Local tradies first pick for school maintenance projects
Local tradies will be on the front foot when it comes to procurement for maintenance jobs at their local public schools, with a new online system for businesses to engage directly and efficiently with the NSW Government on projects in their region announced today.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro and Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell launched the platform today to ensure local businesses, particularly in regional parts of the state, were better supported throughout the drought.
“Our regional communities continue to do it tough, so as a Government it is crucial we prioritise the employment of local businesses where we can,” Mr Barilaro said.
“Through this new streamlined procurement approach, approximately 25,000 opportunities to quote for work are expected to be generated, with an estimated total value of $50 million.
“To keep our regional towns and local economies alive during this drought we need to give local businesses every opportunity possible, and this online platform will do exactly that.”
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the 2019-20 NSW Budget provides more than $620 million to clear the school maintenance backlog in all public schools by July 2020, bringing the total maintenance investment to more than $1.3 billion over five years. It will be the first time in the state’s history that the school maintenance backlog will be wiped to zero.
“This Government is making good on our promise to clear the school maintenance backlog, with almost half the work already completed,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Through this new e-Tendering system, local tradies will be given more opportunities for the uptake of local jobs, and schools will be able to work alongside trusted community-based businesses.
“This is a win-win for all involved.”
The contract to manage the new system has been awarded to Hipages Group Pty Ltd, with an initial term of three years. The new platform will be fully operational early next year, following a staged roll-out and specific department additions to the current hipages platform.