Paramount Projects recently completed an important project control role for the Queensland Government as part of a comprehensive review of the Government’s procurement practices. The review was undertaken to ensure probity and value for money remain at the forefront of the State’s procurement policy.
Before this undertaking, previous reform efforts had consistently failed to meet expectations. In 2013, for example, the Department of Housing and Public Works established the Procurement Transformation Division to build capability and drive spend reduction across State agencies. Given slow progress and mixed results, in April 2015 the new Government established an Interdepartmental Committee to deliver its commitment to thoroughly review Government procurement practices, and establish an innovative procurement approach across Government.
Stakeholders included:
• Department of Housing and Public Works
• Queensland Treasury
• Department of Education and Training
• Queensland Health
• Department of Transport and Main Roads
• Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
• Public Safety Business Agency
Key components of the review included:
• broad stakeholder consultation, including feedback on proposed options;
• assessment of all Government procurement reviews (including the Procurement Transformation Division) since 2007; and
• analysis of leading public and private sector procurement best practice across Australia, and identification of opportunities to achieve best practice in Queensland.
The assignment commenced in May 2015 with Phase 1 completed by 31 July 2015, and the final report provided to Cabinet by 30 September 2015. The review was successful in identifying design principles, practical recommendations and best practice procurement solutions to reduce cost, increase efficiency and ensure better consistency across Government.