Business Support

​The Business Excellence Program (BEP) is designed to build capability and capacity in local businesses.  In order to promote sustainable development of the Maranoa Economy and its industry base, BEP has provided local businesses with the skills and knowledge required to identify and capitalise on emerging growth opportunities.

BEP is an initiative of Council, Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP), Commerce Roma, and Santos. 

To view and register for our upcoming events by clicking Here.

For more information, contact the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning:

Jody Dare - 0428 716 263

OR contact us at info@commerceroma.com.au​
 

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​Commercial Enterprises
The Queensland and Federal Governments periodically release funding programs to promote business growth, improved productivity and innovation in emerging industries.
To find out more, and assess your eligibility for individual grant schemes, visit the Federal Government’s Business Grant Finder page.

Not-For-Profit Entities
If your community group or not-for-profit organisation requires funding for an upcoming project, you may be eligible for the Maranoa Regional Council Community Grants Program. Community grants are released biannually for financial support between $500 and $20,000.

To find out more, or to assess your eligibility for the Community Grants program, visit Maranoa Regional Council’s Community Grants Page.

​​The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) Visa provides employers in regional, remote or low population growth areas of Australia with the option of permanently employing overseas skilled workers. These schemes provide an alternative for employers who face difficulties in attracting and retaining skilled employees. 

Maranoa Regional Council is an authorised Regional Certifying Body (RCB) for the RSMS and SESR process. The RCB's role is to use local area knowledge to advise on whether the nomineee for the position will be paid at least the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) for the occupation. 

To fulfil this obligation, Council is required to assess whether the nominating employing entity is lawfully engaged in buisness, and the state of the local labour market. Council subsequently provides this information to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP), allowing their representatives to assess each Visa application. 

Please click here to view the Required Documentation for Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) Visa Applications guide. 

Questions regarding the RSMS or SESR process can be directed to the Department Outreach Officer at qld.outreach.team@immi.gov.au. Council can not give advice on the application process for these schemes.

An initiative of Roma Commerce and Tourism (RCAT) and Santos GLNG, the Shop Local Inveset Local Campaign, encourage the Roma and greater Maranoa region community, to reconsidering their purchasing habits for the benefit of the local economy and community. Shopping locally has many proven benefits, inlcuding increased employment, product diversity, and community wellbeing, not to mention keeping our money in our economy.

To find out more about the campaign and the benefits of shopping locally, please visit the Shop Local Invest Local pafe on the RCAT Website. 

​​​​Business Support Guides

• ​Roma Revealed Operator Toolkit
• Queensland Government Business and Industry Portal
• Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS)
• Australian Government Grant Finder
• Conferences & Events in the Maranoa - A planner's guide​

Business Advocacy/ Representative Groups

• Roma Commerce and Tourism
• Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise
• Outback Queensland Tourism Association
• Agforce Queensland
• South West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (SWQROC)

Economic Research & Statistics

• Maranoa Economic Profile​
• Queensland Government Regional Profiles
• Surat Basin Population Report
• Australian Bureau of Statistics – Census Quickstats​

Suppliers are regularly asking the question “How do I get a foot in the door? / How can I get the opportunity to quote on a job that is coming up?”

To do business with council you will need to register in the VendorPanel Marketplace. The VendorPanel Marketplace is Council’s main sourcing platform.

It is a simple system that connects suppliers directly with buyers. Registration takes less than 2 minutes and will provide you with access not only to Council but also to all of Queensland’s Councils.

The Vendorpanel marketplace registration process can be found here.

Council has three methods available to cater for the difference types of procurement (each is designed to ensure that the appropriate compliance obligations are met). These are:

• Tenders
• Registers of pre-qualified suppliers (panels), Approved Contractor Lists and Preferred Suppliers
• Requests for Quotations

Tenders

Click here to find out more about Council's tenders

Registers of Pre-qualified suppliers (panels), Approved Contractor Lists and Preferred Suppliers

For a range of operational reasons, considered in the context of the Local Government Regulation, Council may establish a number of Registers (panels) of Pre-qualified Suppliers or Approved Contractor Lists via tender initially.

Invitations will be issued to those suppliers on the approved panel or List when the goods and services are required.

This will provide the opportunity for Council to then provide greater detail about the specific details of the goods, services or work required.

Council uses Vendorpanel to facilitate the issuing of quotes to the Registers and also make sure that the appropriate securities are in place prior to the closing time.

Registers of Pre-qualified suppliers operate for several years with new suppliers only allowed to apply to be on a Register when it is advertised.

For most Registers Council advertises for additional suppliers several times per year.

Under the Local Government Regulation, Council is permitted to create the following:

• Registers of Pre-qualified Suppliers or panels (LGR s232)
• Preferred Supplier Arrangements (LGR s233)
• Approved Contractor Lists (LGR s231)

The following link provides the legislative details for the above.

Local Government Regulation 2012 (legislation.qld.gov.au)

Council’s current list of Registers of Pre-qualified Suppliers, Preferred Suppliers and Approved Contractor Lists is shown in the table below.

Requests for Quotation

Request for quotation (RFQ) are conducted using the Vendorpanel marketplace. This is where suppliers register to receive RFQ’s. Vendorpanel will issue emails for each of Council’s RFQ’s and also release RFQ’s through the Vendorpanel app.

Suppliers need to ensure they are registered with Vendorpanel to receive these RFQ notifications. It is also important that suppliers choose the correct categories in Vendorpanel to receive appropriate RFQ’s.

Suppliers must be registered with Vendorpanel marketplace to receive RFQ and tender invitations. The Vendorpanel marketplace registration process can be found here.

Register your interest to supply goods / services to Council through Local Buy.

Local Buy is a procurement partner for local governments and provides panels of pre-qualified suppliers for councils to use without the need to go to public tender. Click here for further information.

Local Buy provide an opportunity several times each year for suppliers to join their pre-qualified panels of suppliers for the supply of a range of goods and services, with the opportunity to respond to tenders from all Queensland councils through Local Buy website.

Businesses should register with Local Buy to ensure they receive these notices.

For more information please call the hotline available to all interested suppliers - 1800 LB HELP (1800 524 357) or visit the Local Buy website.