West Coast Council has adopted a revised Code for Tenders and Contracts which will not only meet current legislative requirements but also provide a fair avenue for West Coast-based companies to conduct business with Council.

“An increase in the tender limit will provide Council with the opportunity to work with local business more often than may otherwise have been possible,” West Coast Mayor Phil Vickers said of the changes.

The updated Code will now see tenders advertised for projects valued at $250,000 or greater, with projects valued between $20,000 and $250,000 able to be awarded following a written quotation process.

Also at the Council meeting held on 30 August West Coast Councillors approved an alteration to the 2016/2017 Capital Expenditure budget to allow for the replacement of basketball rings at the Queenstown Sports Stadium. 

The additional allocation of $25,000 to the CAPEX budget will allow the current rings to be replaced to ensure the safety of players. 

“The current rings have been installed for decades and during routine inspection of the facility Council staff reported concerns regarding their condition,” Mayor Vickers explained.  “The rings were tagged out of service and subsequent engineering reports found the rings to have structural inadequacies, making them unsafe for use.”

With the Junior Basketball season due to kick-off in October, there may be some delay to the start of the season however Council is working with both junior and senior basketball associations, and suppliers, to complete the installation with as little disruption to the season as possible. 

Other matters discussed at the 30 August Council meeting included:

• Adoption of the Asset Management Strategy & Asset Management Plan (transport)
• Adoption of the Long term financial plan and strategy
• A request from Scouts Australia to utilise facilities in Tullah for an event in late October
• A request for advice regarding development of walking tracks around Queenstown, with Council’s Economic Development, Tourism & Events Coordinator to work with the volunteer group regarding the proposal