The NSW Government is committed to efficiency, fairness, impartiality and integrity in all its dealings. Probity is an important issue for Government as custodian of the community’s assets.
A comprehensive probity plan is essential in all PFP projects and a probity auditor will be appointed for large, complex and unusually sensitive projects.
By adopting a clear probity process, all parties are assured of the integrity of the awarding process.
To ensure that the participation of related companies in a tender does not impact on the probity, competitiveness or cost of a project, the companies may be required to sign a probity process deed.30
To maximise community and business confidence in its tendering practices, the Government has established independent review mechanisms for complaints about tendering with Government agencies.
The State Contracts Control Board is responsible for issues associated with probity, the National Reform Agenda and the Australian and New Zealand Government procurement agreement.
The ICAC may examine complaints about potentially corrupt conduct in the procurement process.
The NSW Government’s Code of Practice for Procurement31 applies to procurement by all NSW Government agencies, and those doing business with and for Government. This includes the procurement of services through privately owned and financed public infrastructure.
The Code establishes ethical principles and standards of behaviour for all parties involved and will apply to all procurement actions from calling for EOIs through to project completion.
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30 A pro-forma for a probity process deed can be obtained from the Private Projects Branch, NSW Treasury.
31 Further details are provided in http://www.treasury.nsw.gov.au/procurement/procure-intro.htm.