THE National Capital Authority (NCA) makes insufficient use of open and competitive procurement processes and cannot demonstrate value for money, an auditor general’s report has found.

The report by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), on the NCA’s procurement activities, revealed insufficient use of open and competitive procurement processes, non-compliance with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs), poor transparency and record keeping.

The audit office assessment of the NCA found 64 per cent of procurements above the $80,000 threshold for the commonwealth rules were not included in an open competitive approach.

“For just over half of the procurements examined by ANAO, appropriate written records were made of the justification for using limited tender processes and how value for money was achieved,” the report said.

The report also found it was common for there to be “gaps in the records of the planning and conduct of procurements.”

The NCA, which had not been audited for 13 years, oversees the maintenance of national assets such as monuments and fountains, as well as the construction of public infrastructure including roads, parking, pathways and lighting.

Eight recommendation were made by the ANAO, including seven for the NCA specifically, and one for the finance department regarding issuing better guidance around procurement rules.

The NCA and the department of finance have agreed to all recommendations.

Read the full report here.