Letting of Contracts at Central TAFE Public Hearing AM session

4/8/rds
Why was it going to go over the limit? What happened?---I
think as I said yesterday, the whole problem throughout
this process from what I could see is we kept adding on
stuff and I suspect it was probably as a result of that
that, you know, we would be clear about what we wanted at
the start but then as time progressed, either the managing
director or the college executive would make some decisions
which would then need some further investigation or some
further work - related-type work done and that I think
seemed to be a fairly consistent thing that happened right
across the process. I mean, it was like my - my acting was
supposed to go three months into the first term. It then
went out to an expression of interest for six and then it
ended up being nearly 18 months. So I mean, I think that
was fairly typical of how things kept rolling on very
quickly. I mean, some of those things were forced by
funding arrangements. The Department of Education and
Training I think were withdrawing a fairly significant
amount of funding at some stage through that process and I
think that certainly contributed to our need, you know, to
continue to look at our structure and scrutinise what we
did.
From your involvement in the functional review, would you
say that there was a lack of planning that caused all of
these add-ons that you talk about?---I mean, with the
benefit of hindsight one could say that. However, there
were things that came out of left field a bit but, you
know, it would probably be a bit unfair to say that too
because - you know, things like the funding cuts and that,
I don't think they were in the wind at the time we started
the process. So like, on one hand, yes, you could say that
but I think it also could be a bit unfair because of the
things coming out of left field.
I want to show you a letter now. It's CCC bar code 9360.
It's a letter from Ms Saleh-Evans addressed to yourself.
All right. It's a letter dated 29 May 2003. The
letterhead is Strategic and IT Consulting Services and it's
addressed to yourself, Steve Musson, acting general
manager, information and resources?---Yes.
Just have a look at the body of the letter. The heading is
Functional Review Phase 3, Scope Variation?---Yes.
That's a letter from Arwa Saleh-Evans to yourself
explaining that there has been an expansion of the phase 3
project and that she will need more money, isn't it?---Yes,
it seems to be; yeah.
The letter is addressed to you. Why is that? Are you sure
you weren't the project manager?---A hundred per cent sure.
I think what confuses things here is there was the process
administrator which was sort of like my role; it was, you
know, to pay the bills, get all the stuff happening and
4/10/06 MUSSON, S.D. XN 178
10/17
Spark & Cannon