The focus of this audit was to assess whether entities had suitable policies, procedures and guidelines in place for the engagement of consultants for strategic advice and if they were complying with reporting requirements. Our focus audit assessed 8 state government entities of varying sizes over a 9-month period from 1 January to 30 September 2018. We searched all expenditure at the entities and identified 144 payments to consultants which potentially related to providing strategic advice. We then assessed whether these had been referred to DPC.
We used the following lines of inquiry:
- Do entities have appropriate policies and procedures to ensure consultant contracts for strategic advice with a value of $50,000 and above are submitted to DPC for approval?
- Do entities effectively implement these policies and procedures?
- Did each entity make an assessment whether in-house skills and expertise could be utilised?
We conducted this audit under section 18 of the Auditor General Act 2006 and in accordance with Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards.
The following 8 state government entities were included in this audit:
| Entity |
| Commissioner of Main Roads |
| Department of Training and Workforce Development |
| Department of Transport |
| Forest Products Commission |
| Housing Authority |
| Lotteries Commission (Lotterywest) |
| Public Transport Authority of Western Australia |
| Western Australian Land Information Authority (Landgate) |