The $187,550 contract is the latest of 36 federal government contracts awarded to Deborah May over the past six years, totalling just over $2 million. The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet spending comes despite Secretary Martin Parkinson's insistence this week his workforce does not discriminate against women.

The department says while women make up 66 per of its workforce it believes Ms May's work can help it to do better.

"The purpose of this audit is to determine if everyone in PM&C has an equal opportunity to contribute and achieve their potential, and to identify any unconscious biases that may affect individuals or groups," a spokesperson said.

"The findings of the audit will inform priorities for the department moving forward, particularly in regards to inclusion and diversity initiatives."

Ms May – a Fulbright Scholar – said a cultural audit was a "qualitative diagnostic process" that involves focus groups, interviews and surveys. She likens it to an MRI that "identifies the underlying causes of pain".

"My team have had significant experience undertaking these processes and with great results," she told Fairfax Media.

"It certainly galvanises action and is a very powerful catalyst for change. All the agencies that have undertaken these processes have found them very powerful."

Dr Parkinson this week took aim at a Fairfax Media columnist who wrote the Turnbull government's women's policy "seems to be in chaos", citing an alleged lack of pay equity in PM&C.

Dr Parkinson said the pay gap had nothing to do with gender but rather was a byproduct of recent PM&C mergers with other departments, all of which have different employment agreements.

"I am committed to equal pay for equal work and am working to find a solution to the current enterprise agreement situation. In the meantime, within the parameters of their enterprise agreement, employees have the ability to negotiate a salary based on their skills and experience," he said.

"To suggest my department is unfairly treating current and potential female employees is just plain wrong."

Ms May said she has been labelled a "feminist guru".

"The label feminist is one that conjures up an image of an angry, bra-burning, man-hating woman from the 70s, which does not describe me, or any of the many feminists I know," she has written on her blog.

"However, I've been labelled a feminist guru, so I think I'll wear it because I quite like the fact that it has been effective at drawing attention to the work I do, and the work that has yet to be done: creating workplaces and organisations across all sectors, industries and nations that work for women."

Ms May has also done work with the Attorney-General's Department, Department of Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The Treasury, Geoscience Australia, IBM, ACCC, Kellogg's, Swinburne University, Clayton Utz and the Australian National University.