Ipswich City Council Administrators Update - Vision 2020 January 2020

NOW The community can expect that all council powers and decisions will be exercised lawfully, and that they will be able to see on council’s website the powers delegated from council to the CEO and from the CEO to officers. Council officers will be expected to comply with the delegations and sub-delegations and only act within their respective sub-delegations. Officers will also receive training on the delegations that they hold to ensure they make decisions consistent with their delegated authority and any applicable conditions. The incoming mayor and councillors can expect to lead an organisation with a contemporary and lawful set of delegations. They can also expect that future policy and legislative changes will be progressively captured to ensure delegations always remain current and in compliance with policy and law. SUPPORTING LINKS: Dlgrma.qld.gov.au/local-government/governance/ local-government-delegations.html Ipswich.qld.gov.au/about_council/its-your-council/ know-your-council/accessing-information/ publication-scheme/our-decisions 4.8 PROCUREMENT Local governments like Ipswich have significant scale and use public funds to acquire a range of goods and services. It is entirely reasonable for Ipswich residents and ratepayers to expect that your council’s procurement arrangements are transparent, based on sound governance principles and minimise any opportunities for fraud and corruption. BEFORE ADMINISTRATION Procurement operated under a decentralised model at council, with small teams operating independently of each other within various departments. While the decentralised procurement model allowed for each department’s procurement team to be responsive to the needs and time constraints of their individual departments, over time the established procurement framework was reshaped to focus on the needs of the individual department, as opposed to any whole-of- council approach. The various divisions also had differing levels of compliance with the legislative requirements for procurement. This was far from best practice for local government.

WHAT WE DID Council has established a centralised procurement model under the management of a specialised procurement branch. The following was achieved as part of this process: A Procurement Framework was created to include: • Procurement policy • Procurement code of practice • Procurement procedures • Templates, work instructions and process maps A comprehensive procurement code of practice was implemented which set the governance, controls and consistency of practice for procurement activities; Reporting gaps were identified to support good governance, strategic procurement initiative and continuous improvement opportunities; and Business systems were implemented to streamline operational requirements, but also provide auditability and consistency. Emphasis is now placed on proactive contract management as a foundation for strategic procurement initiatives. NOW The community can expect contract management and procurement strategies that deliver the best value outcomes for the city. Businesses working with council can expect a far more consistent approach to procurement, thanks to the implementation of a framework entrenched in governance, probity, and accountability. Council staff will be expected to comply with the new framework. The incoming mayor and councillors can expect to be provided with a contemporary and effective procurement framework.

SUPPORTING LINKS: Ipswich.qld.gov.au/business/tenders Ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/ pdf_file/0018/115632/Procurement- Policy-2019-2020.pdf

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