The Green Shed reopened as Goodies Junction in July this year. Photo: Region.
A report into the takeover of The Green Shed earlier this year is out, with largely positive feedback on how the ACT Government handled it, but with a couple of points to keep in mind for next time.
After more than 14 years operating the recycling and re-sell depots at the Mugga Lane and Mitchell tips, The Green Shed lost the government contract earlier this year.
The contract went to the St Vincent de Paul Society, which has since rebranded the centres as ‘Goodies Junction’.
But there was no shortage of outcry from the public on social media, who had come to love the facilities and owners Charlie Bigg-Wither and Sandie Parkes. An online petition on Change.org “to prevent the closure of The Green Shed” attracted more than 8000 signatures.
The uproar reached the point the ACT Audit Office agreed to look into how the government handled the process.
Auditor-General Michael Harris has now released the results of his audit.
The Green Shed staff clearing out the Mugga Lane depot. Photo: James Coleman.
He judged the procurement, led by the government’s Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) directorate, as “effective”, with responses from prospective tenderers evaluated in “compliance with principles of probity and fairness”.
But there was a “shortcoming”, and he listed two recommendations for government agencies to take on board in future.
He said TCCS did consider value-for-money as part of the assessment but not as a “standalone” assessment.
A ‘Probity Advisor’ was appointed to monitor the fairness and transparency of the process and publish a report on it, but this only arrived near the end of the process and not, as the Auditor-General found, in time to assist TCCS “at a crucial time of the procurement”.
In total, three companies responded to the government’s tender, released mid-last year. But they also complained they were largely kept in the dark about where their applications were up to due to “limited correspondence”.
On two occasions, communication from The Green Shed was also not responded to, and the owners had to follow up with Tenders ACT.
“When a published timetable starts to slip, particularly when the procurement is complex and has known sensitivities – consideration needs to be given to whether more information could be provided by the entity to the respondents,” the audit said.
Inside Goodies Junction, Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre. Photo: James Coleman.
In the first of his two recommendations, Mr Harris said that “when conducting low or zero-dollar procurements”, the government should “ensure that the principles of value for money are effectively recognised and addressed” so respondents know exactly how it is being considered in the process.
Second, that when a procurement process is delayed, “there is more frequent and timely communication with potential respondents”.
But overall, the report’s conclusion puts to bed rumours the handover was botched or underhanded.
Goodies Junction is open from 7:30 am to 4:45 pm, seven days a week.
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