Engagement Update - November 2025
Published on 17 November 2025
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By Liz MacFarlan, Senior Engagement Manager
What a week it was … nope what a month it was! A fantastic one at that as we look back and reflect on what the Category Managers and Engagement Team have been up to.
Jeremy Walker kicked off the month with Category Managers Debbie Spann and Sebastian Del Rosso representing Local Buy at the IPWEA -QNT Annual Conference in Brisbane in early October. External Conference are always a fantastic opportunity to speak face-to-face with suppliers and Council stakeholders alike.
Jeremy and Sebastian followed this up with a road trip to Maranoa Shire Council, Murweh Shire Council, Quilpie Shire Council and Bulloo Shire Councils to take a deeper dive into the benefits of procuring through Local Buy. Jeremy also took part in a discussion panel “Pathways to Procurement” in Maryborough at the DSDIP Fraser Coast and Gympie Regional Council.
Emma visited Charters Towers and met with council as well as contributed to a Powerlink Supplier Engagement Session, noting that the town has not boomed this much since the gold rush!
The LGAQ Conference took place on the Gold Coast, Emma, Audrey, Jeremy, and me in attendance. We were joined by General Manager, Glen Duff, flying the flag for Local Buy.
My little heels also took me places – The Sunshine Coast Indigenous Business Forum saw Category Manager, Michael Franzmann and myself engaging with both potential and current Local Buy suppliers. A visit to GIICA with Category Manager, Debbie Spann; Noosa Council; with Category Managers Sebastian and Michael; and last but not least Fleet Services at City of Moreton Bay.
Finishing the month, we had Supplier Induction and Prospect Supplier Sessions both online and at our office here in Brisbane.
Free online training and support was provided to councils through numerous webinars including Meet your Category Manager with Sebastian Del Ross, VendorPanel Training, Demystifying Contractor Insurance with LGMS and Deep Dive into VendorPanel Evaluation Tools with Michelle Stockdale.
For future events, please visit our events calendar.
It is only through the commitment and collaboration of our amazing Councils and valued Suppliers that the Local Buy Team can navigate the challenges ahead with gusto. Our focus will always be to ensure we help council meet legislative and compliance requirements. Local Buy does this by simplifying the process by connecting councils to pre-qualified suppliers both big and small.
Keep an eye on our Events calendar for upcoming events the team will be atending out in our communities, and session times for valuable online events coming up that you won't want to miss!
VISIT EVENTS CALENDAR