THE ACT’s “nation-leading” decision to be the first to buy a hybrid electric fire truck has brought some heat from Auditor-General Michael Harris.

Despite the lyrical political waxing by government ministers such as Mick Gentleman and Shane Rattenbury, an audit report found that procurement of the truck was poorly conducted.

The auditor-general said Emergency Services did not adequately assess the value for money of the vehicle, before ordering it in January 2021.

“The procurement of the hybrid electric fire truck was initially pursued throughout 2019 through a
limited market approach (previously referred to as a single select process). This approach did not
proceed because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the territory’s budget processes,” he said.

“The procurement of the hybrid electric fire truck was subsequently pursued by incorporating it into a contract that derived from a public tender process for the supply of urban pumpers.

“The ESA did not assess the value for money of the hybrid fire truck in accordance with
the requirements of section 22A of the Government Procurement Act 2001.”

The report makes one recommendation for the ESA to formally assess and confirm that the hybrid
electric fire truck meets the needs of the ESA as an urban pumper in the territory.