Landscaping of the new Piha ablutions block is being done by Mace Contractors based in Drury. “It’s a long way to come” said one of their folk I spoke to this morning.
The plants are, in the main, from KauriPark Nurseries in Northland. KauriPark Nurseries advertise ‘eco-sourcing’ so I’m hoping they’re from Waitakere seed – I’m not going there though!
Planting Plan for Ablutions in Piha
The planting plan left:
I’m not so sure Astelia nervosa is a Piha local nor am I sure Coprosma petriei is ???
Anyway the fact is that we were promised ‘Local jobs for local people” and we’re not getting it. We have Jeff’s amazing eco-sourced natives down off Stedfast Park and that is where these plants should have come from and he should have got the job. He struggles to survive while we pay people from Drury and Northland to do work here. Then, maybe, the plan could have tied into the Council planting plan for the Piha Cafe and then, golly gosh, we’d have some cohesion in the hub.
I’m not so sure Astelia nervosa is a Piha local nor am I sure Coprosma petriei is ???
There is NO excuse. Council could have made it a clause in the contract to the ‘lead contractor’ Cassidy Construction that subcontracts must be given to locals where possible.
Again! And Again!
From Council’s procurement Policy
“Auckland Council will also ensure that local suppliers are given advice and support so that they have full and fair opportunity to compete for Council business. ”
“A Local Impact Assessment is most logically considered
when a project has the following attributes: • there is the opportunity for increased locally based employment • there is the opportunity for the provider to provide
appropriate work experience • there is the opportunity for the provider to
contribute to local projects ”
c) Because smaller contracts (contracts less than $1m) are likely to be provided by local entities no local impact assessment will be required but may be undertaken by the manager if considered desirable
“The multiplier effect -An important contributor to a healthy local economy is the multiplier effect of income in to a local area – in other words, how much of that money is spent and then re-spent in the local area and how many times this happens, before it leaks out of the area.Given the budgets of public organisations, public
sector procurement can have a significant multiplier
effect on a local economy.”
Here’s one suggested, pragmatic fix:
“Before procuring goods and services from outside their designated Local Board Area, Boards *must* show cause why necessary goods and services of comparable quality and price cannot be competitively sourced locally.
“The only acceptable exceptions to this general rule shall be when Time is of the Essence, or when the goods/services are of a unique and/or specialized nature such that they cannot be sourced locally.
“To facilitate this process, all Local Boards shall compile and maintain a register of local providers and invite same to furnish a Statement of Capability comprising no more than 5 bulletpoints.”
Something like that…?