Defence is to seek short-term commercial arrangements in order to maintain the continuity of support to its airlift support requirements to the Middle East.
The short-term arrangements will remain focused on the delivery of safe aviation services to Defence people.
Defence will use its standard processes for obtaining short-term services, and a number of companies will be approached to ensure a value for money outcome.
Defence is continuing to finalise its longer-term contract arrangements for the delivery of aviation services to its Middle East operations and its personnel.
Background
We reported previously that on 2 September 2010, The Age newspaper published allegations that the successful tenderer for the 2005 Defence contract for Air Support Services to the Middle East Area of Operations, Strategic Aviation Pty Ltd, received inside help to win the contract from two ADF members involved in the tender process, passing inside information to the winning company, which later employed the pair in senior management roles.
Defence said that it had assessed these allegations and determined that, if proven, they gave rise to a range of potential criminal offences.
In accordance with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines, Defence referred these allegations to the Australian Federal Police.