Buy Local boss still holds doubts on policy three years on
THE NT Government’s own Buy Local Industry Advocate Denys Stedman says he still has doubts about the policy’s effectiveness after being in place for three years
Business
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THE NT Government’s own Buy Local Industry Advocate Denys Stedman says he still has doubts about the policy’s effectiveness after being in place for three years.
In his third annual report, Mr Stedman raised concerns about the Buy Local Plan, including the accuracy of government records.
It comes following revelations that a $581,787 government contract awarded to Ernst and Young in April did not go to a public tender process.
“I am unable to conclude whether the Buy Local Plan has had a positive effect in increasing procurement spending by the NT Government with Territory Enterprise,” Mr Stedman.
“I continue to hold concerns around the government’s ability to accurately record and analyse all of its procurement transactions from the systems it currently has in place.
“Due to this lack of reliable information, the task of measuring the effectiveness of the Buy Local Plan is one that cannot be reliably undertaken. “
Figures from the NT Government show 1683 contracts — valued at more than $911 million in total — were awarded to Territory businesses in the 2019-20 financial year, which made up 81.3 per cent of all contracts.
Mr Stedman said the COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the government’s procurements this year, with some urgent procurement made from outside the NT during the height of the pandemic.
The Buy Local Industry Advocate said he also held “serious concerns” about whether the balance of the government’s new Value for Territory Test framework will be able to be delivered in the announced time frame of 2021.
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