With WALGA’s Preferred Supplier Program, councils can purchase directly from listed suppliers without running an open public tender process.
In 2024-25, councils spent $508 million through the program and WALGA received $6.7 million in commissions. Participating suppliers paid WALGA up to 2% of their gross revenue from council contracts.
Value for money? Hard to know.
Documents obtained under FOI reveal that contractors can become “preferred suppliers” without proving they offer good value. The instructions to applicants state that “pricing is not weighted into the selection criteria for prequalification.”
No Auditor General oversight. Are we surprised?
Great reporting by Ben Dickinson, The Post.
Full story linked in the comments.
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