Indigenous-owned · direct purchase under CPR Exemption 16

Much of the hiring process
remains manual and slow.

Many eRecruit Systems don’t reduce workload, they just take a paper process and put it onscreen. Coordinating panels and candidates, chasing availability and responses, taking notes, consolidating assessments, and drafting the report are all still largely manual tasks. And the workload gets much worse with bulk intake rounds.

146
Average applications per externally advertised role
ABS Annual Report 2024-25: 16,376 applications for 112 vacancies
44%
Of scribe time spent on report writing alone
Nguma validated dataset, 145 qualifying jobs
Zero
Candidates screened, scored, or ranked by the platform
By design, at every stage of the process
The problem

Work piles up in the middle of the hiring process.

1 Workforce planning and role definition
The gap
2 Advertise and receive applications
3 Shortlisting and screening
4 Interviews and assessments
5 Pre-employment checks
6 Offer and onboard

Too much admin, not enough time.

An HR officer waist-deep in paperwork at the bottom of a chasm, representing the manual work in the middle of the hiring process
Sorting applications
Scheduling panels
Chasing availability
Reference checks
Paperwork and compliance
Updating eRecruit records
More time per vacancy Weeks of coordination before anyone meets a candidate
Higher cost to hire Senior staff producing documents instead of assessing people
Candidate drop-off Good applicants take another offer while the process runs
Delayed projects Vacant roles hold up the work they were funded to deliver
Pressure on hiring managers Recruitment carried on top of a full-time job
The solution

Nguma automates the process, not the decision.

Nguma takes the administration out of the selection process. Your panel keeps the judgement, and the record of how it reached its decision is produced as the process runs rather than written from memory afterwards.

Application and CV intake
Extracted and structured for the panel. Nothing scored, ranked, or filtered
Facilitated shortlistingComing soon
Evidence laid out per criterion; a panel member makes every call
Interview scheduling and coordination
Panel and candidate availability matched; invitations and briefings automated
Candidate assessmentComing soon
Structured questions and candidate answers captured against the criteria
Panel interview scribing
Real time, speaker-attributed, via Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet
Panel moderation scribing
The session where the panel reconciles its view, captured as the core report input
Reference checkingComing soon
Referee responses captured and attached to the candidate record
Individual assessments and Selection Reports
Drafted from the record, ready for the delegate the same day interviews close
Merit pool records
Structured for APSC Circular 2025/07 and state pool equivalents
Full audit trail
Every action timestamped and attributable, exportable for review or FOI
Alongside your systems

Plays nicely with others

Nguma can replace or integrate with your existing eRecruit System, whichever suits your Agency, and can connect to systems like your HRIS and CRM. It works with the meeting tools your panels already use, so there is nothing new for them to learn.

“What does this change about the systems we already run?”
Where the judgement stays

No screening, scoring, or ranking

Nguma does not compare an application against your criteria and produce a verdict. Intake means extraction and structuring only. Nguma removes the administration of shortlisting, not the judgement: a panel member makes every call, and Nguma records who decided what, when, and on what basis.

“Can you demonstrate that no applicant was excluded by an automated assessment?”
By contract

Your candidates never train a model

Customer applications, audio, transcripts, and metadata are contractually prohibited from training or improving any AI model. A candidate assessed in your process cannot carry that outcome into another process, in your Agency or in any other organisation. Nothing about them is learned, retained, or reused beyond the matter for which it was collected.

“Could a decision in our process affect this person’s prospects elsewhere?”
Compliance

Every framework your Agency is required to meet.

Four themes cover the obligations Australian Government agencies carry in recruitment. Select a theme to see Nguma’s approach and every instrument it answers to.

Nguma’s approach
  • The panel assesses; Nguma scribes.
  • No candidate is screened, scored, or ranked by the platform at any stage.
  • Conflict-of-interest declarations are captured per panellist before deliberation.
  • Every decision is documented, attributable and exportable for review.
  • Pool records are held in a structure that can be exported to your jurisdiction’s sharing format.
Legislation and policy

Commonwealth: Public Service Act 1999, s 10A; APS Commissioner’s Directions 2022; APSC Circular 2025/07

PASS

NSW: Government Sector Employment Act 2013, s 7; GSE Rules

PASS

VIC: Public Administration Act 2004, s 8; VPSC binding standards

PASS

QLD: Public Sector Act 2022

PASS

SA: Public Sector Act 2009, s 46; Premier’s Direction: Recruitment; Commissioner’s Determination 1

PASS

WA: Public Sector Management Act 1994, s 8; Commissioner’s Instructions

PASS

TAS: State Service Act 2000, s 7; Employment Directions

PASS

NT: Public Sector Employment and Management Act; NTPS Recruitment and Selection Policy

PASS

ACT: Public Sector Management Act 1994, merit and equity principle

PASS
Nguma’s approach
  • Consent is captured automatically at the start of every session, logged and timestamped.
  • Data is scoped to the role it was collected for, with no cross-purpose use.
  • No personal information, audio, or metadata is transferred, stored, or processed offshore: application data and records are held in AWS’s Sydney region, and speech-to-text runs on an Australian-only instance.
  • AES-256 encryption at rest and in transit, across the whole platform.
  • Role-based access controls, with a full log of every access event, timestamped and attributable.
Legislation and policy

Commonwealth: Privacy Act 1988, APPs 3, 6, 8 and 11

PASS

NSW: Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998

PASS

VIC: Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014

PASS

QLD: Information Privacy Act 2009, as amended by IPOLA

PASS

SA: Information Privacy Principles Instruction (Cabinet Administrative Instruction 1/89); PC012

PASS

WA: Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing Act 2024

PASS

TAS: Personal Information Protection Act 2004

PASS

NT: Information Act 2002

PASS

ACT: Information Privacy Act 2014; ACT agencies also fall under the federal Privacy Act

PASS

Essential Eight Maturity Level 2, ASD baseline cyber security controls

IN PROGRESS

ISO 27001, information security management system

IN PROGRESS

ISO 42001, AI management system

IN PROGRESS

Hosted using IRAP assessed infrastructure at the Protected level

PLANNED
Nguma’s approach
  • Nguma makes no decision about any candidate at any point, which answers the human accountability and merit principles directly.
  • Every AI-assisted output requires human review and approval before it becomes the record, with reasoning visible and overridable.
  • Customer data is contractually prohibited from training any model.
  • Because no assessment is automated, every outcome traces to a named person and a documented reason, which is what transparency and contestability require.
Legislation and policy

National framework for the assurance of AI in Government, agreed by Data and Digital Ministers, 21 June 2024; Australia’s AI Ethics Principles

PASS

Commonwealth: APSC Principles for agency use of AI in recruitment, which agencies were expected to implement by 1 June 2026; Policy for the responsible use of AI in Government (DTA, updated December 2025); AI Plan for the APS 2025; DISR GfAA AI6

PASS

NSW: AI Ethics Policy and AI Assessment Framework, mandatory under Circular DCS-2024-04

PASS

VIC: National framework adopted directly; PROV AI Technologies and Recordkeeping Policy; Administrative Guideline for Generative AI

PASS

QLD: QGEA Artificial intelligence governance policy; QGEA Use of Generative AI

PASS

SA: Across-Government guideline on the safe use of generative AI in Government contexts

PASS

WA: WA AI Policy Framework (2024), Office of Digital Government

PASS

TAS: Aligned to the national framework; no separate published assurance framework

PASS

NT: NT AI Assurance Framework

PASS

ACT: ACT Government Artificial Intelligence Policy

PASS
Nguma’s approach
  • All interfaces meet WCAG 2.1 AA.
  • Screen reader support, keyboard navigation, and sufficient colour contrast are verified across candidate-facing and Agency-facing workflows.
Legislation and policy

WCAG 2.1 AA is the common baseline for Australian Government digital services

PASS

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 applies nationally to candidate-facing services

PASS
The tools currently in use

What’s in use today. Why it creates risk.

The tools below are capable and widely used across Government Agencies. None were designed for the Australian regulatory environment. When your CISO or a candidate asks the compliance question, the answer isn’t straightforward.

Otters, Fireflies and friends

Audio processed on US servers

The popular US-based meeting transcription tools route interview audio and transcript data through servers in the United States. Under APP 8 of the Privacy Act 1988, transferring personal information offshore without adequate contractual safeguards is a breach, even if unintentional. Whether a given tool’s terms clear that bar is a question your Agency has to answer for each one, before it is used on a candidate.

“Where is candidate interview data being stored and processed, and under what jurisdiction?”
Built-in meeting AI

Data residency is region-dependent

Meeting AI features built into the major conferencing platforms route to data centres that vary by tenant configuration and are not guaranteed to stay onshore in Australia. For Government tenancies with strict data residency requirements, verifying that AI processing remains in-country requires explicit configuration that is often not in place by default. AI model training opt-outs are typically at the enterprise tier.

“Can you confirm that AI processing of our meeting content never leaves Australian data centres?”
Manual notes in shared drives

No audit trail; APP 11 exposure

Interview notes stored in personal drives, Outlook folders, or shared SharePoint libraries without proper access controls create exposure under APP 11 (data security). When a selection decision is challenged at the Merit Protection Commissioner, notes written from memory after the fact, without a contemporaneous record, are difficult to defend. There is no audit trail showing who accessed what, when, or whether the record is complete.

“If this decision is reviewed by the MPC, what contemporaneous documentation exists?”
Indigenous procurement

Buying Nguma satisfies your procurement obligations.

Nguma is majority Indigenous-owned and controlled, and Supply Nation registered. Every purchase contributes directly to your Indigenous procurement targets and can be made without a formal tender process.

Commonwealth

Indigenous Procurement Policy

CPR Exemption 16 permits direct purchase from an Indigenous SME at any contract value, with a simple value-for-money quote and no tender. The Mandatory Set-Aside gives Indigenous SMEs first consideration within its threshold band, where Nguma sits.

New South Wales

Aboriginal Procurement Policy

Agencies are directed to consider Aboriginal businesses first, with direct engagement pathways for eligible contracts. Nguma spend counts toward your agency’s reporting under the policy.

Victoria

Social Procurement Framework

Purchasing from Aboriginal businesses is a defined social procurement objective. Nguma spend counts toward your department’s reporting against the framework.

Queensland

Queensland Procurement Policy 2026

Buying from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses is embedded in Queensland’s procurement objectives. Nguma spend counts toward your entity’s reporting.

South Australia

Aboriginal Economic Participation Strategy

An across-Government target directs a minimum share of agency spend to Aboriginal businesses and ACCOs, administered through the Office of the Industry Advocate.

Western Australia

Aboriginal Procurement Policy

Mandates progressive targets for the award of contracts to Aboriginal businesses and ACCOs, applying to all contracts above its threshold.

Tasmania

No dedicated policy

Tasmania does not currently operate a dedicated Aboriginal procurement policy. Nguma’s Supply Nation registration still evidences Indigenous ownership for agencies applying their own reconciliation or social procurement commitments.

Northern Territory

Aboriginal Procurement Policy

Applies above a low contract threshold. Agencies report on contracts awarded to Aboriginal Business Enterprises, alongside Value for Territory assessment.

Australian Capital Territory

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Procurement Policy

Territory entities must identify opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enterprises and are encouraged to seek quotes from them, using Supply Nation’s Indigenous Business Direct where no Canberra-region supplier is suitable.

Portfolio targets. Every Commonwealth portfolio carries annual Indigenous procurement targets by number of contracts and by contract value under the Indigenous Procurement Policy, which was strengthened in May 2026 with revised criteria applying from 1 July 2026. Buying Nguma contributes to both figures. State and territory reporting varies by jurisdiction. We provide letters of engagement and participation data formatted for your Agency’s reporting requirements on request.

Majority Indigenous-owned and controlled Supply Nation registered NSWICC certified Yarpa member 100% Australian owned business Majority women-owned SME ABN 36 695 423 851
Common questions

Questions your procurement team will ask.

Does Nguma screen, score, or rank applicants?

No. Nguma does not compare an application against your selection criteria and produce a verdict, and it does not score, rank, or filter candidates at any stage. Application intake means extraction and structuring only: the material a candidate submitted, organised so a panel member can read and assess it quickly. The assessment is the panel’s, and Nguma records who decided what, when, and on what basis. This is a deliberate design position tied to the merit principle, not a limitation we intend to remove.

Does Nguma replace our eRecruit System?

No. Nguma works alongside your eRecruit System. Most eRecruit Systems digitised the selection process without removing the manual work inside it: coordination, scheduling, note-taking, assessment consolidation, and report drafting are all still done by hand. Nguma automates that administration and returns the structured, auditable record to your process. Integration with commonly used eRecruit System platforms is on the roadmap.

Which parts of the selection process does Nguma cover today?

Available now: application and CV intake, interview scheduling and candidate coordination, panel interview scribing, moderation session scribing, and generation of individual assessments and full Selection Reports, all with a complete audit trail and merit pool records formatted for APSC Circular 2025/07. Coming soon: facilitated shortlisting, candidate assessment through questions and answers, and reference checking. We will not describe a capability as available until it is.

Is Nguma compliant with merit and Merit Protection requirements?

Yes. Nguma is purpose-built for APS Merit Protection compliance. It supports merit-based selection under the Public Service Act 1999 by capturing the panel’s assessment against your selection criteria, documenting every panel decision with full reasoning, and maintaining a complete audit trail exportable for Merit Protection Commissioner review or its state equivalent. Conflict-of-interest declarations are captured per panellist before deliberation begins. The panel assesses; Nguma scribes. No AI makes a decision about any candidate.

Where is our data hosted? Does it leave Australia?

All data is processed and stored in Australia, with the application database and records held in Australian data centres and speech-to-text processed in Australia. Applications, candidate personal information, interview recordings, meeting transcripts, and selection documentation are never stored or processed outside Australia. Full architecture and data-residency documentation is available under NDA for security assessment. Nguma does not transfer customer data offshore for storage in the ordinary course of the service.

What evidence does Nguma provide if a selection decision is challenged?

Nguma produces a complete, exportable audit trail covering the full selection process: the assessment framework, the applications as received, the panel’s shortlisting decisions and who made them, conflict-of-interest declarations, interview transcripts, the moderation record, panel scoring with individual member contributions, and the finalised Selection Report. Every action is timestamped and attributable to a named person. Because no stage of the assessment is automated, every outcome traces back to a human decision and a documented reason. That contemporaneous record is significantly more defensible than notes written from memory after the fact.

Has Nguma undergone IRAP assessment?

An IRAP assessment at the Official: Sensitive level is planned and will be initiated following current ISO 27001 and Essential Eight ML2 certification work. Agencies with specific IRAP requirements should contact us to discuss their needs and timeline directly.

Can my Agency purchase Nguma under the Indigenous procurement framework?

Yes. Nguma is majority Indigenous-owned and controlled and Supply Nation registered. Commonwealth Procurement Rule Exemption 16 permits direct purchase at any contract value with a simple value-for-money quote, with no formal tender process required. The Mandatory Set-Aside applies within its threshold band. NSW, Victoria, ACT, and Queensland state policies also provide direct purchase pathways. Every Nguma purchase counts toward your Indigenous procurement targets.

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