Clover hits back at tender criticisms

Lord Mayor Clover Moore has hit back at criticisms that Council awarded more than $30 million worth of outdoor maintenance contracts to a Melbourne-based company in the past three years.

Last week The Sunday Telegraph reported Citywide Service Solutions held three Sydney contracts, including one for the upkeep of the city’s 250 parks, open spaces, sports fields and traffic islands.

They reported the deal meant that millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money is flowing from Sydney’s treasuries, benefiting Melbourne.

But Ms Moore has hit back saying Council’s core responsibility is to provide quality service and value for money for taxpayers’.

“It is important to note that Citywide won the tender because they were both the cheapest and the best,” she said

“By choosing value for money over the location of a head office, we are saving our residents money. It’s as simple as that.”

Citywide’s parks contract is worth over $16 million over three years, while the company also holds a $6 million contract to provide floral displays for the Living Colour festival.

Liberal Councillor Shayne Mallard told City News it was a competitive tender won in an open process.

However Ms Moore said tendering for works outside of Sydney was not on Council’s agenda.

“Delivering services in other areas means you run the risk of only being able to supply a reduced service in your own city,” she said.

“We are happy to borrow the best ideas from other cities in the world and work out how to make them bigger and better in Sydney, but tendering for works in other areas is not one we will be pursuing for now.”

And Ms Moore maintains the City does not need to—she said Council has one of the most successful investments portfolios in local government around Australia.

“The City of Sydney has long moved away from relying solely on rates and parking fines for revenue,” she said.

“[We have] chosen to raise revenue through a very successful investment portfolio that will this year contribute around $79 million to our budget – 16 per cent of our entire budget.”

However, open space contracts is not the only Melbourne-based tender—currently up for consideration is Melbourne architecture firm Occulus Landscape and Urban Design.

They have submitted a tender to be evaluated for Laneways Art 2011.

by Sophie Cousins