CONCERNS have been raised about the short time frame given to local governments to express their interest in housing the State’s long-demanded Bushfire Centre of Excellence (BCoE).
The State government announced its plans for the $18 million specialised BCoE in April, in a bid to “enhance bushfire management practices across the State, and provide a specialised facility for volunteers to train other volunteers in bushfire fighting”.
Plans for the centre were prompted by a key recommendation from the Ferguson inquiry into the 2016 Waroona Bushfires.
Since its announcement, speculation as to where the BCoE will be housed has been mounting, with the Collie, Mundaring, Murray and Serpentine-Jarrahdale shires among those suggested as potential locations by political parties and key stakeholders.
Local governments within the South West Land Division have been given the opportunity to express their interest in hosting the centre to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) through a Request for Proposal on the TendersWA website, which opened on Friday, September 21.
As part of the Request for Proposal, local governments are required to provide information regarding suitable land and facilities for the BCoE within their shire, provide examples of any design or construction processes already undertaken, identify risks, challenges and concerns with the project, outline how the community would benefit from the centre, and describe its management plans with DFES.
Applications can be submitted until Wednesday, October 24.
The Association of Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades WA (AVBFB) has welcomed the open process, but voiced concerns that 33 days was not enough time for shires to fulfil submission requirements.
“There’s so many local governments that I’ve spoken to that want to put in for it, so I think it’s the only fair and equitable way to deal with it,” said AVBFB president Dave Gossage.
“There’s definitely not enough time – the time frames to achieve real consultation are not being met yet and I get a bit frustrated with that.
“If you’re going to have the best opportunity to get the best bang for your buck, you need to consult your community purposefully, not tokenistically.
“I think a more reasonable timeframe would be no less than two months.”
The Nationals WA has expressed a similar sentiment, with party leader Mia Davies describing the process as having been “cobbled together at short notice”, resulting in a disingenuous commitment by the Labor government.
Her colleague and party spokesman for Emergency Services, Colin de Grussa said the short submission period would leave local governments disadvantaged.
“The short tender time frame has left deserving local governments with just one month to prepare a comprehensive submission to satisfy the Labor Government’s tender criteria,” Mr De Grussa said.
“These tender requirements set a very high bar for local governments to address.
“While I don’t doubt the ability of local governments to prepare quality tender submissions, the short time frame will certainly be an impediment.”
DFES executive director Murray Carter has defended the process and said local governments were all advised of the opportunity to express their interest via email.
Mr Carter said the Request for Proposal was not a formal tender process and submission requirements were not excessive.
“The State government announced in April 2018 plans for a Bushfire Centre of Excellence to be established for firefighting training, research and development in Western Australia,” Mr Carter said.
“Interest in hosting the centre was overwhelming and to ensure a fair and equitable process, DFES is calling for proposals from local governments in the South West Land Division.
“The Request for Proposal is not a formal tender process - local governments only need to demonstrate that they can meet the eligibility criteria, and do not need to submit a fully costed detailed plan.
“Local governments can contact DFES for more information.”
Emergency Services minister Fran Logan was contacted for comment, but deferred to DFES.
