The CSO Service Standards and CSO Compliance Requirements define the minimum services, standards and operating arrangements. The Standards include a requirement to stock the full range of available PBS items (as defined under the CSO) and to deliver them to any pharmacy in Australia (except a few very remote locations) generally within 24 hours of regular order cut-off time.
As part of the Service Standards, CSO Distributors must:
- Supply any community pharmacy within their national or state based CSO jurisdiction.
- Supply any brand of any PBS Medicine (as defined under the CSO) on request.
- Maintain specified stocks of PBS Medicines.
- Supply PBS Medicines at or below the approved price to pharmacist.
- Supply PBS Medicines generally within 24 hours.
- Make available a daily delivery service to community pharmacies within their CSO jurisdiction as part of standard service delivery infrastructure.
- Supply rural and remote pharmacies.
- Supply low volume PBS Medicines.
The CSO arrangements are overseen by an independent Administration Agency, the CSO Administration Agency.