ACT Corrective Services ignored fundamental procurement practices when it chose its preferred supplier to purchase a detainee transport vehicle that has since been found not fit-for-purpose and “largely redundant”, an audit report revealed. 

Auditor general Michael Harris said the ACT Corrective Services inappropriately identified and engaged a preferred supplier – the Byron Group – for a “complex and high-risk contract” worth more than $200,000 (all contracts that exceed that amount are required to go to open tender), without testing the market or seeking alternative quotes when it took possession of the vehicle, “Romeo 5”, in June 2018.

The vehicle, which cost $214,500 to manufacture and supply, has not been effectively used as a detainee transport vehicle since March 2020, the audit report revealed. 

The eight-cell detainee transport vehicle was intended to transport up to eight detainees and two custodial officers at a time but in November 2019 WorkSafe ACT identified that the vehicle did not comply with weight requirements when loaded with detainees to its full capacity.

WorkSafe ACT issued a prohibition notice on the vehicle in November 2019 and, in response, ACTCS instructed its staff that the vehicle was only to be used to carry a maximum of four detainees and two custodial officers at a time. This requirement has since been reduced to three.

Since its delivery, Romeo 5 has been used for detainee transport-related purposes on about 71 occasions between November 2018 and March 2020, making up 28 working days and 1066 kilometres.

This is in comparison to the findings in the ACT Inspector of Correctional Services’ November 2020 report, which identified that the Court Transport Unit facilitates an average total of 10.6 trips per working day.

The report said the vehicle was “significantly under-utilised” and revealed that correctional officers preferred to use Romeo 4 over Romeo 5, even though the ACT Inspector of Correctional Services’ November 2020 report identified that “there is a design flaw with the Romeo 4 transport vehicle that could put the lives of detainees at risk in the event of a vehicle accident or fire”.

The November 2020 report recommended that Romeo 4 should be replaced as soon as possible.

As for Romeo 5, Mr Harris noted that: “ACT Corrective Services did not implement effective processes for the procurement of the Romeo 5 vehicle.

“Management and staff did not adequately consider and apply legislative, policy and procedural requirements or adequately consider the procurement risk environment.”  

The report recommended that ACT Corrective Services should review its procurement framework, including policies, procedures and practices, as well as its need for, and use of, the Romeo 5 vehicle.