I was recently informed of a situation where lawn maintenance and groundskeeping work was contracted out by the Department of National Defence:
Management proceeded with this decision despite the assertions, accompanied by a business case, of UNDE [the Union of National Defence Employees] local and national officers, that sending the work to the private sector would not save money. Personnel were assigned elsewhere, and equipment was removed from the base inventory. In the spring and summer of 2020, the private contractor failed to meet the requirements of the contract. Scheduled military activities depend on grounds that are properly prepared. Public service workers were ordered to complete the work—without the necessary personnel and without the appropriate equipment—work that the contractor is being compensated for, thus the actual cost of completion is even greater than the cost of the contract.
Governments always underwrite the risk when private contractors are involved. What risk mitigation strategies are in place to ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen? Wouldn't it be easier to have the work done in-house?