Northern Beaches Council – Doing Business with Council
Northern Beaches Council held a series of four information sessions for local businesses on local procurement during October 2018. The information sessions gave local businesses tips for responding to Council’s Request for Tenders and Quotations and clarified local government procurement requirements. They were also encouraged to register on the Vendor Panel Marketplace tool.
Background
Northern Beaches Council has a significant operational and capital program to be delivered each year. Council developed a procurement strategy aimed to support small business and ensure the approach taken in procuring associated works, goods and services delivered optimal value for ratepayers’ money. It was important the strategy was in accordance with council’s procurement policy and the Local Government Act and Local Government Procurement Guidelines.
The workshops provided information to businesses about supplying to council, and were developed in response to many enquiries from small businesses trying to better understand the procurement process and how to respond to local government requests for tenders and quotations.
Implementation
The Procurement Manager, in collaboration with the Economic Development Unit, consulted with local small business suppliers and gathered feedback from small businesses through networking meetings and other council and external forums.
These forums helped to identify key gaps in supplier knowledge of council’s procurement process which in turn influenced workshop agendas and the need for an educational focus.
The gaps identified were:
- Legislative obligations in procurement including probity, fairness and value for money; Local Government Tender Guidelines and the Local Government Act.
- Mandatory requirements section of the tender document
- The required level of insurance cover – third party, professional indemnity etc
- Tender terminology
- Legal obligations in providing quotations and responding to tenders
- Workplace Health & Safety requirements and safety statements
- Quality management systems
- References and financial capability statements Supplier registration on websites such as TenderLink and vendor panel
- Misconceptions such as the cost of registering to online vendor panel sites and that large companies have an advantage for all council procurement
Outputs
Across the four sessions, 130 local businesses registered to attend, from a broad range of industry sectors. A total of 55
businesses completed the post event survey (provided by NSW Small Business Commission), of these 50 agreed/strongly agreed that the workshops provided information they will apply to their business. A further 51 said that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the event.
Outcomes and results
The project outcomes to date include:
- Greater awareness of procurement opportunities for local small business
- Increased number of small business registered on vendor panel, and who are now receiving alerts for procurement opportunities with council.
- Greater understanding of processes supporting local procurement within council units.
Other relevant information
In addition, the workshops created a greater level of understanding internally around the economic benefits of local procurement which were:
- Sustainable practices in procurement
- Reduced transport costs
- Creation of employment opportunities
- Retention of spending within the community
Council Details
Population size: 252,878
LGA size: 254 km2
State Electorate: Pittwater
Federal Electorate: Mackellar & Warringah