Rates & spending · Woollahra Municipal Council
Kiaora Place advertising tenders face rejection in favour of five-vendor talks
Woollahra’s Strategic & Corporate Committee recommended negotiations instead of a fresh tender round. The record does not establish Council approval or a contract award.
Reporting from draft minutes. Recorded wording may change when confirmed. How this article was prepared
All tenders for internal advertising at Kiaora Place Shopping Centre in Double Bay would be rejected under a recommendation recorded as carried 13 - 0 by Woollahra Municipal Council’s Strategic & Corporate Committee, which proposed negotiations with five advertising companies instead.
The committee’s 7 September recommendation names Cartology Pty Limited, oOh!media, VMO, QMS Media and JCDecaux for talks aimed at reaching a contract with a preferred vendor, according to the public minutes, treated here as unconfirmed.
It also proposes giving the General Manager authority to negotiate and sign that contract. No preferred vendor is identified, and the record does not establish that Council adopted the recommendation, that negotiations began or that a contract was awarded.
The recommendation argues against another tender round because it would be unlikely to deliver a favourable result. It gives achieving the best financial result in the current market as the reason for negotiations, but the public minutes provide no tender prices or comparison of offers with which to assess that rationale.
The advertising report was considered in closed session from 6:52pm to 7:04pm. The recorded reason for excluding the press and public was that disclosure would confer a commercial advantage on someone with whom Council proposed to conduct business.
The recorded 13 - 0 tally cannot be verified from the supplied record: the voting list names Councillor Torsten and Councillor Witt separately, while the attendance list names Torsten Merrill Witt as one councillor. The recommendation appears under items submitted to Council for decision. The section for matters decided under the committee’s delegated authority lists none.
The document repeatedly labels the minutes “Unconfirmed”, while its closing certificate says Council confirmed them on 28 September 2026. This report treats the minutes as unconfirmed. Confirmation of the meeting record would not, by itself, establish adoption of the advertising recommendation.
What deserves a closer look
The recommendation cites a financial advantage for negotiations, but the public record supplies no tender prices or comparative offers against which to assess that rationale.
The voting list contains 13 entries, including separate entries for Councillor Torsten and Councillor Witt, while the attendance list names Torsten Merrill Witt as one councillor. The article reports the declared tally without asserting that the actual tally has been verified.
Questions for follow-up reporting
Did Council subsequently adopt Recommendation 592/2026?
Have negotiations begun with the five named vendors?
Has a contract been signed, and what are its value and duration?
What happens next
Check the subsequent Council record for a decision on Recommendation 592/2026.
If Council adopted the recommendation, establish whether negotiations or a contract award followed.
Check the record
These passages were matched to the source text. Read them in context in the original minutes.
The committee had no delegated-decision items, and section 9 covers items submitted to Council for decision with committee recommendations.
NIL 6.Public Forum Items on the Agenda NIL 7.Items Resolved by Exception NIL 8.Items to be Decided by this Committee using its Delegated Authority NIL Unconfirmed Woollahra Municipal Council Strategic & Corporate Committee 7 September 2026 9.Items to be Submitted to the Council for Decision with Recommendations from this Committee 9.1.
Sections 8 and 9
Open original minutes ↗Recommendation 592/2026 asks Council to reject all tenders and enter negotiations with Cartology Pty Limited, oOh!media, VMO, QMS Media and JCDecaux, with a view to a contract with a preferred vendor.
The Motion was put and Carried. Note:In accordance with Council's Code of Meeting Practice a Division of votes is recorded on this matter. For the MotionAgainst the Motion Councillor Andruska, Councillor Ardouin, Councillor Dixson, Councillor Jarvis, Councillor Mitchell, Councillor Parmegiani, Councillor Price, Councillor Regan, Councillor Silcocks, Councillor Torsten, Councillor Witt, Councillor Woodgate, Councillor Zeltzer None 13/0 Unconfirmed Woollahra Municipal Council Strategic & Corporate Committee 7 September 2026 (Councillor Woodgate/Councillor Torsten) 592/2026 Recommendation: THAT Council: A. In accordance with s178 (1) (b) of the Local Government (General) Regulation NSW 2021, reject all tenders received. B. In accordance with s178 (3) (e) of the Local Government (General) Regulation NSW 2021, enter negotiations with the vendors, Cartology Pty Limited, oOh!media, VMO, QMS Media and JCDecaux, with a view to entering into a contract with the preferred vendor in relation to the subject matter of the tender.
Item 9.4, Recommendation 592/2026, heading and Parts A–B
Open original minutes ↗Part B names five vendors for negotiations aimed at entering a contract with a preferred vendor: Cartology Pty Limited, oOh!media, VMO, QMS Media and JCDecaux.
In accordance with s178 (1) (b) of the Local Government (General) Regulation NSW 2021, reject all tenders received. B. In accordance with s178 (3) (e) of the Local Government (General) Regulation NSW 2021, enter negotiations with the vendors, Cartology Pty Limited, oOh!media, VMO, QMS Media and JCDecaux, with a view to entering into a contract with the preferred vendor in relation to the subject matter of the tender.
Recommendation 592/2026, Part B
Open original minutes ↗Parts C–D give an unlikely favourable result as the reason not to invite new tenders and achieving the best financial result in the current market as the reason for negotiations.
C. In accordance with s178 (4) (a) of the Local Government (General) Regulation NSW 2021, notes that new tenders will not be invited as this is unlikely to deliver a favourable result. D. In accordance with s178 (4) (b) of the Local Government (General) Regulation NSW 2021, notes that the reasons for determining to enter negotiations in the current market is to ensure that Council achieves the best financial result.
Recommendation 592/2026, Parts C–D
Open original minutes ↗Part E calls for delegating authority to the General Manager to negotiate and enter a contract with the preferred vendor; the motion is recorded as carried.
E. Delegate to the General Manager the authority to negotiate and enter into a contract with the preferred vendor. The Motion was put and Carried. Note:In accordance with Council's Code of Meeting Practice a Division of votes is recorded on this matter.
Recommendation 592/2026, Part E and motion outcome
Open original minutes ↗The voting list records 13–0 and lists Councillor Torsten and Councillor Witt separately.
For the MotionAgainst the Motion Councillor Andruska, Councillor Ardouin, Councillor Dixson, Councillor Jarvis, Councillor Mitchell, Councillor Parmegiani, Councillor Price, Councillor Regan, Councillor Silcocks, Councillor Torsten, Councillor Witt, Councillor Woodgate, Councillor Zeltzer None 13/0 10.Conclusion of the Meeting There being no further business the meeting concluded at 7:05pm.
Recommendation 592/2026, division
Open original minutes ↗The attendance list includes the text "Torsten Merrill Witt" under "Councillors".
Present:Her Worship the Mayor, Councillor Sarah Dixson, ex-officio Councillors:Alexander Andruska James Ardouin (via Zoom, joined meeting at 6:54pm during item 9.4) Mary-Lou Jarvis (via Zoom, joined meeting at 6:31pm during item 4) Jeanette Mitchell Julian Parmegiani Harriet Price (joined meeting at 6:32pm during item 5) Lucinda Regan Mark Silcocks Torsten Merrill Witt Hugh Woodgate Toni Zeltzer Staff:Craig Swift-McNair - General Manager Jennifer Chenhall - Manager, Governance & Risk Paul Fraser - Manager, Open Space & Trees Marcia Garrido - Governance & Meetings Officer Rhys Johnson - Team Leader, Governance & Meetings Sue Meekin - Director,
Meeting attendance
Open original minutes ↗The confidential report concerned internal advertising at Council's Kiaora Place Shopping Centre in Double Bay. Closed session ran from 6:52pm to 7:04pm, with the press and public excluded on commercial-advantage grounds.
Consideration of Tender Response SC6787 for Internal Advertising at Council's Kiaora Place Shopping Centre, Double Bay - Confidential Report Note: The Committee in accordance with clause 14.1 of Council's Code of Meeting Practice, entered Closed Session, the time being 6:52pm. Note: Councillor Ardouin joined the meeting during the Closed Session consideration of this item, the time being 6:54 pm. Note: The Committee returned to Open Session, the time being 7:04pm. Note: With the approval of the Mover and Seconder, the Committee amended Part B ahead of the vote. (Councillor Price/Councillor Zeltzer) 582/2026 Resolved: THAT the Committee in accordance with clause 14.1 of Council's Code of Meeting Practice, resolve to enter into Closed Session with the press and public excluded to consider the confidential report in relation to this matter. These matters are to be considered in Closed Session as per section 10A (2) (c) of the Local Government Act 1993, as the information contained in the report would, if disclosed confer a commercial advantage with whom the Council is proposing to conduct business.
Item 9.4, heading, closed-session notes and resolution
Open original minutes ↗Source record
Reporting from public minutes of Woollahra Municipal Council’s Strategic & Corporate Committee meeting of 7 September 2026, treated as unconfirmed because the document’s labels conflict with its closing certification text.
Key facts from the minutes
- Recommendation 592/2026 calls on Council to reject all tenders for internal advertising at Kiaora Place Shopping Centre.
- Five vendors are named for proposed negotiations: Cartology Pty Limited, oOh!media, VMO, QMS Media and JCDecaux.
- The recommendation proposes no new tender invitation and delegation of negotiating and contracting authority to the General Manager.
- The minutes record the recommendation as carried 13 - 0, but an inconsistency between the attendance and voting lists prevents verification of the actual tally. The recommendation is not a final Council procurement decision.
- The source is labelled unconfirmed despite closing certification text referring to confirmation on 28 September 2026.
Why it matters
- The proposed route would replace a fresh tender invitation with negotiations involving five named advertising companies, with authority to sign a contract delegated to the General Manager if Council adopts the recommendation.