CLEVELAND locksmith Brian Terry says the Redland City Council has set up a new preferred supplier list and changed the tendering process without letting his company know.
Mr Terry said his company, Cleveland Locksmiths, had been a long-term contractor to council, having already completed about 30 jobs this year alone.
It appeared he had been taken off the preferred supplier list without notification.
“The issue is the Redland City Council is awarding large contracts without the correct tendering procedure,’’ he said.
“We here at Cleveland Locksmiths don’t mind losing any contract, however we don’t appreciate losing the contract behind our back with no notice of the contract being up for tender.
“We have been doing Redland City Council work for 25 years, without any issue.’’
Mr Terry said a major concern was that any changes would affect other local contractors as well.
He said he had received no information on changes and learnt of it only after a Melbourne supplier contacted him.
“I don’t think the council is being malicious but it’s been secretive about what is going on and it appears there might be no checks and balances in the new process,’’ he said.
A council spokesperson said a tender was called to set up a register of qualified suppliers, with companies awarded panel status to provide goods and services.
“This tender was widely advertised including in the Redland City Bulletin (22/6/16), on council’s website and on the Qtenders website,’’
“Additionally as an incumbent supplier, Cleveland Locksmiths was sent an email on 22/02/2016 to advise the tender had been released and the documents were available for download.
“Cleveland Locksmiths did not submit a tender response.
“Council officers have spoken and met with Cleveland Locksmiths following the tender to ensure all of their questions are answered.’’
Mr Terry said he had asked for a meeting with Mayor Karen Williams.
He said if a new contractor was brought in and made changes to council master security systems, it could be costly for council.
He said his business tendered to many councils but always tried especially hard with Redlands because he was locally based.
“They’ve been a bit secretive with this,’’ he said. “We’re in contact with them on a daily basis but no one mentioned this procurement panel to us. Every time we ask about this, staff go into hush mode.’’
The council spokesperson said the tendering process dad not changed.
“As with everything council does, all tenders are transparent, competitive and assessed using a set of criteria that ensures value for money and security of supply,’’ he said.
“Council is strong supporter of local business and has a local buy policy which helps keep local businesses competitive and strong,’’ he said.
“This is evident in that the majority of our tenders have a mandatory weighting of 10 per cent for local content in the assessment criteria.’’
