The ACT government has pledged to make sweeping reforms to its procurement processes after the Auditor-General found the tender process for a school refurbishment was not fair and lacked probity.
The government agreed or agreed in principle to the six recommendations of the report into the Campbell Primary School Modernisation, which has since prompted inquiries from the ACT Integrity Commission and a Legislative Assembly committee.
Education Minister Yvette Berry said the Education Directorate should be commended for acting quickly to improve its business practices when the audit was taking place.
"The Education Directorate will take further action to ensure the probity of procurement processes and will fully implement the government's response to the audit," Ms Berry said.
"This includes specific consideration of probity management and the provision of additional independent probity advice and training for tender evaluation panels.
"The Education Directorate is committed to ensuring that in future procurements where delegates have not accepted or have amended the recommendations of a tender evaluation panel, those decisions will be fully documented in accordance with the government's response."
The government-wide reforms will aim to define the roles and responsibilities of Procurement ACT, Major Projects Canberra and the agencies undertaking the procurement. It will aim to improve data and reporting to help agencies make informed decisions and streamline processes.
The government response states that delegates do have the power to overturn recommendations of evaluation panels, as was the case in the Campbell Primary School project, but Procurement ACT would start gathering data on how frequently this was happening.
The ACT Government circulated a probity guide and fact sheets on value for money and risk management for delegates.
Any public servants involved in procurement are now required to make written disclosure of conflicts of interest, which did not occur for all people involved in the Campbell Primary School project.
The government has pledged to roll out mandatory training for employees in all agencies and directorates who are involved with procurement.
The government commissioned its own review into Procurement ACT in 2021 led by Rene Leon, which will also inform the reform program.
A detailed work plan for the reforms will be released by June this year.
Opposition leader Elizabeth Lee said the government had 20 years to create a procurement system Canberrans can trust and they have failed.
"The fact they need to reform the system shows there are significant problems," Ms Lee said.
"While it is all well and good to suggest reform, unless the Labor-Greens government addresses the culture of secrecy they have created, Canberrans will not receive the value for money from procurements that they deserve."
