Vic; Ambulabce contract critic was working for the competition

AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-2000
Vic; Ambulabce contract critic was working for the competition

An inquiry has been told a former Melbourne ambulance service worker who made damaging
claims about the Intergraph company did so while working for a competitor.

SAM FODERO was a central figure in the accusations of impropriety which led to the
Victorian Auditor-General calling for a judicial inquiry into the privatising of communications
at the service.

Mr FODERO told a state audit service investigator in 1996 that the tender process to
contract out MAS communications was tampered with to improve Intergraph's standing in
the final shortlist of bidders.

But the MAS Royal Commission heard today that when he made the claim, Mr FODERO was
working for a section of Telstra that was in direct competition with Intergraph.

One of his last duties at MAS was to help assess the applications by companies vying
for the ambulance communications contract in October 1993.

Mr FODERO told investigators his assessment team was ordered to remove key criteria
from a report evaluating the performance of the three shortlisted bidders in which Intergraph
had done badly.

However, he said no-one appeared to have broken the law during the tender process.

The Royal Commission has been adjourned until after May 8 on a date to be fixed.

AAP RTV ra/mh/dmc/jn

KEYWORD: INTERGRAPH (MELBOURNE)

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