Working with us as a contractor

The following principles formed in Council’s Procurement Policy will help to shape our vision and create value for money decisions for the Tasman district. The Council is committed to delivering value for money for the community through its procurement practises, and we will continue to challenge the way we do things to realise other broader benefits for the community (be that social, environmental or cultural). 

In summary the principles are:

1. Creating value for money, but not necessarily always going for the ‘lowest cost’
2. Iwi participation and engagement in procurement
3. Sustainability
4. Creating broader outcomes and benefits for the community through procurement
5. Fairness and lawfulness and being
6. Effective market competition and encouraging innovative practices
7. Using procurement to improve health and safety outcomes
8. Minimising environmental impacts

Our Engineering Framework is a separate document that also explains the Council’s procurement approach for Waka Kotahi (NZTA) funded projects as well as other infrastructure works undertaken by the Council’s Community Infrastructure Department.

The Council advertises most contracts through GETS – the Government Electronic Tendering System.  This is a website portal for government and Council contracts across New Zealand.  All enquiries, documents and submissions are through the GETS site, not through the Council.  This is so we can keep an auditable and fair record of all our communications with tenderers.

To view and respond to tenders you need to register with GETS as a supplier. This is free but requires you to have a Real Me account. Click here to get a Real Me account.

You can also view awarded tenders by searching the GETS site. Waka Kotahi awarded tenders are also updated here

As the Council is accountable for spending public money, our contractors are required to follow some key processes. If you are awarded work as a contractor you will need to do the following before you can start work:

• Provide us information about your Health and Safety policy and systems.  This registration lasts for 2 years, after which you need to provide updated information.
• Register as suppliers for our financial system so we can pay you.  We will need your IRD / GST information and other business details.  If you are not on our system, we will send you a new supplier form to complete and return to us.
• You will likely need insurances to undertake work for us, depending on the nature of work and risk. This can include Public Liability, Professional Liability and vehicle insurance.  The tender document will detail what insurances are required for that contract. 

Standard terms of purchase

Our standard Terms and Conditions for Purchase Orders apply to all purchase orders created by Tasman District Council unless otherwise agreed on a separate procurement contract.

Purchase orders

Before you begin work with us you’ll be supplied with a purchase order as a record of the purchase or services provided.  

Some important notes to remember:

• Supply or services, products or works cannot start without a valid purchase order.
• Valid purchase order numbers are six digits long.
• When invoicing us the purchase order number must be present on the invoice for us for payment to be made. If you have not received your purchase order please contact the person you have been working with from Council to request one.

When to send your invoice

Invoices must reach us by the 5th working day of the month to ensure they can be processed for payment by the 20th day of the month following the date of the invoice or the next working day (subject to the Purchase Order Terms and Conditions and that there are no errors or discrepancies). Invoices must be dated in the month the good or service was supplied.

For example: for goods or services provided in January:

• A valid invoice dated 31st January and delivered by the 5th February will be paid by the 20th February
• A valid invoice dated 31st January and delivered between 6th February and 5th March will be paid on 20th March or at an early date at Council’s discretion.

For approved invoices, we will make an electronic bank transfer directly into your bank account on the 20th of the month (or the next business day).

When invoicing us please include the following information on your invoice:

• Please address the invoice to ‘Tasman District Council'
• Name of the supplier
• Supplier number
• An approved purchase order number (only one number per invoice)
• GST number of the supplier
• GST amount
• Description of the goods or services provided, including the quantity/volume
• The total amount
• Invoice number
• Invoice amount
• Invoice date
• Supplier email address
• Include only one invoice per attachment, and if possible, one invoice per email.
• Your bank account details, you need to provide proof of the bank account you want your payment to go into. This can be either a:
  • Bank statement
  • Scanned, pre-printed bank deposit slip
  • Screenshot of your internet banking details, including your bank account name and number with the bank logo
  • Letter from your bank
  • Blank cheque

Where to send your invoice

Please send all invoices by email to: [email protected] (this is our preferred method), alternatively, you can send it by post to:

Accounts Payable

Tasman District Council

189 Queen Street

Richmond 7050

Contact us

For any queries regarding your invoice, credit note, payment or refund please email us at [email protected] or call 03 543 8400.

The Council is committed to working with our suppliers to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of our suppliers, staff, local residents.  

To work with us you will need to provide some important information to be pre-qualified. For more information please visit our Contractor health and safety information page to find out what is required.

Sometimes the council is approached by suppliers and businesses with proposals that they think would be useful for council. If these are received outside of a tendering process, or not initially requested by Council, they are typically referred to as ‘unsolicited proposals’.

As outlined in the Council’s Procurement Policy, we encourage the use of innovation and new ideas from suppliers to meet the needs of our community, especially where Council may not have identified this opportunity itself.

In such cases, we will treat the unsolicited proposal differently, but will still apply the same procurement principles to ensure we are being fair and respectful of the intellectual property and confidentially of the proposer.

If we determine that the unsolicited proposal meets Council’s criteria we will ensure all necessary due diligence is carried out to ensure we receive value for money and that the proposal meets the needs of the community.