A REPORT from the ACT Auditor-General has found the procurement for the Acton waterfront development to be “ineffective” and “poorly designed”.

The project involves the reclamation of three hectares of lake-bed from Lake Burley Griffin’s West Basin to build a mixed residential and commercial development.

In his report presented to the ACT Legislative Assembly today, Auditor-General Michael Harris said the ACT Government agencies’ management of the procurement and the contract in the period of 2014 to 2020 had been ineffective.

“The 2014 RFT was poorly designed and did not provide an adequate basis for the execution of the $9 million design and construct contract that eventuated 11 months later,” the report reads.

“Following the execution of the contract, the Land Development Agency varied the Contract with insufficient regard to value for money considerations.

“On its assumption of the Contract on 1 July 2017, the City Renewal Authority did not robustly assess the risks of continuing with the Contract against alternative options.”

The report, released today, also stated that Land Development Agency and City Renewal Authority have not provided sufficient information to “support public transparency in the delivery of this important and prominent project”.

The West Basin development, given the green light in 2020, stirred a great deal of community interest at the time, with 140 of 187 submissions lodged during the consultation period expressing opposition to the project.

The ACT government secured the land for the development as part of a controversial and secretive land swap with the National Capital Authority, which saw the Barr government handing over most of North Curtin’s horse paddocks.

The true cost of the West Basin land swap deal remains unknown despite Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

Ombudsman buries Barr’s land-swap secrets