LGP provides a range of innovative learning and development solutions tailored specifically for NSW council staff, delivered via different mediums including face to face and online mode. Through the extensive and exciting gamut of training programs in procurement, LGP can support you in achieving the best outcome from your suitably qualified and skilled staff members.

LGP training programs are offered as the following three suites and you can learn more about each by clicking on the relevant links:

• eLearning: LGP’s eLearning programs use state-of-the-art technology, to deliver cost effective training, specifically designed for NSW local government employees engaged in purchasing, quoting, tendering and contract management. Please click eLearning for more details.
   
• Public Courses: LGP's face-to-face training features a range of interactive and leading practice modules, covering critical areas of procurement and contract management. Please click Public Courses for more details.
   
• Nationally Recognised Training: In partnership with ProLeaders Academy (Registered Training Organisation) LGP offers three Accredited Nationally Recognised Training from Certificate-IV to Advanced Diploma levels, customised specifically for NSW local government employees. Please click Nationally Recognised Training for more details.

Grab this opportunity to partner with LGP for your procurement training needs.
 

LGP Training is all geared up to cater to your procurement training requirements in 2018. The Training Calendar for 2018 is now available for your reference. 

SUPPLIER TENDER TRAINING

This half day course covers the key principles and procedures of tender writing. Our experienced trainers help the participants develop skills that provide confidence in bid writing.

This course is relevant for any supplier interested to succeed in getting a public sector contract and gaining significant insights into the ‘dos and don’ts’ of bid writing and tendering process.

Date: Wednesday 13th December 2017 (1:30PM to 4:30PM)
Venue: LGP Office, Sydney
Time: $250.00 per person (excl. GST)

To contact LGP Training, email or call 02 8270 8709.

Human Resources (HR) – Permanent and Temporary Placements and Associated Services (LGP808-3) Panel

The new HR Services Panel with an initial 46 contractors and has come into effect from 1 December 2017 based on a successful tendering process. 

The new HR Panel covers the placements for: 

• Permanent recruitment (excluding Tier 1&2 positions)
• Temporary placement – casual and contract
• Temporary to permanent placements
• Temporary to fixed term, transfer agency to council, and
• Fixed term, agency sourced, but council payrolled.

The panel broadly covers

  Recruitment services for:

• Advertising
• Competency validation
• Pre-selection and interviews
• Short list selection and recommendation reports, and 
• Reference checks and qualification validation.

  HR Services

• Organisational strategic development
• Succession planning
• Organisatonal surveys and exit interviews
• Executive coaching
• Performance appraisal management services
• Recruitment training services.

The panel could be used to hire personnel for: 

• Administration
• Labour
• Trades
• Engineering
• Executive 
• Professional
• Technical, and 
• Positions for indigenous and those with disabilities.

The panel will be further updated with contractors as outstanding contractual matters become finalised. The current list of successful panel members can be found on the LGP808-3 Buyer’s Guide under the 'Services' tab and titled Human Resoures (HR) - Permanent and Temporary Placements and Associated Services (LGP808-3).

Should you require any further information on the Panel requirements, please contact Santhosh Dorairajan, Category Manager on 02 8270 8732 or email.
 

In February 2018 Sustainable Choice will be  introducing  its newly developed ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement training to all councils. The training  includes interactive, hands on one-day training for both management and operational staff in understanding and integrating sustainability into the procurement process, based on the new ISO 20400: 2017 guidance standard on Sustainable Procurement.

Below is some feedback from a recent pilot of the training:

‘Well-presented and easy to understand.’
‘Good discussion and engagement. Good real case studies.’
‘Very interactive and thinking outside of the box.’

Participants who attended the pilot training gave it an overall evaluation score of 21 out of 25.

To find out more you can watch the video below and read the brochure.

Please email or call us on 02 8270 8703 for further information and to book a training session.

LGP Consulting Team

LGP extends its expertise and experience to provide councils with an additional service through its Consulting Team.

LGP’s consulting team are well positioned to facilitate end to end tender processes on behalf of individual councils.  Our consulting team comprises highly qualified and experienced professionals who have demonstrated success in facilitating tenders on behalf of councils.

Examples of recent tenders we have conducted on behalf of individual councils are:

• Refurbishment of Library Building
• Legal Services Panel – two individual council tenders
• Internal Audit Services
• Natural Resources Services
• Management and Operation of Swimming Centre
• Security Services - two individual council tenders
• Food and Garden Organic Processing
• Scrap Ferrous Metals, Green Waste Processing, Crushing and Screening of Concrete and Waste Bin Audit (4 separate tenders for a group of councils)
• Remediation of Land works
• Development and Management of Caravan Park (EOI)
• ICT Services Provider
• Vehicle Leaseback
• Cleaning Services
• Trade Services Providers
• Lighting and Sound Technician Services
• Dry and Wet Plant and Equipment – two individual council tenders
• Insurance Broker and Insurance Brokerage Services  for ten councils (joint tender process)
• CBD Reconstruction Tender

If you have any requirements for tender facilitation for any product or service please email the LGP Consulting Team or call 02 8270 8747.

LEAP, a low cost ongoing continuous improvement program that uses real data and evidence to improve procurement capability of council, recently launched and continues to gain momentum!

We are delighted and pleased to inform you that the LEAP program is now being used by NSW councils, and the program is delivering improved procurement capability as designed.

If you would like more information about the program, please email us or visit our website.

The LEAP program is delivered to councils by LGP in association with ArcBlue.

LGP Training Update

LGP Training gladly contributed in building and refining knowledge and skills in procurement and contracting space during the year 2017. A large number of users signed up for our eLearning courses during the year and have been progressing well through these courses. We also successfully ran a good number of public courses in procurement and contract management. To meet the specific requirements of our clients, LGP Training offered many customised onsite training sessions, both in metro and regional areas and received overwhelming responses from the participants. LGP in association with Pro Leaders (RTO# 45024) offered three qualifications in Procurement and Contracting, from Certificate IV to Advanced Diploma level and a good number of participants successfully completed these courses during the year.

LGP Training is looking forward to continue meeting the procurement training needs of its clients more profoundly in the coming year. Please refer to the Training Calendar 2018 and plan ahead.

For any assistance, please call us on 02 8270 8709 or send us an email.

Most, if not all, NSW councils have panels of contractors who can be called upon at any time to undertake work. Examples of such panels typically include contracts for the provision of legal services, or minor services by tradespeople.

This paper briefly looks at what types of contracts are created by establishing these panels. In order to do this, it is important to understand what the contract is and when it is actually formed so that we can understand whether the requirement to call for tenders applies, or not.

In order to garner such an understanding we ask what the subject of the contract is, and the facts surrounding its formation.

Message to take away:

• Consider the term of the contract being offered to the panel contractors.
• A prudent council always includes termination clauses in contracts unless reasons prevail to not do so.
• Panel contracts do not usually trigger the ‘instalment contract’ provision of the Act.

Monica Kelly from Prevention Partners explains more here.

Contact Prevention Partners NSW on 0438 280 621 or email to assist.

If there is any topic you would like covered next month, please feel free to contact Prevention Partners NSW to make suggestions.

New data revealed 400 percent growth in use of VendorPanel’s online Local Supplier Marketplace in the 2017 financial year. The Marketplace provides a simple integrated online platform for buyers, such as local councils, to source from local suppliers and is free for suppliers to register on.

BuyRegional was also launched in September 2017.

BuyRegional is an initiative that brings together the technology, as well as the experience and knowledge we have now built, to really drive economic development. A growing number of councils across Australia are using VendorPanel’s Local Supplier Marketplace as a lever to boost local economic development.

“Local Councils in Australia spend $20 billion a year on products and services, and we want to make sure that as much of that as possible goes to our local traders. VendorPanel Marketplace will contribute to making that goal a reality.” Town of Port Hedland Press Release, WA.

“Gives local suppliers an easy and consistent way to hear about contract opportunities from Council.” Lockyer Valley Regional Council Press Release, QLD.

“One of the ways we are encouraging and facilitating local suppliers to work with us.”

Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley Press Release, WA.

“The Local Supplier Marketplace is a powerful lever for local economic development and social impact, making it easier for councils to leverage low value procurement to engage with local suppliers, and at the same time increase governance and probity in procurement processes,” said Mr James Leathem, CEO and Founder of VendorPanel.

Mr Leathem said the marketplace was “especially valuable for early-stage local businesses, as it uncovers the massive number of smaller ‘below threshold’ projects, which traditionally have gone to the same old suppliers.” These opportunities, typically worth $15,000 to $150,000, are often better suited to early-stage businesses than big tenders. These transactions are usually decentralised and hidden in email, and present a significant unmanaged risk to Council in terms of compliance, governance and probity. The marketplace enables councils to efficiently administer the request for quotation process with complete transparency and compliance. It also produces “awesome reporting and analytics”.

If you would like to know more about BuyRegional or get in touch with us, please contact Alicia Farrell, Commercial Manager - Local Government: email or call (03) 9095 6181.

VendorPanel Buyers can now Edit a
Supplier Question

As part of our continued goal of keeping you informed on new functionality, we wish to let you know that a new feature has been added.

Buyers can now Edit a Supplier Question

WHAT:  Buyers can now edit a supplier question, before posting a public response.

WHY:  Suppliers sometime include personal or company information in a question, which the buyer doesn’t wish to make public, but they do want to publicly answer the supplier’s question.  By allowing the buyer to edit the question, they can remove the identifying information and then answer it with a public response.

Supplier Selected 'Decline' to Respond with Reasons

WHAT:  Suppliers that are declining to respond to a request are now required to select from a list of decline reasons.

WHY:  Many suppliers have previously declined to respond without providing a reason.  By making a selection from the drop down list mandatory it forces the Supplier to provide a reason.  The supplier can still add detailed comments to support their reason for declining, this is optional.

Additional Data included in Export Reports

WHAT:  Several Export Reports have been enhanced to include additional data.

WHY:  Additional data can make the reports more useful.

• ‘Supplier Contacts’ report - Now contains ‘Business Number’ and ‘Business Number Type’ columns
• Re-named ‘Suppliers on individual categories’ report - Now contains ‘Supplier Excluded’ column, stating if the supplier has excluded that category from their profile.

New ‘All Suppliers on all categories’ report - Allows for the downloading of all suppliers on all categories for a specific supplier.

Taronga Zoo is engaging audiences in sustainability campaign with digital experiences in their Sumatran Tiger Precinct.

Art of Multimedia provided a digital storytelling experience which involved 3D simulated flight and other videos.

Read the Case Study & watch the 360° Video, then talk to Art of Multimedia about how immersive digital storytelling can enhance your council’s community engagement campaigns.