A Guide for Suppliers DOING BUSINESS
with Gladstone Regional Council
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Gladstone Regional Council would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Bailai, the Gurang, the Gooreng Gooreng and the Taribelang Bunda people. We pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Gladstone Regional Council is committed to cultivating a culture of inclusion and connectedness, acknowledging that our communities are richer when diversity is embraced.
OF A WELCOMING CITY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Gladstone Regional Council is actively aligning with best practice multiculturalism as identified in the National Welcoming Cities Standards and declares itself a welcoming community. We embrace diversity, foster social cohesion and are focused on building economic success.
Council endeavours to use a whole of community approach to not only embrace diversity, but also harness its strength and identify opportunities to enhance our multicultural focus. As a Council, we will benchmark cultural diversity and inclusion policies and practices across the organisation and continue to identify how further efforts can be directed.
INTRODUCTION TO
GLADSTONE
About the Gladstone Region
The Gladstone Region, located in Central Queensland, is about 550 kilometres north of Brisbane, and covers 10,506 square kilometres with a population of about 64,000 people.
Gladstone is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and Heron Island. It is situated on one of Australia’s largest and safest harbours, making it ideal for water recreation.
A dynamic economy, with growing interests in solar and renewables, the region boasts two of the world’s largest alumina refineries, an aluminium smelter, a power station, cement and chemical manufacturers and Liquified Natural Gas plants alongside national parks, state forests, pristine coastlines, beaches and islands.
Gladstone Regional Council provides a range of local government infrastructure and services such as:
• Water and wastewater services
• Waste collection and disposal
• Construction and maintenance of roads, parks, reserves, sports and community facilities; and
• A wide range of community services.
About this guide
This guide is intended as a resource to assist businesses who wish to supply goods and/or services to Council.
It aims to cover basic information and answer frequently asked questions surrounding the following key topics:
• Regulation requirements
• Council’s approach to procurement of goods and services
• Procure to Pay (quotation requirements)
• Tendering
• Health Safety and Environment
• Key contacts.
Small Business Friendly Council
Council is a proud member of the Queensland Small Business Commissioner’s Small Business Friendly Program, ensuring small businesses are supported to thrive through a consistent framework and approach.
As an ongoing commitment to supporting a vibrant small business community, Council will continue to focus on improving how we transact, interact and support small businesses in the Gladstone Region.
More information can be accessed here https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/Business/Economy/SmallBusiness-Friendly-Council
Council’s Corporate Plan is a five-year plan which sets out our commitment to a dynamic, proud and diverse future for the Gladstone Region. It is an outcomes focused strategy, and guides us to enhance connections with our community, provide value for money and meet community expectations in the way we serve. It defines our strategic direction through our vision, values and goals.
Each financial year, a 12-month Operational Plan is outworked from the Corporate Plan that defines the initiatives Council will deliver to move towards our five goals:
• Connecting Communities
• Delivering Value
• Resilient Economy
• Our People
• Accountable Council.
Council’s Corporate Plan can be accessed here https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/Council/Reports-andPublications/Plans-and-Reports
OUR CORPORATE PLAN FOR PURCHASING REGULATION REQUIREMENTS
All purchases of goods, services and contracted works must be carried out in accordance with the Local Government Act 2009, the Local Government Regulation 2012 and Council’s Procurement Policy https://www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/Business/Doing-Business-with-Us#section-6
In addition to other statutory requirements stipulated in the Act and Regulation, Council must comply with the Sound Contracting Principles when acquiring goods, services and contracted works being:
Value for money Open and effective competition
The development of competitive local business and industry
Environmental protection
Ethical behaviour and fair dealing
WAYS TO PROCURE GOODS AND SERVICES
For procurement of all goods and services, refer to legislative thresholds and probity.
Quotations
Council operates under a hybrid structure for requests for written quotations. Requests for quotations may come from any of our employees and may be verbal or written. This request may be in the form of an email, in store, online or via VendorPanel outlining the quotation requirements.
Request for Proposal
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is an informal procurement document that expedites the engagement of suppliers. Council may issue an RFP to suppliers on panel contracts or suppliers not on contract, where multiple quotes are sought for complex procurement activities.
Invitation to Tender
An Invitation to Tender (ITT) is a formal procurement document issued to the open market to receive tenders for the supply of goods, services, or the carrying out of works. Refer to section ‘Tendering’ for more information on this process.
Register of Pre-Qualified Suppliers
A Register of Pre-Qualified Supplies (RPQS) is considered a panel contract where a list of potential suppliers is established for the purchase of goods and/or services following a tender process.
Suppliers on a panel may be requested to provide written quotes or proposals, where there is no schedule of rates. While we encourage the use of VendorPanel, you may receive emails from employees outlining quotation or proposal requirements.
While under a Panel, Council is unable to provide a guarantee or representation as to the volume of orders to be issued.
Preferred Supplier Arrangements
A Preferred Supplier Arrangement (PSA) is an agreement with competitively selected suppliers for direct procurement under predefined terms for goods or services.
Local Government Association Arrangement
Local Government Association (LGA) Arrangements established by the Local Government Association of Queensland, or company associated with LGAQ for Council to procure goods or services under collectively negotiated terms, such as Local Buy.
Expression of Interest
An Expression of Interest (EOI) is to seek an indication of interest from potential suppliers who can provide particular goods or services. An EOI is often used as a screening process in the early stages of a procurement to generate a shortlist for a closed ITT process.
Other Exceptions
Council may purchase goods, services, or the carrying out of works under other exceptions as defined in the Regulation such as sole suppliers, specialised suppliers, emergency works, auction or second-hand goods or under an agreement with a Government agency.
LEGISLATIVE THRESHOLDS
AND PROBITY
Legislative thresholds
Chapter 6 of the Local Government Regulation 2012, defines the requirements pertaining to procuring goods, services and contracted works. The Regulation defines when Council must first invite written quotes or tenders and includes definitions for medium-sized contractual arrangements and large-sized contractual arrangements and what exceptions apply.
Medium-sized contractual arrangements
When an exception does not apply, Council must attempt to seek at a minimum three (3) written quotations and if accepted, Council must accept the quote that is most advantageous, having regard to the sound contracting principles.
Large-sized contractual arrangements
Council cannot enter into a large-sized contractual arrangement without first inviting written tenders for the contract, unless an exception applies.
Exceptions for medium-sized and large-sized contractual arrangements
The Regulation also allows Council to enter into a medium-sized contractual arrangement or largesized contractual arrangement without first inviting written quotes when using an exception for:
• RPQS
• PSA
• LGA Arrangement, such as Local Buy; and
• Other exceptions as defined in the Regulation.
Probity
Probity is the process of having strong moral principles, including conducting business ethically and fairly. All procurement activities must be clear, open, well understood and applied equally to all parties who are engaged in the process.
When conducting a procurement activity, Council must act to ensure:
• Fair and impartial behaviour
• Accountability and transparency
• Lawful behaviour
• Adequate management of conflicts of interest; and
• Security of commercially sensitive and confidential information.
PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS
Purchase orders
The following information will be provided on GRC’s purchase orders:
• Purchase order number
• Date
• Description of goods or service
• Quantities of the goods or services
• Price
• Required delivery date
• Delivery address
• Any special instructions
• The name of the Council officer requesting the goods or service; and
• Terms and conditions (whether that is under a contract or purchase order standard conditions).
If a purchase order is incorrect or incomplete, please contact the Council representative immediately, prior to commencing any work or providing any goods.
All procurement of goods and services will produce a purchase order.
Suppliers must not commence procurement until such time as a purchase order has been received.
Goods delivery
All goods supplied to Council must be clearly labelled with the correct address and preferably the officer requesting the goods.
A delivery docket must be provided with the goods and must include the following:
• Purchase order number
• Delivery address
• Council officer’s name; and
• Description of goods and quantity.
Insurances
For Council, typical requirements are:
• $20M Public Liability
• $5M Professional Indemnity; and
• Workers’ Compensation (or equivalent).
Council can request copies of insurances at any time prior to or during an engagement. Suppliers are to ensure they maintain current coverage.
Where a supplier does not hold and maintain insurance coverage, Council has the right to refuse to engage, as well as review any current contracts or engagements in place.
There are exceptions where insurance coverages may be decreased.
Please speak to our Contracts and Procurement Team for further information.
PAYMENTS
Payment
Methods of payment for goods and services include the following:
• Invoices (preferred); and
• Corporate credit cards (limited use).
The Accounts Payable Team’s role is to pay authorised invoices in accordance with Council’s standard payment terms. Simply sending an invoice to Accounts Payable or your Council officer, does not guarantee payment.
Invoicing
Where to send invoices:
All invoices and accounts for payment are to be emailed to: Invoices@gladstone.qld.gov.au
Invoicing requirements:
When an invoice is received, Accounts Payable will check its validity, ensuring the invoice is compliant under the Tax Act, and includes:
• The words ‘Tax Invoice’
• The supplier’s identity
• The supplier’s Australian Business Number (ABN)
• A brief description of what is invoiced including the quantity and price
• The total GST amount; and
• Date of issue.
Payment terms
What are Council’s payment terms?
Council will make payment within 21 days of receipt of a valid tax invoice. Suppliers can also provide a monthly statement to ensure accurate reconciliation of outstanding invoices.
Exceptions to standard payment terms may be considered upon request.
TENDERING
Tendering process
What is an ITT?
An ITT is a formal procurement document that is issued to the open market to receive tenders for the supply of goods, services, or the carrying out of works for large-sized contractual arrangments.
How ITT opportunities are advertised
Under the Regulation, an ITT is required to be advertised for a minimum of 21 days.
Council advertises tenders as follows:
• Council’s social media channels on a Saturday
• Council’s website www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/ business-us; and
• VendorPanel www.vendorpanel.com.au/ gladstone/tenders
Council uses VendorPanel for all ITT processes. VendorPanel is an e-tendering solution used to streamline the ITT process.
You can register your business with VendorPanel www.vendorpanel.com.au/marketplace.aspx to receive invitations, download tender documents, seek clarification using the forum and lodge electronic tender responses.
ITT documentation
Council’s ITT document includes:
• Section 1 - Invitation to Tender
A formal communication released to the market to invite offers for a transaction. It provides guidelines detailing how to submit tenders and other conditions of tendering.
• Section 2 - Conditions of Contract
The applicable contract terms and conditions that Council propose to be applied for the duration of the contract.
• Section 3 - Specification / Scope of Works
There are various types of specifications that are used to define the requirements and standards for a product, service or works. The type of specification used will depend on the nature of the product, service or works and the needs of Council. Specifications may include requirements in relation to design, performance, function, deliverables, materials, process, testing, safety and environment.
• Section 4 - Submission Documents
Documents to be submitted by Tenderers, including Tenderer Offer Form (returnable schedules), Pricing Schedule / Schedule of Rates, responses to evaluation criteria, copies of insurances and required licences, Procurement Plan, Work Health and Safety and Environmental checklists and other documentation as required.
All mandatory documentation requested in the ITT must be provided, otherwise tenders may be deemed non-conforming and will not be evaluated further.
Tenderers who exceed the minimum requirements may receive higher scores in the evaluation process.
Clarification
during advertising
In circumstances where information provided in an ITT is open to interpretation or is not readily understood, clarification or information may be requested.
All clarifications requested during the advertising period must be submitted via VendorPanel. Under no circumstances, should businesses contact Council Officer’s directly to ask questions.
Clarifications and responses, will be available for all prospective tenderers via VendorPanel.
Meetings
A pre-tender briefing (or mandatory site visit) may be required depending on the complexity of the procurement.
Tenderers are expected to attend the pre-tender briefing when it is convened. Council reserves the right to require attendance at a pre-tender briefing as a condition of tendering.
The ITT will state whether a briefing is mandatory or optional.
The pre-tender briefing is chaired by a member of the Contracts Team and is supported by the requesting officer and other relevant technical experts. The Chair will ensure the attendees are recorded, the meeting is run according to an agenda, minutes are taken and any questions and answers are recorded for formal distribution via VendorPanel to all prospective tenderers.
If a mandatory site visit is requested in the ITT, tenderers who fail to attend will be regarded as non-conforming and their responses will not be further evaluated.
Evaluation
Upon receipt of conforming tenders, the Contracts Team will facilitate the evaluation of offers by a panel of technical experts. The offers are evaluated against the criteria and weightings shown in the ITT, in accordance with the Sound Contracting Principles.
An evaluation meeting is chaired by a member of the Contracts Team for the panel to reach consensus on a preferred tenderer for award.
All tenderers will be notified of the outcome via VendorPanel and/or email, and are welcome to contact the Contracts Team for feedback via Contracts@gladstone.qld.gov.au.
Note, feedback will be focused only on the enquiring tenderer’s submission and any areas identified for improvement. Comparatives to other tenders will not be provided.
In accordance with Section 237 of the Local Government Regulation 2012, contracts awarded with a value greater than $200,000 (ex GST) will be published on the Council’s website https://www. gladstone.qld.gov.au/Business/Doing-Businesswith-Us#section-5
Contract award
Proposed contract conditions are included as part of the ITT. However, tenderers may request departures to the Contract Conditions as part of their offer, for Council’s consideration.
Council may negotiate with shortlisted Tenderer(s) to reach agreement on the final contract conditions prior to awarding the contract. As such, for complex activities, finalising a contract may take up to four (4) months from commencement of the tender process to execution of the contract.
End to end process for an ITT activity is a 3-4 month period, depending on complexity.
Premarket process
Market scan
When Council is looking to procure a complex activity, a market scan may be conducted to understand market availabilities, challenges, timeframes as well as other information to support a successful ITT. There is no commitment, and a decision may be made not to proceed.
Estimate
An estimate is used when Council does not have sufficient information or understanding to write a detailed ITT. It is considered market research and used as a planning tool to help identify the scope for a second, more formal request. When undertaking estimating activities, there is no commitment, and a decision may be made not to proceed with a formal request.
REGISTER SUPPLIER INTEREST
Interested in working with us?
Suppliers interested in supplying goods and services to Council are encouraged to complete our Supplier Interest Form.
How to register
Follow the steps below to register your interest in working with Council:
1. Go to our Supplier Interest Form and select begin this form www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/ register-supplier-interest
2. Enter your supplier name and contact details
3. Select the categories and subcategories that relate to your business
4. Once submitted you will receive an email confirming your submission has been received.
Our Contracts Team will use the information supplied in the form to contact suppliers for any future tendering opportunities relevant to the goods and/or services their business offers.
Suppliers are encouraged to also register on VendorPanel Marketplace, our online procurement platform, to access and submit tenders when opportunities become available.
VENDORPANEL MARKETPLACE
What is VendorPanel Marketplace?
VendorPanel Marketplace is a free online portal designed to connect suppliers with buyers from Queensland and local governments and government owned corporations.
How to register
Follow the steps below to create your free business profile in VendorPanel Marketplace:
1. Go to VendorPanel Marketplace www.vendorpanel.com.au/Marketplace.aspx
2. Search and select your supply categories
3. Register as a supplier and request invitation
4. Receive a ‘get started’ email from the VendorPanel system
5. Verify your account using the link in your ‘get started’ email, then follow the prompts to complete the registration.
Once registered, you will receive notifications of public tenders for the supply categories and regions of service selected during your registration.
It is recommended you register into all supply categories (Marketplace Lists) that match your capability to maximise visibility of tender opportunities.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT
When suppliers are engaged to work on a Council site, both the Supplier and Council employees have a primary Duty of Care under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (QLD) to ensure the health and safety of workers, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Gladstone Regional Council Obligations
Council must:
• Ensure suppliers have safe system of work in place
• Induct suppliers to the site(s) they will be working in; including incident reporting process, site rules, expectations, etc
• Include suppliers into pre-start meetings (for construction).
• Communicate all hazards on site and the current controls; including processes, procedures, etc.
• Oversee supplier work to ensure correct controls and practices are being utilised
It is critical for Council to ensure all suppliers work in accordance with their procedures at all times through compliance activities such as site inspections and audits.
Suppliers Obligations
The supplier must:
• Demonstrate compliance in accordance with Council’s mandatory Work Health and Safety requirements prior to undertaking works for Council.
• Report all workplace incidents to the responsible person immediately
• Ensure that all work performed on behalf of Council is conducted safely in accordance with legislative requirements and company procedures
• Actively participate in Council’s induction process
• Adhere to all Council’s site rules
• Sign in and out of Council sites, if applicable
• Actively participate in site inspections conducted by the responsible officer of the Contract, Preferred Supplier Arrangement or other works generated by quote
• Follow any reasonable direction from Council for the safe completion of works.
The supplier, as an organisation, must meet and actively demonstrate their obligations and responsibilities under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (QLD) and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (QLD), at all times while performing works on behalf of Council.
Gladstone Regional Council Contracts
and Procurement Team
Contracts: Contracts@gladstone.qld.gov.au
Procurement: Procurement@gladstone.qld.gov.au
Accounts Payable: creditors@gladstone.qld.gov.au
Invoices: Invoices@gladstone.qld.gov.au
info@gladstone.qld.gov.au www.gladstone.qld.gov.au