Alexander Jeglic, the independent ombudsman tasked with investigating allegations of bias in the award of government contracts, has filed an annual report that says federal departments refuse to provide his office with documents and participate in mediation to solve disputes.
On Oct. 19, the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO) presented its annual report in Parliament for the period of April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.
The report states that many complaints received were about “the lack of transparency” associated with government procurement of COVID-19-related items. He also stated that “the failure to maintain appropriate records of key decisions” was a persistent problem.
Jeglic will be looking for new ways to compel government departments to provide requested documents. He said, “Departments are currently able to disclose only what they choose to disclose, and can suppress information vital to conducting fair and transparent reviews without fear of potential consequences.”…