Toowoomba Regional Council misses target despite $40m local supplier spend, new report says

The Toowoomba Regional Council has spent more than $40 million on local suppliers since the start of the financial year, despite not hitting its quota targets so far.

Toowoomba City Hall. Picture: Bev Lacey

New figures revealed in the Toowoomba Regional Council’s progress report for its operational plan have showed 54 per cent (40m) of the $74.2m spent between July and September went to businesses based in the Toowoomba region.

This was below the 60 per cent target set for the finance services branch by the council in the plan.

Local expenditure has been a top priority for the council under its new budget as part of the recovery effort against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cr Kerry Shine questioned the department what it was doing to encourage more interaction, to which procurement principal Robyn Grey said it was focusing on ensuring council officers had explored all local options before giving tenders over $5000 to outside suppliers.

The council’s actions and KPIs were down across the board in the progress report, largely due to the impacts of COVID-19.