The deep-dive departments could not always demonstrate that they got value for money in the professional services engagements we reviewed.
This is because they could not always show that they actively managed their contracts or used the deliverables from these engagements.
Covered in this section:
Departments' procurement and reporting processes for using contractors and consultants are in line with the guidelines for professional services and labour hire, the VGPB's procurement framework and FRD 22.
This means they are set up well to comply with these requirements. However, public transparency about departments' total spending on contractors and consultants could be improved if departments included contractor spending in their annual reports.
Covered in this section:
We made 3 recommendations to address our findings. The relevant agencies have accepted them in principle or in full.
Our audit followed 2 lines of inquiry:
1. Do departments' processes to procure, manage and report on contractor and consultant engagements comply with relevant guidelines?
2. Can departments demonstrate that their use of contractors and consultants achieves value for money?
To answer these questions, we examined:
Download a PDF copy of Appendix C: Review scope and method.
Download a PDF copy of Appendix B: Abbreviations, acronyms and glossary.
Download a PDF copy of Appendix A: Submissions and comments.