How Queensland Government Agencies Can Engage a Creative Supplier Without a Full Tender

Most Queensland Government agencies can engage a creative supplier in days rather than months by using the Creative Advertising Preferred Supplier Panel, arrangement GGS0120-25, instead of running a fresh tender. The suppliers on it have already cleared governance, capability, insurance and financial checks, so an agency can go straight to a quote against its own requirement.

What a preferred supplier panel actually is

A preferred supplier panel is a pre-established agreement between the Queensland Government and a group of pre-approved suppliers. Those suppliers have already been through a competitive assessment. Governance, capability, insurance, financial stability, delivery processes, all checked and signed off. When an agency needs something the arrangement covers, there's no need to run a fresh competitive process. Approach one or more suppliers on the panel, ask for a quote against the requirement, assess value for money, and engage directly under the existing conditions.

What GGS0120-25 covers

GGS0120-25 is the Queensland Government Creative Advertising Preferred Supplier Panel, managed by the Department of Energy and Public Works. It covers creative services across Queensland state agencies, departments, and statutory bodies: photography, video production, animation, graphic design, campaign development, content strategy, and behaviour change communications. It was reappointed in 2025, replacing the previous QGP0056-18 arrangement. Agencies that used that one before will find the process under GGS0120-25 works the same way.

Who can use it

Any Queensland Government agency, department, or statutory body, including government-owned corporations and local government bodies that have opted in to whole-of-government arrangements. If an agency isn't sure whether it's covered, its procurement team will know. The framework and arrangement conditions are publicly documented through the Department of Energy and Public Works.

How procurement officers actually use it

Identify a requirement, creative services for a campaign, a photography library, a behaviour change video series, an animated explainer. Confirm it falls within the panel's scope. Approach one or more panel suppliers and ask for a quote against the scope, deliverables, timeline, and budget. Assess the quotes on value for money, which is more than price: capability, relevant experience, approach, and whether the supplier can actually deliver in the timeframe. Pick a preferred supplier, issue a purchase order or work order under the arrangement, and the project starts. No separate contract negotiation each time. The terms are already set.

For lower-value work, one quote might be enough. For anything bigger or more complex, getting quotes from two or three panel suppliers is standard practice, and gives a stronger value-for-money case if the decision is ever reviewed. Each agency's procurement team will have the specific thresholds and quoting requirements that apply, since these vary by agency and by the value of the engagement.

Why this matters for campaign timelines

Government communication often runs to external deadlines that don't care about procurement cycles. A storm season campaign needs to land before storm season. A health initiative might be tied to a national calendar date. A recruitment campaign for a hard-to-fill regional role has a window before candidates look elsewhere. Using a preferred supplier panel to engage a pre-approved supplier is the most practical way to protect those timelines while staying fully compliant. The arrangement exists for exactly this.

What to include in a quote request

A quote request under GGS0120-25 doesn't need to be a formal tender document, but it needs to give the supplier enough to work with: a description of the requirement and deliverables, the intended audience and communication objectives, a budget range or an invitation for the supplier to propose one, the timeline including any fixed milestones, any brand, accessibility or whole-of-government requirements that apply, and contact details for follow-up questions.

What to check before you engage a panel supplier

Where Welcome to the Fold sits

Welcome to the Fold is an appointed supplier on the Queensland Government Creative Advertising Preferred Supplier Panel (GGS0120-25). We've been delivering creative services for Queensland Government agencies for more than twenty years, across education, health, environment, transport, emergency management, community services, and public awareness campaigns. We're also appointed to the Queensland Department of Education Multimedia Materials Panel (DETSOA 90720), the Australian Federal Government Creative and Digital Communication Panel (SON4009385), Services Australia Creative and Digital Communication Panel (RFT 1000919130), the Queensland Department of Education Creative Services Panel (PF003), the Whole of Australian Government People Panel Professional Contractor Services (FIN/PP03/23 Phase 3), and Trade and Investment Queensland Creative Solutions, MarCom and Event Services Panel (TIQ25.032).

For what the panel actually covers, see what creative services are covered by GGS0120-25 or how SOAs, panels and prequalification actually differ.