Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Management Plan And Outsourcing Effectiveness Review

Frank Wilkie28:30

You Ms sherringham. There are no Mayoral minutes. We have one notified motion tonight which is a Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan and outsourcing effectiveness review. Councillor Lorentson would you like to move your motion?

Karen Finzel47:20

Yes thank you for the motion. It's good to get it to the table so we can have this discussion. I'm just seeking clarification then. If the budget cost to bring the report, just to follow up from your question, is the funds already allocated to bring this report? And what is the cost given that there's been a discussion around notice of motion not exceeding $10,000, what is the cost of this report that is on the table and to come before us for budget? To consider this and my second question is it's an effectiveness review so are we looking to and this is a question to Council Lorentson are you looking to look at the foreshore infrastructure management plan community engagement and the process around that are you looking to gain effectiveness of that as a standalone

Amelia Lorentson67:21

I will just to say that part B was just a step of good faith. It was us telling community that we're listening, we're committed to good governance, and we're committed to pushing for better. My are concerns without part B, we risk eroding public trust, we risk also. We risk us as Councillors from having, I don't know, informed. We come into budget meetings and we don't have this level of detail despite of what Councillor Wegener said. We don't have the. We don't have that level of detail. So I just think A and B is not just for the residents, it's for us. It's a commitment to good governance it's a commitment for better transparency it's a commitment for clarity and it's a commitment from the whole Council that we are listening to the community and that we want to be better and we want residents to have the confidence in us they've made it very very very clear that every single dollar of ratepayers' money must be spent wisely and I'm not saying that it hasn't been spent wisely with the Noosaville foreshore infrastructure plan but the level of that's required in A plus B which is a promise that we are not just going to give them the detail that's required the detail they've requested that we're going one step further we're now going to have a look at a framework that will assess the effect this of outsourcing whether it can be done internally whether it can be done externally it's a promise for continuous improvement and it's something again that I've been discussing with the CEO and CFO for now two years and I feel and what I've understood with both of them is that very comfortable with the wording and with what's been asked by this so I'm a little bit stunned when community who are our bosses we work for community when they ask us for more transparency more accountability more clarity and they push us to honour our commitments for better engagement better communication better value for money so no I'm not going to support this because it waters down the intent of the motion

Amelia Lorentson28:47

Thank you and I hope everyone can hear me, otherwise I'll use the microphone. The recommendation in front of us is that Council A request the CEO to provide a report on the process followed for the Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan which includes an overview of the procurement process, identification of risk, reasons for any scope changes or variations and details of risk, reasons for any scope changes or variations and details on resources utilised, staff, consultants and contractors. The report should also cover industry benchmarking and key lessons learnt, demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach taken in developing the master plan. B the recommendation that Council as part of the 2025 and 2026 budget development, Council receives a report in 2025 on the feasibility, scope and resourcing required to establish a framework for reviewing the effectiveness of outsourcing arrangements such as contractors and consultancies. This framework should assess key contracts and consultancies across areas such as value for money, service levels, procurement and contracting practices versus and internal versus resources. External resourcing. The framework should align with the council's long-term financial plan, the upcoming revenue diversification and optimisation plan and the principles in the financial sustainability policy. May we have a seconder for this, please? Seconded, Councillor Finzel, Councillor Morrison. Just some comments. Recent projects, including major master plans, have incurred significant consultancy expenses. This motion simply aims to provide detailed information on the costs and the processes for the Noosaville Foreshore infrastructure management plan, aiming at promoting transparency, accountability, and importantly, public trust. Additionally, the motion proposes investigating and outsourcing effectiveness review framework. This will assess key contracts and consultancies to ensure optimal outcomes in value for money, service levels, procurement practices, and internal versus external resourcing. Over the last two years, I've consistently called for greater transparency, accountability, and assurance for value for money in Council spending on consultants and contractors. My concerns I've raised with the CEO on several occasions. And the questions that I've asked are these: are we achieving measurable value for money from consultancies and contractor expenditures? How are outcomes and return on investments being evaluated? Are we over on relying external consultants and potentially sidelining staff? And could investing in additional staff deliver more cost effective results? I've spoken about formal reporting frameworks in the past, as a means to provide accessible records of consultancy engagements, costs and outcomes, to help residents and also to help us as Councillors understand the rationale behind outsourcing. It would allow Councillors to make informed decisions during our budget deliberations and it's at that point when we decide as Councillors which master plans and strategies brought to us by staff are to be approved. While consultants bring valuable expertise, what I think we must be careful about is that they complex complement and not replace our staff's work. We must be able to measure their value and ensure the strategic use of our resources, that is our money. The Noosaville Foreshore Master Plan has presented a timely opportunity to reopen this conversation and for us to ask specifically, these questions. Was the spend for the Noosaville foreshore management plan justified and properly spent? What tangible results will it achieve? Are these plans aligned with community priorities and Council strategies? And are we over planning or over complicating matters with levels of details, with excessive levels details. Of the motion in front of us proposes two actions to address these concerns. Firstly a detailed review of the new civil project to examine procurement processes, outcomes and whether alternative approaches or scoping could have achieved better results at a lower cost. Secondly the report proposes a report assessing the feasibility on developing this framework to evaluate when outsourcing is appropriate again for the purposes of ensuring value for money while balancing internal and external resources. Thirdly effectively. The motion aligns with our commitment as Councillors to uphold transparency, accountability and responsible spending, ensuring that public money is used efficiently and does align with community values, expectations and strategic goals. It aligns with Council long-term financial plan, the upcoming revenue diversification and optimisation plan, and we spoke of this just a couple of days ago at our general. Our workforce capability plan. It's also been workshopped and discussed with both the CEO and our CFO. I've worked with both of them in writing the motion. As elected representatives it's our responsibility to advocate for better governance. Consultants and contractors can and do bring valuable expertise but it's just crucial that we assess whether their engagement is truly delivering value for money and truly delivering the best outcomes for the community. I hope you support this motion. Thank you Councillor Lorentson.