2022-12-12 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                               12 DECEMBER 2022


Finance
The Environment Services team proposes to use $18,205 from the 2022/2023 budget to fund the
survey. $50,000 is currently available in the 2022/2023 Environment Levy budget for
implementation of the Noosa Environment Strategy (NES). The NES has a range of actions,
targets, and monitoring to measure success, including Strategy 4.2 which aims to increase
community resilience and capacity to adapt to climate change.
Procurement Process
The Local Government Regulation 2012 provides for different methodologies to establish medium
and large sized contracts.
Medium sized contracts, defined as being of contract value greater than $15,000 and less than
$200,000 (exclusive of GST), require three (3) written quotations to be invited.
Large sized contracts defined as being of contract value greater than $200,000 (exclusive of GST);
require written tenders by public invitation.
The Regulation (Section 235) allows exceptions to these requirements under certain
circumstances, including where the suppliers are sole or specialised providers of a good or service:
    A local government may enter into a medium-sized contractual arrangement or large-sized
    contractual arrangement without first inviting written quotes or tenders if—
    (a) the local government resolves it is satisfied that there is only 1 supplier who is reasonably
    available; or
    (b) the local government resolves that, because of the specialised or confidential nature of the
    services that are sought, it would be impractical or disadvantageous for the local government
    to invite quotes or tenders.
The inclusion of RCA is sought under the Regulation, Section 235(b).
Proposed Specialised Supplier List Addition

 Specialised Suppliers               Procurement Ref. No.     Reason for inclusion

 Reef Check Australia (Reef Check    X-SPE097                 Provision of reef and river monitoring
 Foundation)                                                  services.

Risks & Opportunities
The Environment Strategy Implementation Plan specifies the need for reef biodiversity surveys
every 5 years, with the last occurring in 2011.
This survey will also support the implementation of the Coastal Hazards Adaption Plan and
Council’s long-term Coastal Monitoring Program and is fundamental to our understanding of water
quality and coral health in the Noosa region. Nearshore coral reefs can also protect coastlines from
the risk of coastal flooding and erosion, providing similar protection to artificial submerged coastal
engineering structures. They also provide a natural source of sand nourishment, which aids in
beach accretion, over long timescales. The program presents a unique opportunity to better
understand the condition of our nearshore reefs. It supports adaptive management which is needed
to support reef resilience and the multiple goods and services they provide (e.g. fisheries,
recreation, tourism, coastal protection, proxy indicators for water quality, etc.).
There is risk associated with not having this supplier identified as a specialised suppler for the
engagement of these services. The addition of RCA to the Specialised Supplier List reduces
Council’s risk of breaching the Regulations relating to the establishment of medium and large sized
contracts.




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