Under Queensland’s civil and criminal justice system, a jury is formed as part of the empanelment process in matters heard in the Supreme and District Courts. Under Section 55 (2) Accommodation for jury of the Jury Act 1995, while a jury is kept together outside the courtroom, the jurors must be provided with accommodation, meals and refreshments as the judge directs.

An empanelled jury is required to serve until a verdict is reached and the judge discharges the jury. This includes attending court sometimes for many days or weeks. During a trial, a jury may sit for extended periods of time. An average trial in the Supreme or District Court lasts between three to five days. In some instances, at the presiding Judge’s discretion, an empanelled jury may not be allowed to separate for lunch. This requires dine-in meals for jurors, sometimes at short notice, i.e., one or two hours before courts break for lunch at 1:00pm.

To ensure the Supreme and District Courts services are providing scheduled meal arrangements for empanelled jurors directed to remain together during lunch and to ensure the sustainable management of the SDLC Registry budget, an open market procurement process is planned to establish a new contract with a single local supplier.

For detailed information on the specific goods / services sought under this tender, please review the "Schedule 1 - Requirements" in "Pack B, SOA Details".