How Council buys
Learn about our procurement conditions for quotes, tenders, contracts and orders for suppliers.
Understanding how Council procures can improve your chances of becoming a Council supplier.
We preference quotes and tenders from local business to support the development of Brisbane’s economy. For procurement reasonably estimated to be less than $500,000, we’ll seek quotes from local suppliers in the first instance. These will be suppliers we consider able to meet the requirements of the procurement.
For procurement reasonably estimated to be worth $500,000 or more, Council will publicly invite tenders, proposals or expressions of interest through Council's sourcing and procurement system. A local benefit criterion weighted at 30% will be used in the value for money assessment.
Procurement policy and plan
Council's Procurement Policy and Plan provides information about Council's procurement activities. It includes a list of the significant procurements (worth $10 million or more) planned for the financial year and other large procurements.
Conditions of quote and proposal
Council has conditions for suppliers wishing to quote or tender for Council procurement. You can learn more about terms and conditions of contract and order.
Procurement worth up to $500,000
Conditions of Quotation are included with Council's Request for Quote documentation. These are the conditions on which Council receives your quote and include the rules for the quote process.
You can view or download:
For procurements worth over $500,000
Conditions of Tender are included in Council's Request for Tender/Proposal documentation. These are the conditions on which Council receives your tender/proposal and include the rules for the tender process.
You can view or download:
Terms and conditions of contract and order
Purchase orders and conditions of order
At the end of the procurement process, Council will issue a purchase order(s) to the successful supplier(s). A purchase order is a requirement before a supplier provides goods, services or works to Council. The purchase order number must be quoted on the invoice the supplier provides to Council after provision or delivery of the work. Council checks that the goods, services or works have been delivered, checks the purchase order against the invoice and then pays the invoice.
For low-value, off-the-shelf items, Council may choose not to use a formal contract. The terms and conditions on the back of the purchase order (Conditions of Order) are the contract terms and conditions for that procurement.
Where a formal contract has been signed by the supplier and Council, a purchase order will still be issued by Council after the contract has been signed. The terms and conditions of the signed contract take precedence over the Conditions of Order.
Conditions of contract
Council has a range of contract standards that it uses for goods, services and works.
Where a contract standard has been provided by Council as part of a request for quote/proposal, you must read the conditions of contract carefully before you submit your quote, tender or proposal and obtain your own legal and accounting advice.
Council's standard conditions of contract for:
Insurance requirements
Council will require the successful contractor to hold a number of insurance policies. Details of these insurance requirements will be included in the Deliverable documents.
Contractors will be required to provide evidence that they hold the appropriate cover for the duration of their contract. For construction projects, Council has a Principal Arranged Construction Insurance (PACI) program in place that contractors may be eligible to access. For more information on Council’s PACI program, please refer to your tender contact.