Doing Business with Council
We aim to ensure that expenditure of public funds results in the most advantageous outcome for the community, in accordance with applying Section 104 of the Local Government Act 2009 Sound Contracting Principles:
- value for money; and
- Open and effective competition; and
- the development of competitive local business and industry; and
- Environmental protection; and
- Ethical behaviour and fair dealing.
When engaging contractors, suppliers and consultants, we aim to adhere compliance with the Local Government Regulations 2012, internal policies and procedures to ensure procurement practices are fair and equitable and that sufficient governance is in place to control probity and due diligence when procuring goods and services.
We encourage businesses and the local industry to participate in any opportunities through their expressions of interests, tender or quotation processes made available. The following outlines Council’s procurement and tender opportunities, policies and processes:
Current and Upcoming Tenders
Whitsunday Regional Council utilises an online tender portal called eTenderBox. eTenderBox enables any potential contractors, suppliers and consultants to view current tenders, download tender documents, submit any queries via a forum and upload submissions within a secure environment. Once you have set up a free account with eTenderBox, please ensure you log into your account and complete the “My Subscription” tab ensuring the option to receive Whitsunday RC RFx’s has been ticked and any category options that may be applicable to your organisation have been added. (refer Section 8 of the user manual for more information).
Should you have any issues with registering, downloading documents or uploading submissions, please refer to the user manual or contact the eTenderbox Support Team via support@openwindows.com.au.
If you have any questions or enquiries, please contact our Procurement and Contracts Team via email to contracts@whitsundayrc.qld.gov.au.
Important Update - Change in Council’s Tendering Platform
Effective 1st August 2025, Whitsunday Regional Council will be transitioning from eTenderbox to VendorPanel Marketplace for all procurement and tendering activities.
This change is part of our commitment to improving the way we engage with suppliers by providing a more streamlined, user-friendly, and efficient platform.
What This Means for You:
- eTenderbox will no longer be used for new tenders after 1st August 2025, there will be a transition period where Tenders issued prior to the 1st August 2025 will remain on eTenderbox for submissions until their closing date.
- All new tender and quotation opportunities will be published on VendorPanel Marketplace starting from 1st August 2025.
- Action Required: Please register your business on VendorPanel Marketplace at https://vendorpanel.com/platform/suppliers to continue receiving tender and quotation opportunities from Council. For those that are already registered with VendorPanel you will simply have to “Register on Marketplace Lists” which is located in the column on the left of your VendorPanel dashboard.
Register now on VendorPanel Marketplace
We encourage all current and prospective suppliers to complete their registration as soon as possible to avoid missing any opportunities.
If you require assistance with registration or navigating the platform, please visit VendorPanel Suppliers Help Centre on the first instance.
If you have any questions or enquiries, please contact our Procurement Team via email to procurement@whitsundayrc.qld.gov.au or 1300 972 753.
Registering with VendorPanel Marketplace
Awarded Contracts above the value of $200,000
Under Section 237 of the Local Government Regulations 2012, Council must publish details of any contractual arrangements entered into worth $200,000 or more (exclusive of GST), therefore the following are the relevant contracts awarded over a 12-month period:
Procurement Policy
Our officers are required to conduct all procurement activity in accordance and ensure compliance with the obligations under the Local Government Act 2009 and Local Government Regulation 2012, including our Procurement Policy.
We are committed to the development of our competitive local businesses and industry and the Procurement Policy incorporates guidelines to assist our officers meet local sourcing requirements, including a “Local Supplier” weighting which must be used as part of all tender evaluations.
Doing Business with Council
Whether you are a small business or a large organisation we want to work with you.
We have the following arrangements in place to assist with the procurement of goods and/or services:
- Pre-qualified Panel Arrangements – established via a Public Tender process and assessed as having the technical, compliance, financial and resource capabilities to conduct the relevant activities. If appointed on this type of Panel, separate quotations may be requested for specified services;
- Preferred Panel Arrangements – may be established through a Public Tender Process, due to frequency, volume of goods and/or services basis or if better value for money can be attained. Once the arrangement is awarded, the successful tenderer will be engaged for that activity for the duration of the contract; however, quotations may be requested dependant on the terms and conditions of the specified contract.
- Local Buy Panel Arrangements – The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) established Local Buy to assist Local and State Governments meet their procurement needs by conducting the procurement process to establish contractual panel arrangement for various goods and/or services which Councils and Government bodies can utilise. Quotations are requested by Council through these panel arrangements. For further information and opportunities to be a part of Local Buy Panel Arrangements, please visit their website via www.localbuy.net.au.
Terms of Business
The Terms of Business govern the purchase of goods and/or services by Council. The Terms of Business apply to any procurement activity Council enter into and are referred to on all Council’s purchase orders, unless Council enters into a specific contract arrangement incorporating alternative terms and conditions that are agreed upon at the time of contract award.