The fifth Annual Report of the NT Buy Local Industry Advocate, Mr Denys Stedman was released today.
Under his Terms of reference Mr Stedman is required to publish an Annual Report commenting on the effectiveness of the Buy Local Plan and the delivery of Value For Territory.
The Buy Local Industry Advocate is an independent link between local business and the Northern Territory Government and his Annual Report is an important way of reporting his observations and recommendations in respect to government procurement.
Mr Stedman's report is widely regarded as an independent assessment of the NT Government's progress in delivering on its commitments which are contained in the Buy Local Plan and also in measuring the effectiveness of the procurement framework.
Findings from Mr Stedman's report are as follows:
Mr Stedman identified that NT Government spending with Territory Enterprises in 2021/22 has reached its highest level since the introduction of the Buy Local Plan in 2017. He went on to conclude that the Buy local Plan has been effective in ensuring the largest possible proportion of every dollar spent by the NT Government was retained within and delivered benefits for the Territory economy and community.Mr Stedman still holds concerns around ongoing data accuracy and limitations, and has again called upon the government to implement a whole of government procurement management and reporting system capable of accurately capturing all government procurement transactions;Mr Stedman noted that the delivery of best Value For Territory procurement outcomes remains inconsistent, however the inconsistency had reduced markedly from previous years to a point where he was prepared to conclude that across the NT government as a whole the delivery of Value For Territory is being achieved at a rate higher than any previous year;Mr Stedman acknowledged the progress made by the government in delivering the first stage of the long awaited Value For Territory Assessment Framework, but again expressed frustration and concerns on the delivery timeframe for Stage 2;Mr Stedman remains concerned about the ability of agencies to adequately manage contracts and monitor performance of contractors;Mr Stedman has again called for a review of the current procurement Tier levels and simplification of the procurement process for lower value procurements;Mr Stedman has made a number of recommendations for improvement which he considers should be considered by the NT Government to maximise and enable the effectiveness of the Buy Local Plan to be measured, and optimal Value For Territory to be delivered into the future.
A full copy of Mr Stedman's report and can be found here. here
Mr Stedman is available to discuss his report and be contacted as follows:
