Advancing procurement for local government and other organisations

Local Buy is the largest provider of legislatively compliant pre-qualified supplier Arrangements in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

We develop and manage a register of pre-qualified supplier Arrangements to cater for a diverse range of goods and services on behalf of Local Government and other organisations.

We make it easy, efficient and effective for local governments to connect with trusted suppliers.

We provide access to over 4,500 pre-qualified suppliers through more than 50 Arrangements.

We are experts in creating pre-qualified Arrangements to help councils and other organisations to deliver value for money by streamlining the procurement process.

Our Arrangements are considered an LGA Arrangement and are subject to an exception within the Local Government Regulations 2012

Established in 2001 to assist Queensland councils with procurement, we are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ).

We are a profit-for-purpose organisation and any profit is provided to the LGAQ, who use the funds to provide high quality services to member councils in Queensland.

We also work in partnership with the Local Government Association of Northern Territory (LGANT), whose member councils can access our Arrangements through an exemption in the Local Government (General) Regulations 2021.

Access to our pre-qualified supplier Arrangements is free for councils, State and Federal Government Departments, not-for-profits, charities, educational institutions, port authorities and water boards. Pre-qualified suppliers are required to pay fees to Local Buy to fund the administration, maintenance and on-going operating costs of our Arrangements. 

What we do

Our pre-qualified Arrangements, through VendorPanel, bring transparency, good governance and efficiency to the procurement process.

The key benefits of using Local Buy include:

• Finding trusted pre-qualified suppliers quickly.
• Legislatively compliant Arrangements negating the need to Tender.
• Pre-agreed terms and conditions.
• Maximum pricing, ensuring value for money.
• Being able to limit the number of suppliers invited into an RFQ process – simplifying procurement and supporting local procurement priorities.
• Reduced administration as a lot of the work involved in a tender process has already been done during the pre-qualification process.
• Free access to online Procurement Technology (VendorPanel) to improve probity and governance.

We support your procurement priorities

Our diverse range of pre-qualified Arrangements allow councils to deliver on their procurement priorities while managing risk and supporting local economies.  

We have over 4,500 pre-qualified suppliers across more than 50 Arrangements from Asset Management Services to Water & Sewage Products and everything in between. Our Arrangements support almost $1Billlion in government spend annually.

Local Buy has tendered so you don’t have to

Local Buy Arrangements enable buyers to draw from a list of accredited pre-qualified suppliers without the need to run a lengthy public tender. It also means that buyers do not have to approach all suppliers in the market, making the procurement process easier and more cost effective for everyone. A competitive quotation process can be conducted through the Arrangement to ensure value for money, but the work involved in a tender process has already been done during the pre-qualification process.

Supporting small businesses

Local Buy plays a unique role in strengthening the bonds between local businesses and councils. Our pre-qualified Arrangements are an easy way for councils to connect with local suppliers, maximise local spend, and deliver the best outcomes for their communities. Around a quarter of all suppliers on Local Buy are small Queensland owned, social enterprises or Indigenous businesses.

Arrangements open every quarter

Local Buy Arrangements are open once a quarter for new suppliers to apply to become pre-qualified. The frequency of our Tenders is unique to Local Buy and enables us to be agile in ensuring our customers have access to the right suppliers. 

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