The province’s auditor general says some health contracts didn’t follow proper policy.

Since 2020, Kim Adair says Nova Scotia Health inappropriately used alternative procurement on six sole-sourced contracts.

Adair says it’s important that Nova Scotia Health follow proper rules to ensure a competitive and fair process.

“Nova Scotia Health might need to act quickly to address the challenges facing the province’s health care system, but expediency should not take priority over appropriate due diligence, nor does it justify non-compliance with procurement policy,” Adair said.

Adair makes 13 recommendations in her report.

“They include providing clear justification to support the use of alternative procurement, and outlining the steps taken to ensure the best value possible.”

She says the issue doesn’t lie with the specific projects, but how alternative procurement was used to select vendors without competition.

Houston focused on progress, not process

Meanwhile, Premier Tim Houston says they’re more focused on progress in healthcare

He says they accept and respect the auditor general’s recommendations, but the outcomes are important.

“The reality is, in 2021 and 2024 I said we’re going to focus on healthcare. We’ve made incredible progress on that,” Houston told reporters Tuesday.

He says the report didn’t look at the value for money in the contracts.

“There are others that want to focus on the process, which we respect. But we’re focused on the progress.”