No bias in Comm Games decision: advisers

The husband-and-wife consultants criticised over the controversial appointment of a US-owned company to produce the 2018 Commonwealth Games ceremonies have hit back at claims of bias.

England-based Mik Auckland and Celia Smith, employed by the Gold Coast Games Corporation as technical advisers, on Friday strenuously denied any conflict of interest in the selection of Jack Morton Worldwide (JMW) to orchestrate the Games' showpiece events.

The pair had drawn the ire of the three unsuccessful Australian bid teams who registered their "deep disquiet" at the tender process in a letter to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at Christmas.

The failed bidders claimed Mr Auckland and Ms Smith should not have been consultants due to their history as former JMW employees, while also attacking organising committee GOLDOC for assembling an "inexperienced" evaluation panel.

Due to the perceived lack of knowledge in the panel, they claimed the couple's roles were "even more pivotal" in the tender process.

The Queensland government has called in probity auditors who are examining the tender process.

But the Australian couple, who run London-based company Red Thread Solutions, stress they had no say over which company won the tender and were proud of the "world class" work they provided for GOLDOC.

Mr Auckland and Ms Smith confirmed they were previously employed by JMW but pointed out they had also either worked for, or collaborated with, the head figures in the unsuccessful bid teams in their 20-plus years in the events industry.

Among those are Australia's best-known Olympics ringmaster, Ric Birch, as well as David Atkins and Julie Brooks.

They worked for Mr Birch to produce the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where both Mr Atkins and Ms Brooks were senior producers.

Mr Auckland also worked for David Atkins Enterprises before joining JMW to deliver the ceremonies at the 2004 Athens Games, while Ms Smith did the same.

He finished working for JMW in 2010 while she stayed with the US-owned global company until 2014.

"Neither RTS, the company, nor Celia or Mik as individuals, stood to benefit financially, professionally or personally from any one particular company being appointed as the successful bidder," they said in a statement sent to AAP.

"RTS strenuously denies any allegations of impropriety or wrongdoing. RTS provided experienced, unbiased technical advice to GOLDOC."