Report highlights: Procurement of services for the Park'nPay app

14 December 2023
Finance
Local Government

What this report is about

The report assesses whether the Department of Customer Service (the department) complied with legislation and NSW government policy when it directly negotiated with Duncan Solutions to procure backend services relating to the Park'nPay app.

The Park'nPay app, developed by the department, enables users to locate and pay for parking remotely using their smart mobile device.

The audit found

The department failed to establish the grounds for entering a direct negotiation procurement strategy, without any competitive tendering, for services for the Park'nPay app. It rushed a decision to trial the app in The Rocks, without considering how this might affect its procurement obligations.

There is no evidence that the procurement achieved value for money. Despite being required by legislation, as well as mandatory NSW government policy, the department did not consider how it would ensure value for money, nor did it demonstrate an adequate understanding of what is meant by value for money on this occasion.

The department failed to implement key probity requirements. There was no effective management of conflicts of interest. Key decisions were not documented. There was a lack of clarity, transparency, and oversight of the relationship between the Minister's office and staff in the department.

The audit made recommendations about

  1. making and retaining complete and accurate records, particularly on decisions to commit or expend public money
  2. ensuring department staff understand how to exercise their financial delegations and procurement processes
  3. ensuring that only staff with appropriate delegations are committing or approving the spending of public money
  4. consistency with the contract extension provisions of the NSW Government Procurement Policy Framework, particularly regarding ensuring value for money
  5. protocols to guide the interactions between department staff and Minister and Minister's staff
  6. the need for proper management and oversight of contingent workers, such as contractors.

Fast facts

  • $400k - Proposed cost of project when first envisaged as a one-year contract on 31 May 2019
  • $1.26m - Cost of the project when the three-year contract was executed on 16 July 2019
  • $1.74m - Cost of the project after the first one-year contract extension was exercised in July 2022
  • $1.93m - Cost of the project after the second one-year contract extension was exercised in July 2023

Further information

Please contact Ian Goodwin, Deputy Auditor-General on 9275 7347 or by email.