Government will increase oversight of its procurement process by creating a new internal audit program.

Internal Services Minister Labi Kousoulis announced today, Sept. 30, government will take greater efforts to ensure the best purchasing decisions are being made and that the public’s confidence in the procurement process remains high.

“Government does hundreds of millions of dollars of business each year through the purchase of goods, services and construction. This program is another way we will be ensuring that public dollars are spent wisely,” said Mr. Kousoulis.
The Department of Internal Services was formed to help government identify areas where it could work better. Ensuring processes operate as they should is key to that.

“As we continue to look at opportunities in shared services there will be an increase in the number of procurement activities. It makes sense to increase audit and compliance to ensure contract commitments made through a comprehensive process are followed, and there is value for taxpayers,” said Mr. Kousoulis.

This will help safeguard consistency and fairness, ensuring procurement continues to be effective, competitive and transparent.

The auditors, who will be with the province’s Internal Audit Centre, will report to an audit committee.

Source: Release