Queensland's public private partnership policy-Achieving Value for Money in Public Infrastructure and Service Delivery-is a key strategic initiative that supports the Queensland Government's central economic objective of achieving high and sustainable levels of economic growth and employment by providing efficient and effective services and infrastructure. The objectives of this policy are to:
• deliver improved services and better value for money through appropriate risk sharing between public and private sector parties
• encourage private sector innovation
• optimise asset utilisation
• integrate whole-of-life management of public infrastructure.
The objectives of this document are to:
• outline probity procedures that should be followed in undertaking a public private partnership project
• identify process governance issues that are relevant to public private partnership projects.
This document is part of a suite of guidance material providing practical guidance on key technical issues which arise from the development and implementation of public private partnership projects in Queensland.
The guidance material comprises an overview document, the framework document and a range of supporting documents which provide further detail on specific aspects of the public private partnership process including:
• Risk management
• Project resourcing
• Probity and process governance
• Contract development and management
• Business case development.
This guidance material is being supplemented over time through the release of further Supporting Documents.
This document-Probity and process governance-should be read in conjunction with all of the other material, as relevant information in the other documents is not duplicated here.
In pursuing partnerships with the private sector for the provision of public infrastructure and related non-core service delivery, the Queensland Government is committed to a process which is transparent and accountable and which ensures that all proponents are given fair and equitable treatment. In this regard, the public private partnership process is underpinned by probity practices that ensure that the procedural integrity of the process is maintained. This is consistent with the objectives outlined in the State Purchasing Policy.
It is the responsibility of the government and its representatives to ensure that probity is maintained. This includes:
• ensuring conformity to processes
• facilitating accountability
• ensuring that proponents are treated in a fair and equitable manner
• encouraging commercial competition on the basis that all bids will be assessed against the same criteria
• preserving public and private sector confidence in government processes.
To maximise the benefits of a competitive bidding environment, it is important that there is open interaction with proponents within appropriate probity parameters. This interaction must include equitable access to the opportunity for feedback and clarification. By optimising the level of engagement, proponents will gain a better understanding of the Output Specification requirements and the government will be in a more informed position to decide on whether it is obtaining value for money by undertaking a public private partnership project. Probity processes need to be robust and defensible but not so rigid and restrictive as to hamper achieving optimal project outcomes.