Clarence and Richmond Valley tradesmen and women will have a better shot at maintenance contracts for local public schools thanks to the Nationals in Government’s new internet tendering system, according to Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis.

“We introduced our Local Schools, Local Decisions policy a while ago which gave principals more power to decide how to invest in their school; now we are bringing in a system that will give local tradies precedence when it comes to procurement for maintenance jobs at local public schools,” Mr Gulaptis said.

The new online system, which will be operational early next year, will allow businesses to engage directly with the NSW Government on projects in the region. There are about 25,000 opportunities worth a total of $50 million to quote for school jobs each year.

“Through this new e-Tendering system, Clarence and Richmond Valley tradies will be given more opportunities for the uptake of local jobs, and crucially, schools will be able to work alongside trusted local businesses.”