An overhaul of Council procurement aims to ensure that QLDC ratepayers will benefit from high quality services at the best possible price.

The Council is inviting professional service providers to register their interest for selection as a preferred supplier to the Council for a fixed period.

The requests for proposals, which will be progressively advertised on the Government Electronic Tenders Service in October and November, will cover a range of commercial and professional services ranging across engineering, insurance, banking, legal, planning, and property management services. 

Those who are successful will be either appointed as the sole preferred supplier or be appointed to a panel of preferred suppliers for two years, with renewal options.

Chief Executive Adam Feeley said the immediate goal of the new procurement approach was to balance quality of service with value for money. 

“Tendering every piece of work can in fact increase costs for Council. Aside from the time cost of the exercise, service providers do not always offer best prices where there is no prospect of continuity. This arrangement aims to secure best prices by offering some level of certainty, while still maintaining competitive tension by having a panel to select from for any one piece of work; and by the fixed period for the arrangement.’

Mr Feeley said price would be important but was not the only determining factor, with quality of proposal and reputation also being considerations.

QLDC already benefits financially from access to the All-of-Government contracts which establish a single supply agreement between the Crown and approved suppliers for the supply of selected common goods and services purchased across central and local government. 

By: QLDC