❓ Dr. Thomas inquires about the maintenance and performance monitoring of solar panels on government buildings. The response clarifies that individual agencies are primarily responsible, with Finance providing services under specific contractual frameworks, details of which are available on Tenders WA.
AnsweredQoN 1997Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the maintenance of solar panels on Government buildings, and I ask: (a) are the solar panels on Government buildings cleaned; (b) if no to (a), why not; (c) if yes to (a), by whom; (d) what contracts exist for the cleaning of solar panels on Government buildings; (e) are such contracts managed through a Tenders WA process; (f) if yes to (e), please identify which specific tenders and contracts are involved; (g) is the performance of solar panels on Government buildings monitored and recorded; (h) if yes to (g), by whom; and (i) if yes to (g), is the output of the panels declining as time goes by?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
16 May 2024
Responded by
Minister for Finance
Response time
8 days
(a)-(i)
In the majority of cases, individual government agencies are responsible for the management and performance of the buildings they occupy either directly as the asset owner, or indirectly as the party to a lease agreement. As such the performance of their solar panels and/or the related contractual arrangements and performance testing are best directed to the relevant portfolio.
Where a government agency has requested Finance to arrange for its solar panels to be cleaned, Finance may use a range of contractual frameworks to facilitate the service. For example, for metropolitan sites, Finance may procure the services via its outsourced maintenance services arrangement with Programmed Facility Management (PFM).
For regional sites, where the service is arranged directly by Finance with its trade contractors, Finance will procure the services in accordance with the requirements of the WA Procurement Rules. In such instances where the contract award value exceeds $50,000, the details of the procurement, including the contract award value and identity of the successful supplier, will be uploaded to the Tenders WA website.
There are currently three routine maintenance contracts for solar panel cleaning and related services published on the Tenders WA website. They are as follows:
× FINW0163922 – routine maintenance for residual current devices (RCDs) exit and emergency lights testing and tagging of portable electrical appliances and solar systems – various government sites – Mid-West region – awarded to Elite Electrical Contracting;
× FINW0572523 – provision of routine maintenance for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems – various government sites – Wheatbelt region – awarded to Essential Energy Services;
× FINW0719022 – provision of routine maintenance for solar PV systems – Finance – awarded to Infinity Electrical and Solar (registered Aboriginal business).
In the majority of cases, individual government agencies are responsible for the management and performance of the buildings they occupy either directly as the asset owner, or indirectly as the party to a lease agreement. As such the performance of their solar panels and/or the related contractual arrangements and performance testing are best directed to the relevant portfolio.
Where a government agency has requested Finance to arrange for its solar panels to be cleaned, Finance may use a range of contractual frameworks to facilitate the service. For example, for metropolitan sites, Finance may procure the services via its outsourced maintenance services arrangement with Programmed Facility Management (PFM).
For regional sites, where the service is arranged directly by Finance with its trade contractors, Finance will procure the services in accordance with the requirements of the WA Procurement Rules. In such instances where the contract award value exceeds $50,000, the details of the procurement, including the contract award value and identity of the successful supplier, will be uploaded to the Tenders WA website.
There are currently three routine maintenance contracts for solar panel cleaning and related services published on the Tenders WA website. They are as follows:
× FINW0163922 – routine maintenance for residual current devices (RCDs) exit and emergency lights testing and tagging of portable electrical appliances and solar systems – various government sites – Mid-West region – awarded to Elite Electrical Contracting;
× FINW0572523 – provision of routine maintenance for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems – various government sites – Wheatbelt region – awarded to Essential Energy Services;
× FINW0719022 – provision of routine maintenance for solar PV systems – Finance – awarded to Infinity Electrical and Solar (registered Aboriginal business).
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.