GOVERNMENT STATIONERY CONTRACT

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (14:42): Part A of the tender documents for the whole-of-government contract refers to the 'procurement process' and indicates that nothing gives rise to or would amount to a process contract and that, after considering responses, the state will decide whether to proceed with any subsequent stage of this procurement process or to use any procurement method to meet the state's needs. How does the minister reconcile that with his claim that the tender documents required exclusivity? Is it not true that that document indicates the government could have proceeded any way it wanted to procure its stationery?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Finance, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:43): Exactly. If we had received in totality a number of tender propositions that were totally unacceptable to government—they offered no cost savings, no improvement in service and no improvement in quality of product delivered—we would not have awarded the tender. We would have adopted another means of purchase. This was a provision to allow us, in the event of not receiving tender proposals that we thought were adequate, as I said, on the basis of price, quality and service, to procure stationery under other means.