Local civil works contractors attended feedback sessions recently to discuss tendering for council projects.
The sessions were initiated by Central Highlands Regional Council following some concern by local contractors that they are missing out on large council and government work in the region.
Central Highlands CEO Scott Mason said the idea was to offer a chance for business owners and council officers to have a ‘full and frank’ feedback session.
‘We invited representatives from the twelve businesses that were unsuccessful for eleven large tenders to complete the NDRRA flood restoration work in the east of the region to have a one-on-one discussion with our senior infrastructure officers and a representative from GBA Consulting Engineers.
‘Eleven took up the offer, eight personally and three by telephone, with only one business owner unwilling to participate.
‘After going through an overview of the tender process and how tenders are ranked and scored, questions were invited and a number of issues discussed.
‘Without going into the technical aspects of the discussions, the general consensus was that the procurement process could be refined slightly to assist local contractors, but in general the system was satisfactory.
‘Everyone that we spoke to was in a cooperative frame of mind and the outcomes were positive and encouraging. I’m certainly confident that the contractors now have a more informed understanding of the scope of council work and will bid on upcoming opportunities with a more realistic and competitive approach.’
The Central Highlands Development Corporation regularly holds workshops and seminars on procurement as part of their Business Support and Development Program. For more information visit www.chdc.com.au