A story in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) has questioned the purchase of 15 laptops at a total cost of more tan $20,000 by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

The purchase went ahead despite the university having unused 200 laptops in stock.

In addition, the AFR alleges “little, if anything, has been done about the internal audit’s recommendation UTS develop a comprehensive vendor management framework with clear policies and procedures for managing third-party relationships”.

“One of the worst examples of poor vendor management at UTS was the ServiceNow implementation between 2022 and 2024 which cost about $13 million and involved payments in varying amounts to a range of consultants including AC3, Capgemini, Deloitte, Enable Professional Services and TMLabs,” read the story.

UTS plans to cut around 400 jobs, many of which are Professional Staff roles covered by the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) NSW.

“To cut so many roles against a backdrop of profligacy cannot be justified,” said CPSU NSW General Secretary Stewart Little.  

UTS’s bill for external consultants and providers has increased from an average of $26 million a year in the three years before the current Vice-Chancellor, Andrew Parfitt, was appointed in November 2021 to an average of $45 million in every year since then.