Engagement Update - October 2024
By Emma Peters, Head of Engagement
On Thursday, 31st October, our Local Buy Team, including Emma, Mike, Audrey, Shane, and Michelle, welcomed 33 delegates from a mix of councils, state government, and educational establishments to our first Fleet Managers Forum in many years. Co-hosted by the Fleet Team from Townsville City Council, we were thrilled to provide a full one-day agenda of topics specifically related to fleet and workshop management.
Our speakers included representatives from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, Transport & Main Roads, and experts providing supply chain updates. We also hosted a specification writing workshop. The event wrapped up with casual networking drinks at the Yacht Club, providing a relaxed atmosphere for further discussions and connections.
We are grateful to the eight Local Buy Prequalified Suppliers who sponsored our event and maximized the opportunity to meet our clients face-to-face. The feedback from delegates was extremely positive, and we plan to host more category-specific summits and forums in the coming 12 months.
As conference season shifts into high gear, it was excellent to attend the LGAQ Annual Conference in Brisbane this month. Alongside my colleagues from the Engagement Team and the Senior Leadership Team we engaged with CEOs, Mayors and Elected Members from councils across Queensland. This conference was the largest attendance to date with over 1,100 delegates.
Whilst Elected Members are not responsible for procurement activities, they drive strategic direction for local government, and the conference represented a fantastic opportunity to ensure they know how Local Buy assists their council to streamline procurement whilst meeting legislation.
While the rest of the team were in Brisbane, Engagement Manager, Audrey Dobell and Category Manager, Debbie Spann journeyed North to visit Napranum and Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Councils and Weipa Town Authority. With many infrastructure projects on the horizon, it was perfect timing for Debbie to take a deeper dive into the new Construction and Civil pre-qualified supplier Arrangements we have to offer.
A team who doesn’t rest on their laurels, November will see Emma Peters head off to Alice Springs for the LGANT (Local Government Association of NT) Conference. Developing our relationship with Northern Territory councils through our partnership with LGANT is a key priority for us this coming year.
Jeremy Walker will be going west with Category Manager, Michael Franzmann to visit Maranoa, Murweh, Quilpie, Bulloo, Paroo and Balonne.
We are also delighted to be exhibiting at both the IPWEA Annual Conference in Brisbane and the LGFP Conference on the Gold Coast. There will be many opportunities to engage with our team, so if you have any questions or queries about Local Buy please feel free to have a chat!
