In the wake of Jamie Chalker’s yet-to-be-explained disappearance, this series examines his chaotic reign as top cop, bringing together all the failings, the lies, the alleged conspiracies, and mystifying public utterances.
Today, we explore how Mr Chalker was appointed to the role in 2019, which kicked off an ICAC investigation amid allegations of corruption in the Department of Chief Minister then led by Jodie Ryan – an old school chum of Mr Chalker’s – and former chief minister Michael Gunner.
READ: Tarnished Brass: Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker’s career saved from a housing wreck
READ: Tarnished Brass II: ‘An erosion of trust, respect, integrity, and the lack of compassion…’
READ: Tarnished Brass V: ICAC announces investigation into Rolfe murder charge
READ: Tarnished Brass VI: Vote of no confidence in Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker
READ: Tarnished Brass VIII: Police pursued Rolfe murder charge against DPP witness advice
Friday, October 22, 2021
ICAC’s investigation into NTG procurement scandal called into question
EXCLUSIVE: A scathing report by the NT’s Buy Local Advocate raised serious questions about the ICAC’s investigation into improper conduct allegations against two Department of Chief Minister senior executives accused of manipulating a major procurement contract.
The confidential 2019 report that was never publicly released – but was obtained by the NT Independent – found that DCM deputy chief executive Maria Mohr and director of governance Kerryn Batten’s actions on a procurement assessment panel to hire a recruitment agency were “not defensible” and that their breaches of government processes failed to reflect “fair dealing” or “best value for Territory”.
Head public servant Jodie Ryan’s involvement in the fiasco was also criticised by Buy Local Advocate Denys Stedman as part of his investigation into the matter.
However, the ICAC’s investigation into the same matter conducted by deputy commissioner Rex Wild, released in April – which provided scant details of the process – found there was “insufficient evidence of unsatisfactory conduct” by the executives, while concluding that there were errors.
The ICAC’s report also kept the executives’ names hidden from the public and did not disclose that the bureaucrats under investigation were in the highest senior ranks of the Department of Chief Minister.
What happened?
In August 2019, Maria Mohr and Kerryn Batten were placed on a procurement panel through the Department of Chief Minister to award three $45,000 contracts for recruitment services relating to three executive appointments to the public service.
The total value of the three contracts was $135,000 – an amount that would classify it as a Tier 3 procurement – meaning a panel of three assessors would need to be struck.
However, the procurement was “artificially reduced” at some point to be treated as a Tier 2, “despite advice from Procurement Services” that it should require a panel of three, the Stedman report found.
Mr Stedman stated the original intention was to establish a panel of recruitment providers to fill different executive government positions, but that Ms Mohr and Ms Batten instead awarded the contract to one company and could not provide evidence of whether that decision was made before or after the release of the public tender.
A draft “value for Territory” (VFT) spreadsheet showed a recruitment agency called Drake Executive was initially ranked as the highest scorer, however the DCM executives selected another agency called NGS Global to win all three $45,000 contracts.
They then altered the scores in the spreadsheet to seemingly justify awarding the contract to NGS, bumping that company to first place after it had originally ranked fourth out of eight companies.
One of the recruitment contracts was for the police commissioner role that Mr Chalker was shortlisted for with other candidates.
Ms Ryan then sat on the panel that ultimately selected Mr Chalker for the role, along with Greg Shanahan, the former public servant currently tasked with carrying out the Fyles Government’s secret ICAC Act review.
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
NT police commissioner role recruited by company awarded suspect procurement contract
EXCLUSIVE: One of three controversial contracts awarded to an interstate hiring firm for executive-level recruitment to the NT public service – that ultimately sparked investigations into alleged misconduct in the highest ranks of the Department of Chief Minister – was to fill the role of police commissioner, the NT Independent revealed.
The recruitment contract awarded to national firm NGS Global to recruit senior NT Government executive positions in 2019 was mysteriously broken down into three different $45,000 contracts, resulting in less oversight and multiple breaches of procurement rules.
The costs of those contracts has also ballooned to more than $200,000 from the original $135,000 total initially reported, after the contract with NGS Global was later expanded, sources with knowledge of the deal said.
The decision to award NGS Global the contracts was defended by Department of Chief Minister & Cabinet chief executive Jodie Ryan, who struck the procurement panel to award the recruitment contracts less than a week after former NT police commissioner Reece Kershaw’s surprise announcement that he was leaving the top job to head up the AFP in late July 2019.
Internal government records seen by the NT Independent, as well as discussions with well-placed sources with knowledge of the contracts, confirmed the police commissioner role – eventually filled by Jamie Chalker in October 2019 – was one of the three $45,000 contracts awarded to NGS Global for executive recruitment services.
It remains unclear why Ms Mohr and Ms Batten altered the scoring to seemingly justify awarding the contracts to NGS Global, after they had already selected the company ahead of seven others. It is also unclear why their unexplained revised “value for Territory” scoring boosted the company from fourth place to first ahead of local recruitment agencies, the Buy Local Advocate report found.
Ms Ryan and her brother Andrew Kirkman – who is currently chief executive of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics – went to school in Darwin with Mr Chalker and multiple sources confirmed the three have remained close over the years, while working in some of the most senior roles in government.
Ms Ryan refused the NT Independent’s request for an explanation as to why the contract went to NGS Global and why the scores were altered by her senior executives to support the “right outcome”.
However, the Stedman report highlighted both women’s professional qualifications and deep knowledge of procurement processes, finding the senior bureaucrats did not compare tenderers’ prices, that they did not document assessment discussions, that proper due diligence did not appear to have occurred and that referees were not checked.
NGS Global boasts that it is a “global search firm” that has the “best access in the world to … candidates” for senior executive positions in the public and private sectors.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said at the time of appointing the police commissioner that Mr Chalker was given the role in large part because he was a Territorian, so it was unclear why a “global search firm” was required.
NGS Global was also caught up in the John Barilaro scandal in NSW last year, as the recruitment firm that played a role in selecting the former deputy premier for a plum trade position overseas.
Thursday, October 28, 2021
NT Administrator’s husband signed off on flawed recruitment contract after scores altered
‘The right outcome was achieved’: Head public servant Jodie Ryan defended breaches of procurement rules
DCM chief executive Jodie Ryan wrote to Mr Stedman in a letter dated November 14, 2019, in response to his draft report at the time, in which she attempted to justify her senior employees’ breaches of procurement rules.
Ms Ryan asserted the changes to the scores were necessary to reflect “relevant experience”.
But Mr Stedman found Ms Ryan failed to provide “any substantial evidence as to why it was considered that NGS Global’s experience was far superior to other tenderers, and why it necessitated rescoring them to the maximum amount for past performance and capacity while at the same time downgrading the scores for those criteria of those tenderers that had higher initial overall scores”.
Ms Ryan said in the letter that “DCM is confident that the records we are providing to you with this letter will indicate an intent to ensure the best value for money was derived”.
“DCM is strongly of the view that the right outcome from the assessment was achieved and the process resulted in best value for money for the Northern Territory Government,” she wrote.
Mr Stedman rejected those assertions, pointing out in his report that the procurement framework does not permit for assessments of ‘value for money’.
“The outcome of a VFT (value for Territory) assessment and a VFM (value for money) assessment will not necessarily be the same,” he wrote.
In rejecting Ms Ryan’s claims, Mr Stedman found the department’s lack of documentation from the assessment panel “undermines the concept of making defensible decisions”.
“Furthermore, I consider that the final procurement recommendation is not defensible based on the information available to me,” he wrote.
Mr Stedman also found that “it is not clear if due diligence checks were required throughout the assessment process or if claims were verified”.
“There is no indication (referees) were checked by the assessment panel or reasons provided as to why they had not been,” he wrote.
Well, ICAC and all those involved in procurement need to be GAOLED along with Gunner Chalker and those executives. I have worked in procurement in the ADF and the same rules apply value for money along with integrity, honesty and transparency. Nil of what I have mentioned as occurred from what I have read! From ICAC down to the process they were all supposed to follow in rules and regulations never occurred. ICAC members involved in this investigation to the procurement outcome really and strongly need to be held accountable. There are very strict rules in place from procurement and they broke every rule and that means ICAC also due to whoever was on the ICAC board with investigating the matter have them their selves committed fraud! I don’t care if they have moved positions, Retired or deceased but they need to be held accountable for their involvement in committing corruption and fraud. The problem we have is what Judge or Magistrate is not corrupt these days. As the NT has witnessed many a time that those presiding the court for justice is just as corrupt as those breaking the law. Until we rid these corrupt Judges, Magistrates and Coroner’s we will never have a balance or true justice in our judicial syatem.
One big incestuous family.
Nothing like looking after mates. In this case best friend was not the best person for the job. No wonder gunner quit and ran away to work for one of the companies he had been promoting.