealth entities must satisfy.  Her practice also spans intellectual property aspects of government procurement and contracting.

Sarah has 30 years of experience advising the Australian Government and has acted in some of Australia’s largest and most complex capital equipment acquisition procurements. She was named in Australasian Lawyer’s inaugural Elite Women list of 50 women in 2021.

Sarah's combination of procurement, defence, IP and governance expertise across the full lifecycle of major Commonwealth acquisitions positions her as one of Australia’s most experienced advisers to the Commonwealth on capital equipment and defence contracting.

Credentials

Academic Qualifications:

Sarah's experience

Major capital equipment acquisitions

Advises the Commonwealth on aviation, land vehicle and maritime capital equipment acquisitions, including some of Australia’s largest and most complex procurement processes, from strategy development through contract award and administration.

Defence contracting and procurement

Advises the Department of Defence and defence-related Commonwealth entities on procurement frameworks, contracting and contract administration under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act, the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and defence-specific legislative frameworks.  Not only does she seek to ensure compliance with the legislative and regulatory requirements her clients must satisfy, but she brings to bear her extensive experience across a significant volume of projects, spanning multiple domains.

Competitive tendering and privatisations

Acts on competitive tendering processes and privatisations for Commonwealth entities, advising on procurement strategy, tender documentation, evaluation and contract execution.

Statutory corporation governance

Advises on governance matters for statutory corporations, including governance frameworks, accountability obligations and legislative compliance.

Awards, recognitions and rankings