Letting of Contracts at Central TAFE Public Hearing AM session

19/40/rds
I'm going to ask you, Mr Nicholson, is that what happened
in the procurement evaluation process when you had a
discussion with - if and when you had a discussion with
Mr Fitzgerald?---It's more than likely that I've advised
him what he shouldn't do as to what happened. I don't
recall.
Pardon?---I don't recall what - how this transpired. I
mean, my advice was always the appropriate and correct
advice but as to what happened, I wasn't in control of
that. As a level 5 you get told what to do by your senior
staff.
As I understand it from the first answers you gave us
10 minutes ago, you had in mind that there was someone who
should be awarded this bid who was not Ms Saleh-Evans.
Correct?---If we're talking about - - -
I don't want you to name any names. Do you understand?
---No, I'm not going to - - -
I'm just asking you what was on your - - -?---I'm trying to
sort out in my mind which project and which - - -
It's pretty clear which project we are talking about,
Mr Nicholson, can I suggest to you? We are talking
about - - -?---It's number 3.
- - - phase 3, the only one of the functional review of
which you were an evaluation panel member. That's the one
we are talking about. Did you or did you not have in mind
who it was that should receive that bid before you entered
into any discussions with Mr Fitzgerald?---Yes, I did.
It was not Ms Saleh-Evans, was it?---No.
It was someone else?---Correct.
However, Ms Saleh-Evans has been awarded the contract and
it wasn't the result of the meeting between the three
members of the panel, was it?---No, it wasn't; no.
So who made that decision?---I guess the other two people
on that panel.
4/10/06 NICHOLSON, B.J. XN 210
Spark & Cannon