Question:
Under this preferred supplier arrangement, is Council seeking to include services adjacent to road infrastructure and design such as arborists and environmental professionals?

Thanks

Answered on 04/Sep/2026 12:32 PM:


Thank you for your query.

No. The scope of this preferred supplier arrangement is set out in the tender documentation and is not intended to include adjacent professional disciplines such as arboriculture or environmental consulting.

Question:
Would council accept the response schedules in the consultants format?

Answered on 04/Sep/2026 12:31 PM:


Thank you for your query.

Council's preference is that tenderers complete and submit the response schedules in the format provided as part of the tender documentation, as this assists with the consistent evaluation of submissions.

However, where a tenderer considers that additional information, an alternative format, or a different response structure would better demonstrate their capability, methodology, innovation, or value for money offering, they may also submit this information for Council's consideration.

Any alternative or supplementary information should be provided in addition to, and not in place of, the completed Council response schedules. Tenderers should clearly identify the assumptions, rationale, and any benefits associated with the alternative approach.

Council reserves the right to consider any supplementary information submitted as part of its overall evaluation.

We trust this clarifies the requirement and look forward to receiving your submission.

Question:
Can the Council please provide clarification for the below items:

1. Clause 1, Request for Tender mentions that this arrangement includes two panels. Does this mean Council will accept one set of responses for both the panels, or do they need to be submitted as two sets of responses?

2. The Response Schedule-Price seeks pricing for 5 services, consistent with the Specification. It is understood that individual contracts may require one or more services depending on the specific scope and may not necessarily require all services for every contract. Does this mean the Lead Consultant can submit pricing for some of the services (of the 5 services listed) in the response schedule and leave the others as TBC based on individual contracts which allows for better value for money outcome for the Council if the subconsultants can be selected by the lead consultant based on the project needs. Can the Council clarify if the response schedule should include all the sub consultants and their pricing or can some services be confirmed based on individual contracts?

Answered on 11/Sep/2026 03:24 PM:


Thankyou for your question

1. Tenderers are only required to submit one response.

Council intends to establish two complementary panels under this arrangement: Lead Consultant Panel for the delivery of integrated investigation and design services; and Specialist Services Panel for the provision of individual technical or specialist services.

Tenderers may nominate for either or both panels within a single submission. Council will assess each submission against the requirements relevant to the panel(s) for which the Tenderer has nominated. There is no requirement to submit separate responses.

2. Where a tenderer is seeking appointment to the lead consultant panel, all items should be priced on the price schedule, including any items engaged through sub-consultants. The intent of the Lead Consultant Panel is to establish consultants capable of coordinating and delivering integrated investigation and design services, providing Council with a simplified engagement model and improved project coordination. As such, Council expects Tenderers to demonstrate their delivery model and proposed supply chain as part of their submission. Where sub-consultants are intended to be engaged, relevant details should be stated in the response schedules, refer the Sub-Contractor section under ‘Resources and Key Personnel’ response schedule. Consultants should price all items based on the arrangement specification, Council acknowledges that the specific scope of individual projects will vary and that not all services will be required for every engagement. However, Tenderers should complete the Response Schedule based on their proposed delivery model and should not leave pricing items as "TBC". for projects engaged under the arrangement, Council may request quotes for project specific discounts. If the consultant is applying for specialist services only, consultants only need to complete relevant schedule of rates items.

Question:
Good Morning

To assist our understanding of the potential scope and resourcing requirements associated with the panel, we would appreciate any further information Council can provide regarding the anticipated pipeline of projects expected to be delivered through this arrangement.

Thank you

Answered on 11/Sep/2026 03:25 PM:


Thankyou for your question

The arrangement is intended to support a broad range of road infrastructure investigation, testing and pavement design activities across Council's road network.

Projects may range from individual site investigations and testing programs through to pavement resurfacing, rehabilitation and reconstruction projects of varying size and complexity.

At this stage, Council cannot guarantee any minimum volume of work, specific projects, or future expenditure under the arrangement. Work will be commissioned on an as-required basis, subject to operational priorities, project requirements, funding approvals and budget availability.

Tenderers should refer to the indicative quantities contained within the Price Schedule, which have been developed using historical demand information to assist Tenderers in understanding the likely nature and scale of services that may be required, noting these services may be spread across a number of Consultants.

Question:
Good Morning

Could Council please also clarify the associated fee value expected to be delivered through this arrangement.

Thank you

Answered on 11/Sep/2026 03:26 PM:


Thankyou for your question

Council is unable to provide a guaranteed contract value or forecast expenditure under the arrangement.

The arrangement is intended to provide a mechanism for the engagement of investigation, testing, design and specialist advisory services as required. The actual value of work awarded will depend on Council's operational requirements, approved budgets, project priorities and the performance and suitability of panel members for individual engagements.

Tenderers should note that the quantities included in the Response Schedule are indicative only and have been provided to assist Tenderers in preparing their submissions. They do not represent a commitment by Council to purchase any minimum quantity of services.

Question:
**Clarification Question – Financial Capacity Information**

The Tender Response Schedules require Tenderers to provide profit and loss statements for the previous two financial years as part of the Tender submission. We are not comfortable releasing commercially sensitive and confidential banking information.

As detailed financial statements contain commercially sensitive and confidential information, could Council please confirm whether it would accept an alternative form of financial-capacity evidence, such as:

* a letter from the Tenderer’s accountant confirming the business is solvent, financially sound and capable of meeting its contractual obligations;

Answered on 16/Sep/2026 09:12 AM:


Council refers Tenderers to the Request for Tender documentation, including the Financial Stability of Company requirements, Statement of Compliance and Tender Conditions.

Tenderers should provide the information requested as part of their submission. Where a Tenderer elects to provide alternative information, Council will determine, at its sole discretion, whether the information provided is sufficient to assess the Tenderer's financial capacity.

Council reserves all rights available under the Tender Conditions, including the right to request additional financial information and undertake further financial due diligence, including third-party financial assessments, as part of its evaluation.

Question:
We intend to apply only for Road Safety Audit services under the Specialist Services Panel. Given that the RFT and Response Schedules are largely pavement-focused, can Council confirm whether the Response Schedules are still required to be completed in full, with project experience relevant to Road Safety Audit services provided where applicable, noting that there may be a lot of “Not Applicable” response in the schedule? We also note that the Pricing Schedule does not appear to include a specific item for Road Safety Audit services and seek clarification on how the Road Safety Audit services should be priced.

Answered on 21/Sep/2026 10:58 AM:


Tenderers nominating solely for Road Safety Audit services under the Specialist Services Panel are not required to provide information that is not relevant to the services for which they are seeking appointment. Where a response schedule item is not applicable to the services being offered, Tenderers may indicate "Not Applicable" and provide information relevant for their capability, experience, personnel and delivery approach as appropriate for the services offered.

The Pricing Schedule should be completed to the extent relevant to the services being offered. Items under Section 5 of the Pricing Schedule may be completed. Tenderers may also provide additional pricing information where they consider it will better represent their service offering, provided the basis of pricing and any assumptions are clearly identified.

Question:
Council’s scope identifies FWD and GPR testing as part of the road infrastructure investigation and design services.

Could Council please clarify whether tenderers are required to nominate and include both FWD and GPR testing capability as a mandatory requirement for a conforming submission, or whether these are specialist investigation services that may be engaged on an as-required basis?

We do not maintain FWD or GPR testing equipment in-house. Where these investigations are considered appropriate, we would engage a specialist testing provider and integrate the results into our pavement assessment and design.

In our experience, the extent and type of pavement testing required is best determined on a project-by-project basis having regard to the existing pavement condition, available asset information, proposed treatment and purpose of the investigation. While FWD and GPR can provide valuable information for particular investigations, they are not necessarily required for every pavement assessment.

Requiring these specialist services to be incorporated into the tender team and pricing from the outset may also introduce additional subcontractor costs into the offer where the services may ultimately not be required. Where Council considers FWD and/or GPR appropriate for a particular assignment, we can readily obtain specialist pricing and incorporate the testing into the project-specific investigation scope.

Could Council therefore please confirm whether a tenderer would be considered non-conforming if dedicated FWD and GPR providers and rates are not included in the tender submission, provided the tenderer can procure these specialist services when required by Council or considered technically appropriate for a particular assignment?

Answered on 22/Sep/2026 10:55 AM:


Where Tenderers are applying for the Lead Consultant Panel, they should provide pricing for all items in the Pricing Schedule, including where the services are proposed to be delivered through specialist subcontractors or testing providers. Tenderers should clearly identify any assumptions underpinning their pricing.

Council recognises that the extent and type of investigation required will vary between projects and may discuss project-specific investigation and testing requirements with the engaged consultant on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the project scope and requirements, Council may also seek project-specific pricing for investigation services beyond those contemplated in the schedule of rates.

Question:
Can the Council please clarify the below with regards to the Schedule of Rates:

1. The unit provided for item 4 is per project. Does this mean, the rate column should reflect the rate for 1 project and the amount column should reflect the rate for the quantity shown in the quantity column? E.g. for Item 4.1.2 the amount will be to undertake 63 initial condition assessments and prepare 63 inspection test plans (ITPs)?

2. The quantities indicated for other items within item 4 are significantly lower than that of 4.1.2. Does this mean the council may engage consultants just to provide item 4.1.2 as a separate service without any design associated with the project?

3. Site inspection (visual assessment) and ITP are required for many other items within Item 4, E.g. Unsealed Roads design, Resurfacing Design and Rehabilitation Design. Pricing item 4.1.2 separately may lead to doubling up the costs. Can council provide clarification on whether site inspection, ITP and defect mapping (as appropriate) should be included in all other pavement design items as well (as it will be required as part of the design) or should these tasks be excluded from all other items as the tasks have already been priced under item 4.1.2?4. For FWD and LWD testing, the price per 1000 drops has been requested. The rates for these tests are usually calculated per shift and not per drop. Can the council clarify it is per drop and not per shift that they want the rates for?

Answered on 23/Sep/2026 02:31 PM:


Thankyou for your question

1. Rates should be provided per unit (ie if the unit is per project, the rate should be per project).

2. Item 4.1.2 will typically be engaged for all designs. The type of design required for each project will vary (see items 4.2.1 – 4.2.6). We note the sum of indicative quantities for these items matches 4.1.2 (ie 63).

3. Council has requested item 4.1.2 priced separately, meaning this item should not be included again in the rates for 4.2.1 – 4.2.6.

Question:
For FWD and LWD testing, the price per 1000 drops has been requested. The rates for these tests are usually calculated per shift and not per drop. Can the council clarify it is per drop and not per shift that they want the rates for?

Answered on 23/Sep/2026 02:33 PM:


For clarity, for FWD (items 3.1.2 and 3.1.3) Council has requested a rate per drop, not per shift or per 1000 drops. For LWD (items 3.2.2 and 3.2.3) the nominated unit is per test location, not per drop. Mobilisation and establishment costs are priced separately under items 3.1.1 and 3.2.1 (per engagement).

Where a Tenderer's preferred pricing methodology differs from the nominated unit (for example, pricing per shift), the Tenderer may, in addition to the requested unit, provide an alternative. Alternatives should include explanatory assumptions and supporting information to describe how the submitted rate was derived and the benefits of the alternative approach.