Corporate Services Committee - 13 October 2026

Topics

• Toowoomba committee backs pre-approved suppliers for specialised council work
  The committee recommended a procurement pathway allowing specified suppliers to be used without seeking written quotes or tenders where section 235 exceptions apply.
  The decision affects how Council buys specialised services and manages procurement compliance, including services that may be difficult or impractical to source competitively.
• Legacy sewer-monitoring equipment keeps Environmental Data Services in the supply chain
  Council says changing suppliers for sewer flow-monitoring maintenance could require replacing equipment at all 18 existing sites.
  The procurement exception is linked to service continuity and the cost and disruption of replacing long-used monitoring equipment.

Decisions

• Pre-approved suppliers list recommended for adoption
  The committee recommendation was to adopt Attachment 2, the Council Pre-approved Suppliers List, as compliant with section 235(a) or (b) of the Local Government Regulation 2012 for contract purposes.
  The arrangement is intended to improve procurement efficiency and reduce compliance risk while maintaining access to specialised suppliers and services.

Discussion

• Specialised and legacy infrastructure servicing
  Council identified an ongoing need to maintain sewer flow-monitoring equipment at 18 existing sites. The equipment was supplied by Environmental Data Services and requires the same supplier's calibration and servicing because of specialised software and legacy-system compatibility.
  Continuity of maintenance supports the reliability of sewer monitoring services and avoids replacing equipment across all 18 sites to change suppliers.
• Specialist environmental and drinking-water testing
  Eurofins Environment Testing Australia was identified as a locally based laboratory able to provide specialised analysis, relevant NATA accreditation and acceptable turnaround times for testing that Council cannot economically perform in-house.
  Access to accredited testing supports environmental monitoring and compliance with recently reviewed drinking-water guidelines.

Impacts

• Specialised council services may continue to use pre-approved suppliers without a separate written-quote or tender process where the legal exception applies.
• Maintaining existing sewer flow-monitoring equipment supports ongoing monitoring of sewer infrastructure.
• Accredited external laboratory testing supports drinking-water and environmental compliance.

Places

• 18 current sewer flow-monitoring sites (infrastructure service area)
  Existing Council sites using legacy sewer flow-monitoring equipment requiring ongoing maintenance.
• Brisbane (city)
  Location of the locally based commercial laboratory identified for specialist environmental and drinking-water testing.

Next

• Progress the pre-approved suppliers list for adoption and use in contract purposes, subject to the applicable section 235 requirements.
  Following the committee recommendation; the supplied extract does not state a further approval date.

Extract

TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL COUNCIL CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE Members of the Committee Councillor Bill Cahill Councillor Edwina Farquhar Councillor Gary Gardner Councillor Trevor Manteufel His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Geoff McDonald Councillor Tim McMahon Councillor James O'Shea Councillor Kerry Shine Councillor Carol Taylor Councillor Melissa Taylor Councillor Rebecca Vonhoff of 19 Toowoomba Regional Council Corporate Services Committee 13 October 2026 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.Opening of Meeting 2.Attendance including Apologies, Leave of Absence and Declarations of Conflict of Interest Reports 3.Council Pre-approved Suppliers - Exception from Seeking Written Quotes or Tenders 4.Meeting Concluded...