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WQ.258/2021
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
BY DEPUTY M.R. HIGGINS OF ST. HELIER
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 24th MAY 2021 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 1st JUNE 2021
Question
Will the Minister provide a table showing, for each of the last 5 years, the consultancy contracts entered into by his department with individuals and companies, ranking the contracts from those with the highest value to those with the lowest value and, in each case, giving details of –
- the nature of the consultancy;
- the costs and duration of the engagement; and
- whether the consultancy had been subject to a competitive tendering process and, if not, why not;
Answer
An initial analysis has been undertaken of all the consultants and consulting firms that have been employed within those areas of my remit between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020. Approximately 700 consulting firms or individuals have provided the department with professional services. The large number of capital and revenue projects undertaken by the department (including major projects such as the Nightingale Hospital Wing, Office Modernisation, the new Sewage Treatment Works, Future Hospital and Les Quennevais School) means that specialist firms are brought in on a regular basis to supplement in- house resources. It is likely that a proportion of these firms and individuals would have provided some consulting services in accordance with Financial Direction 5.6U, Management of Consultants (whilst applicable) and subsequently the Public Finance Manual, namely:
Financial Direction 5.6U
2.1.1 Consultants may only be engaged by the States of Jersey to perform work where:-
• Professional, independent and expert advice or services are required; or
• Specialist professional knowledge and/or expertise are not available in-house.
Public Finances Manual
A consultant or consultancy supplier would usually be appointed for the following reasons: -
• A skills gap in the organisation e.g. highly specialised skills unavailable from existing internal resources
• To accelerate a programme of work due to decreased availability of existing resources
• To seek an independent opinion or sanction e.g. a review, independent audit.
The professional services would have included:
• Architectural, structural and civil engineering design;
• Surveying;
• Project Management services;
• Production of reports providing recommendations for the department, e.g. consultancy
Given the number of consulting firms and individuals it has not been possible to collate all the information requested by Deputy Higgins in the timeframe. However, I would refer Deputy Higgins to the P59 report that is lodged by the Chief Minister every 6 months which provides information on the cost of consultants, fixed-term employees and agency staff employed by the Government of Jersey.