Victorian councils awarded for excellence
Five regional Victorian councils shared a prestigious national award at the annual Procurement Australia Awards in recognition of their efforts to get better value for ratepayers.
Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell congratulated the five neighbouring councils of Ararat, Ballarat, Golden Plains, Hepburn and Pyrenees for their outstanding leadership on the collaborative procurement road sealing project.
"Once again, Victorian local governments are leading the way with innovative solutions to the financial pressures Victorian householders face," Mrs Powell said.
"The Procurement Australia Collaboration and Innovation in Procurement Award acknowledges the significant cost savings – estimated to be more than $630,000 a year – these councils will now share by combining their purchasing power for road re-sealing."
"Roads don't end at municipal boundaries, and through this collaborative project, the five councils have been able to reduce their costs while providing great value for their residents and guaranteed work for local contractors."
"With an annual combined revenue of more than $5.8 billion, Victorian councils are a significant contributor to the Victorian economy and I encourage more councils to look to examples such as this for inspiration," Mrs Powell said.
Mrs Powell said the successful project can be repeated throughout Victoria by using the associated tools and templates that are available through Local Government Victoria.
"The Victorian Coalition Government is reviewing and updating the Best Practice Guidelines for Local Government Procurement so that the local government sector can continue to lead the way."
The closing date for submissions to the review of the draft Best Practice Guideline for Government Procurement is Monday 15 October 2012.
For more information about local government procurement, please visit www.dpcd.vic.gov.au and follow the links to local government reform.
