Wellcamp onsite medical services contract awarded to Aspen Medical without a tender process

Taxpayers are being kept in the dark about the size of the bill they are paying for a private health provider to deliver onsite medical services at the state government’s Wellcamp quarantine facility. And there was no tender process for the contract.

There was no tender process to secure the private health provider which will deliver onsite medical services at the state government’s Wellcamp quarantine facility.

And the bill which taxpayers are footing is being kept secret with the state government saying it was commercial-in-confidence.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles this week revealed Aspen Medical would provide on-site services, to be overseen by Queensland Health, when the facility opened next month.

A Queensland Government spokesman told The Courier-Mail that not all agreements were “required to, or suit, going to tender.”

“In this instance, the decision to outsource service delivery was made after consultation with both hospital and health services and other potential providers revealed that capacity could not be scaled up in time to operationalise the Wellcamp facility,” he said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced in August last year that her government would open its own regional quarantine facility in Toowoomba in early 2022 which would be built by Wagner Corporation.

The cost of the facility has been kept secret with the government insisting it was commercial-in-confidence.

The Premier on Friday said Wellcamp would be used for a range of reasons.

“It could also be used for future outbreaks of pandemics as well so we have that extra facility and I’m very proud that it has been completed in such a short period of time,” she said.

Pressed on why Queensland Health couldn’t provide the onsite medical services, the Premier couldn’t say.

The contract with Aspen Medical will vary depending on the services required during the agreement.

The government has signed a 12 month lease with Wagner Corporation for Wellcamp, with the option to extend.

Meanwhile the State Development Department did undertake a competitive tender process to secure a facilities management service provider.

Compass Group was successful.

The Deputy Premier on Thursday said the costs for both Compass Group and Aspen Medical were within the program budget.