Positioning your Business for Government Procurement

The Australian government has committed to Investing in a Future Made in Australia in its 2024 - 2025 Budget announcement. This commitment is claimed to strengthen and streamline approvals creating a faster pathway to improve approvals relating to issues such as environment, energy, and planning. The framework focuses on industries that contribute to Australia’s Net Zero transformation.

The numbers:

• $134.2 million to better prioritise approvals for renewable energy projects

• $20.7 million to improve engagements with communities impacted by the energy transition and accelerate the delivery of key energy projects

• $15.7 million to strengthen scrutiny of high-risk foreign investment proposals, enhance monitoring and enforcement activities

Source: https://budget.gov.au/content/03-future-made.htm

What to consider as an SME wanting to position the company to win this work:

Firstly, your project scope. It is important to have a clear understand of what the company is capable of working on including resource capability, project timelines and cost. A strategic plan which identifies industry opportunities and a value proposition which focused on those opportunities is critical to understanding your project scope.

Next, consider the project owners or sponsors. Does the company hold any existing relationships with companies contracted to or potential winners of major project works? If so, nurture your relationships with account managers and ensure your value proposition for future works is clear, this will give the company the best chance of being approached for inclusion in tenders for major works. If not, network and develop new relationships, leading with promotional material that clearly explains your value proposition.

Access to tenders, it must be clear who has the responsibility of monitoring for tenders that the company could respond to directly. Who is responsible for responding to the tender, is there a consistent tender response template used?