Current situation
- Sorell Council uses a mix of directly employed staff and external contractors to deliver services and complete projects.
- Contractors are often engaged for operational work and project delivery, alongside specialist consultancy services.
- While contracting can provide flexibility, it can also result in higher long-term costs due to business overheads and profit margins.
- Many councils across Australia are reviewing whether more work could be delivered efficiently through an in-house workforce.
The issue
- Contractors are businesses that need to generate a profit, which can increase the overall cost of delivering council services.
- Repeatedly outsourcing routine work can reduce Council's internal skills, experience and capacity.
- Residents may receive less consistency in service when different contractors are used over time.
- Reliance on contractors can make it more difficult to respond quickly to unexpected maintenance issues or emergencies.
- Local jobs and long-term career opportunities may be reduced if work that could be performed by Council employees is outsourced.
My plan
- Adopt a "Direct Employment First" policy for work that can reasonably be undertaken by Council employees.
- Build and maintain a skilled in-house workforce capable of delivering the majority of routine operational and maintenance work.
- Continue to use contractors where they provide genuine value, including:
- Structural engineering.
- Specialist design and technical services.
- Large-scale civil construction projects.
- Specialist equipment or expertise not available within Council.
- Temporary resourcing during periods of unusually high demand.
- Invest in training and professional development so Council staff can perform a wider range of work over time.
- Regularly review contracted services to identify opportunities to bring appropriate work back in-house.
The benefits
- Better value for ratepayers.
- Greater accountability, with staff directly employed and managed by Council.
- Improved consistency and quality of service.
- Faster response times for maintenance and community requests.
- Increased organisational knowledge and expertise retained within Council.
- Creation of secure local jobs and career pathways.
- Greater flexibility to prioritise work based on community needs rather than contractor availability.
- Contractors remain available for highly specialised, complex or short-term work where they offer the best outcome for the community.