In the last week, the NT Government has awarded 21 contracts to a total value of over $8.7 million. Of these, 18 contracts worth $8.4 million, were awarded to Northern Territory enterprises, and five contracts worth $322,000 were awarded to non-local businesses. The two largest contracts were both for construction in regional areas. One contract worth $3.2 million was awarded to Bawinanga Aboriginal Corp for the modification of houses in Maningrida as part of the Room to Breathe program.
Another contract worth $2.4 million went to Ganybu Housing Aboriginal Corporation for the construction of two, three bedroom duplexes in Yirrkala.
The two smallest contracts were $17,000 to AA Signs and Designs for the repair, replacement and installation of signs at the Araluen Cultural Precinct and Minerals House, and $32,000 to Ant Construction and Development Pty Ltd for the supply and installation of wall panels to four classrooms at Gillen Primary School, Alice Springs.
See the full summary below.
| Tender | Awarded To | Price | NT Enterprise |
| Arafura Region – Maningrida – Modifications to Houses – Room to Breathe Program | Bawinanga Aboriginal Corp | $3,236,233.71 | YES |
| East Arnhem Region – Yirrkala (Lots 236 & 237) – Home Build NT – Construct 2 x 3 Bedroom Duplexes | Ganybu Housing Aboriginal Corporation | $2,356,642.42 | YES |
| Alice Springs – Lasseter Highway – Widening and Seal Ch222.30km to 226.96km | Earthbuilt Pty Ltd | $ 854,864.39 | YES |
| East Arnhem Region – Gove District Hospital – Cooling Tower Modifications | Scott Hammet Building & Carpentry Pty Ltd | $337,840.80 | YES |
| Darwin Region – Various Urban Locations – Upgrade Bus Stops – Package 2 (2019-2020) | DDC Building and Construction Pty Ltd | $233,117.31 | YES |
| Darwin – Provision of Security Services for Berrimah Farm Science Precinct, Farrell Crescent Core Store and Fisheries Building for a Period of 36 Months | ML Global Pty Ltd | $218,586.45 | YES |
| Darwin – Consultancy – Project Management of the Prefeasibility Studies of the Tennant Creek to Darwin Natural Gas Pipeline Corridor | GHD Pty Ltd | $195,030.00 | YES |
| East Arnhem Region – Milyakburra School – Various Buildings – Acoustic Treatment, Floor Coverings and Minor Building Upgrades | Aminjarrinja Enterprises Aboriginal Corporation | $193,866.00 | YES |
| Alice Springs – Supply and Delivery of TruNarc Analyser Devices | Warsash Scientific Pty Ltd | $163,914.61 | NO |
| Katherine – Kalkarindji School – Various Works | Atkin Building Co Pty Ltd | $149,400.00 | YES |
| Darwin Region – Consultancy – Project Manager Environment Services for a Period of 6 Months | CDM Smith Australia Pty Ltd | $137,280.00 | YES |
| Darwin – Consulting Services to Support the Development of a Business Case for Integrated Communications Project | Gibson Quai International Pty Ltd | $114,565.00 | NO |
| Darwin – Larrakeyah Primary School – Replace Low Load Chiller | LP AIRCONDITIONING PTY LTD | $82,998.00 | YES |
| Alice Springs – Intergrated Withdrawal and Assessment Service (IWAS) – Supply Delivery and Installation of the development of a therapeutic sensory garden with a focus on nature as a source of healing | Tregea Landscaping and Garden Maintenance | $79,200.00 | YES |
| Darwin – Jabiru – Geotechnical Investigation Various Lots | CONSTRUCTION SCIENCES PTY LTD | $78,756.46 | YES |
| Alice Springs Region – Atitjere, Titjikala and Santa Teresa – Site Investigations, Delivery Site Servicing and Civil Layout Plans | ADG Engineers (Aust) Pty Ltd | $77,643.50 | YES |
| Alice Springs Hospital – Reinstate the John Hawkins Lecture Theatre | BLUEPRINT NT | $61,570.00 | YES |
| Darwin – Consultancy – Establishment of Angel Investors Network in the Northern Territory | Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu | $50,375.80 | YES |
| Darwin – Provision of Traybax Service Agreement for RDH PRH for a Period of 24 Months | GETINGE | $43,292.00 | NO |
| Alice Springs – Gillen Primary School – Supply and Install Acoustic Rated Wall Panels to Four (4) Classrooms | Ant Construction and Development Pty Ltd | $32,340.00 | YES |
| Alice Springs Region – Repair, Replace and Install New Signs to Araluen Cultural Precinct and Minerals House | AA SIGNS AND DESIGNS | $17,068.70 | YES |
Looking further into the publicly available information on the Tenders Online – Of the $8.4 Million of works awarded, a staggering $5.7M were not awarded through an open to market, competitive process. That means 67% of works awarded were a “Select Tender” and did not get an open, public tender process where all business has the opportunity to compete for the work. How can value for money be assured and the best companies survive?
Of note, multinational companies such as GHD and Deloitte’s are considered “Territory Enterprise”. Do these companies keep the same amount of money in the NT as other “Territory Enterprise’s” where the Directors actually live here in the NT?