NBR SPECIAL INVESTIGATION (Part 2): Roading revamp or highway robbery?
A radical shake-up of the billion-dollar roading industry has prompted fears that it could increase, rather than decrease, corruption.
A new focus on the billions of dollars that central and local government spend each year on roads has prompted a radical shake-up of the civil construction industry.
NZTA has slashed its number of highway contracts from more than 300 to just 23. And councils have also been urged to review their spending on roads, after a decade-long blowout.
But some fear the shake-up could increase, rather than decrease, the potential for corruption.
“The bigger the contracts get, and the longer-term they get, the higher the stakes get,” says one player, in part two of our special investigation into corruption in the roading industry.
The move comes as the EU and Britain are rethinking their procurement practices to break up large contracts.
Councils throughout New Zealand are also rethinking the way they run their roads.
Our investigation also examines whether there is a monopoly in the bitumen market.
Print subscribers can read the full story in today’s NBR Print Edition.
To subscribe to the print edition visit this page.
Karyn Scherer
Fri, 23 Dec 2016
Fri, 23 Dec 2016
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
NBR SPECIAL INVESTIGATION (Part 2): Roading revamp or highway robbery?
64090