Page 2547 - Week 07 - Thursday, 3 August 2017
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(5) What is the highest per night rate paid to Light Rail project consultants for accommodation costs when exceptional circumstances have been demonstrated.
(6) What is the loading that has been added into the contracts of three of the Light Rail project consultants to cover accommodation costs.
(7) What is the total amount spent on transport costs for Light Rail project consultants, either as reimbursements or directly to a transport provider in the financial years (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17 to date.
(8) Is it usual for transport costs to and from the workplace to be met for consultants.
(9) Can the Minister list any external parties, such as UnionsACT, the Community and Public Sector Union or the Transport Workers Union, that may have been consulted on the engagement of consultants for the Light Rail project by Capital Metro or the Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate.
(10) For each of the Light Rail project consultants, what was the method used to select and engage the consultant and briefly outline his or her area of expertise.
Ms Fitzharris: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) There are no such reporting requirements for disbursements except where they form part of a “notifiable invoice”. Disbursements are normally one item within an invoice that includes claimed amounts for a number of services and, as such, disbursements are not separately recorded or reported.
(2) Accommodation costs are not separately recorded or reported where they fall as an item under an invoice with services claimed as payable by a contractor or consultant. Where the Territory enters a lease arrangement on behalf of a consultant or contractor, these may be recorded, as any invoice under a respective lease agreement will be solely for the purpose of accommodation expenses.
(3) The number of occasions where claimed accommodation costs above the $160.00 per night limit may have been paid are not recorded. It is the duty of the Territory Contract Manager, with advice from the Senior Contracts Officer, to seek justification to the extent that accommodation at the $160.00 limit was not attainable at the time of booking.
(4) Invoices that include accommodation expenses must be supported with evidence in the form of a Tax Invoice from the accommodation provider to demonstrate the legitimacy of the claim. This Tax Invoice is reviewed by the Senior Contracts Officer (SCO) who provides advice to the Territory Contract Manager as to the conformance of the item against reasonable expense criteria. The Territory Contract Manager may review the claim and the advice from the SCO in consideration of the time of booking, circumstances (i.e. parliament sitting week) and those days for which accommodation is being claimed. The Territory Contract Manager may undertake his/her own review of the relevant hotel to determine the appropriateness of the accommodation and the rates available. The Territory notes that the prescribed limit of $160.00 per night has been in place for two years without increase and on this basis it may be difficult for interstate providers to locate short-term accommodation for such low rates.
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