Preferred contractors announced

The Queenstown Lakes District Council today announced that it has selected four preferred tenderers for five major council contracts worth in excess of $5 million per annum.


The council will now proceed to conclude contracts with these companies based on the tenders submitted.


The current contract, which is ten years old and has never been tendered, expires in June, this year. The council has been preparing for that event through a set of comprehensive service delivery reviews, first commenced in December 2004. As a result of those reviews, the work was tendered.


In total 19 tenders were received from throughout New Zealand and were subjected to scrutiny of both price and non-price attributes. The council also appointed independent probity auditors to “watchdog” the assessment process. Their reports have confirmed that the tender selection process was both fair and rigorous.


“These new contracts are a big step forward for this community,” QLDC utilities committee chairman John Mann said. “They contain new standards of service, new requirements for customer satisfaction and are transparent for content and cost.”


The preferred contractors are:

Public toilet cleaning services – Southern Cleaning

Parks and reserve maintenance and tree services (two contracts) - Asplundh

Plant and Animal Pest Control – Dunstan Sprayers Limited

Operation and maintenance of wastewater and water supply schemes and stormwater network – United Water International Pty Limited


“We are confident that the process to arrive at the preferred contractors has been entirely thorough and robust and council will now be focussing on the changeover that will take place before July,” QLDC community services chairman Leigh Overton said.


The current Contract 330, which expires in June, is held by Delta Lakes District, previously Lakes Contract Services.


“On behalf of the council I would like to acknowledge the long term service that some individuals have contributed under Contract 330,” Mr Mann said.


Both chairmen congratulated council staff who had led the process to this point.