GrainData Fusion

Reference number: PROC-9176677

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Release date:: Wednesday 02 October 2024
Closing time:: Friday 22 November 2024, at 05:00 PM ACT local time
Enquiry deadline:: Friday 15 November 2024, at 05:00 PM ACT local time
Industry briefing: Thursday, 10 October 2024 at 12:00pm (AEST). Refer to Clause 10 RFT Terms and Conditions on how to register.

Summary

The GRDC Data Catalogue is as useful as the number of datasets that it references. To prepare the catalogue for release, GRDC’s Data Partnerships initiative registered around 700 records with the catalogue.

Now that the GRDC Data Catalogue is publicly accessible, GRDC is encouraging its partners and the general public to use and contribute to the catalogue through further investment in data curation, aggregation and analysis.

The GrainData Fusion investment is designed to leverage the public release of the GRDC Data Catalogue to increase the scope of data assets it references while demonstrating the power of FAIR data to facilitate powerful analyses.

Offer period

Offers will remain open for acceptance by the GRDC for a period of 6 months after the Closing Time.

Document contact and enquiries

Attention: Contract Administrator – Enabling Technologies
Grains Research and Development Corporation
Email: etcontract.administrator@grdc.com.au

Make all requests for further information or clarification in relation to this procurement in writing (email) prior to Friday, 15 November 2024.

GRDC will publish all requests and responses to requests on the GRDC website under Questions and Answers at the bottom of this webpage.

Consortia response

GRDC will accept Tenders from Consortia.

Lodgement of Proposal

Applicants are invited to submit their proposal through the Grains Investment Portal using the Proposal template attached to the RFP (max 10 pages). The template guides applicants to effectively address the evaluation criteria.

For the avoidance of doubt, any references to Request for Tender (RFT) Terms and Conditions on the GRDC Website and the Grains Investment Portal should be taken as the Terms and Conditions for this Request for Proposal (RFP).

AusTender

https://www.tenders.gov.au/Advert/Show/5e3c9be6-e2ec-4014-ab79-975b75e87c81

Description

Curate and standardise existing datasets to ensure they meet FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles, making them suitable for future analysis. Where beneficial, consider aggregating datasets. All datasets are registered with the GRDC Data Catalogue, ensuring their all accessibility and licensing considerations have been made and documented in detail.
Analyse the prepared datasets to extract valuable insights that can benefit grain growers. Test hypotheses, identify patterns, and explore trends to deepen understanding and document how the data can be practically utilised.
Present the findings from the analysis through reports and actionable recommendations, demonstrating progress towards a 4:1 benefit-cost ratio. Provide a clear path to impact, showing how the insights can be applied to generate tangible benefits for grain growers.

Investment stages

While the applicant is free to nominate how they wish to fulfil the outputs, we suggest the following staged approach to assist with planning and formulating a timeline for work. Note that the stages correspond to generation of the defined project Outputs.

Stage 1: Data Collection and Preparation (0-12 months)

Curate and standardise existing background datasets according to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).
Prepare background datasets by ensuring they are cleaned, organised, and appropriately formatted for analysis, generating new data as necessary.
Where applicable, consider aggregating data from multiple sources to enhance the value of any derived or aggregated datasets.
Upload all datasets, whether individual or aggregated, to an Approved Repository and register them with the GRDC Data Catalogue.
Ensure the accessibility of background and any derived or aggregated datasets is well defined and does not prohibit project activities, and that this is captured in a comprehensive metadata record registered in the GRDC Data Catalogue for each of the background and derived datasets.

Stage 2: Data Analysis and Exploration (12-21 months)

Conduct a thorough analysis using the available datasets to extract insights that will benefit grain growers.
Test hypotheses, identify trends and patterns, and employ data visualisation techniques to explore the datasets, enhancing understanding and usability.
Report on any aggregation performed, detailing how this contributed to the analysis and the potential for generating future insights.

Stage 3: Interpretation and Reporting (21-24 months)

Present the findings from the analysis, demonstrating how they contribute to a clear path towards achieving a 4:1 benefit-cost ratio.
Provide detailed reports, visualisations, and actionable recommendations that illustrate how the insights can be applied to benefit grain growers.
Outline a clear path to impact, showcasing how the results will translate into tangible outcomes and inform decision-making within the grains industry.
Report on any derivative or new datasets that have been created in this investment, their accessibility, and how they may be used in future to build on the analysis conducted within this investment or future analyses.

Suggested scope areas

This RFP is an open call for proposals. However, we provide here a list of potential scope areas: a list of valuable dataset types that we hope will inspire applicants to apply. These categories are not intended to work as limiting factors, and applicants may choose to use their own dataset types as part of the open category (scope area 10) to propose analysis that aligns with GRDC’s RD&E Plan 2023-28. Additionally, applicants may use dataset from more than one category.

Collaborative proposals

Collaboration in the management of data, particularly around aggregation can be much more effective when sources come from multiple organisations. GRDC recommends that applicants consider collaborating with other organisations who hold complementary data. GRDC particularly encourages collaboration with Australian growers or their representative groups.
To help facilitate collaboration, GRDC invites prospective applicants to share their organisational details and a brief description of the datasets they own, their interests and their capabilities. These details would be available to other prospective applicants that have also opted in, to help them find potential partners in dataset aggregation and/or analysis.
This is an obligation-free process, and applicants are not obligated to share these details. Applicants that have opted in may also decline to collaborate with any other organisations that have opted in. Applicants may also collaborate with organisations outside of this process to develop and submit proposals.
To opt in, please submit an entry via the online GrainData Fusion Collaboration Form. The data entered will be added to an online list visible to you and other applicants that have opted in.

Analytics Support

Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) is a GRDC strategic partnership with Curtin University, the University of Queensland, and Adelaide University. AAGI has capabilities across the breadth of analytics applied to grains RD&E, including biometry, bioinformatics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, mathematical and biophysical modelling, and geo-spatial statistics.

AAGI involvement is available as an in-kind GRDC contribution to these investments. To explore options for AAGI involvement, applicants must make enquiries to AAGI during this RFT period and identify potential areas of collaboration as part of their application.

Successful applicants will be required to complete an Analytical Collaboration Plan to specify the data to be provided to AAGI and the analytics AAGI will provide. A sample Plan template is available from AAGI. Applicants must make enquiries to the AAGI Director, Dr Nathan O'Callaghan, nathan.ocallaghan@curtin.edu.au.

Please note, applicants that request funding for analytics readily available through AAGI must provide a technical and/or value-for-money rationale for not using in-kind AAGI capabilities.

Outcome

Outputs

Output 1:

Data collection and preparation

A curated and standardised dataset collection, fully registered with the GRDC Data Catalogue, that adheres to FAIR principles and includes comprehensive metadata. This collection will have clearly defined accessibility terms, ensuring that all datasets, including any optional aggregated versions, are prepared for future research and analysis. That is, datasets must be:

Findable: stored in a safe and enduring location, i.e., a GRDC Approved Repository (See Section C: Approved Repositories in the GRDC RD&E Data Capture and Storage Guidelines for Research Partners), and registered with the GRDC Data Catalogue.
Accessible: licenced, or have data access conditions clearly defined such that there is certainty on availability for this project and to what extent data can be shared in future.
Interoperable: structured according to a well-defined standard that is easily interpreted and analysed by potential future users.
Reusable: adequately contextualised such that future users of the data understand the possible scope and applicability of the data in as much detail as possible.

Output 2:

Data analysis and exploration

A comprehensive and well-motivated analysis detailing the identified patterns, trends, and tested hypotheses involved in the analysis. In addition, details on how the presented analyses can be used in the current investment and ideation on other applications for the analysis.

Output 3:

Interpretation and reporting

Interpretation of analyses and recommendation of actions that demonstrate the path to impact, detailing how new insights can be applied to achieve practical and measurable benefits for grain growers with a 4:1 benefit-cost ratio.

Proposed Budget

Proposed Contract & Term

GRDC will contract under the terms of the GRDC Standard Two-Party Research Contract.

The schedule(s) attached to the contract will detail the project details: the outcomes, outputs, milestones, budget, participating personnel and required intellectual property.

The template Contract containing the proposed terms and conditions is available on the Application resources page on the GRDC website.

It is anticipated that any resultant contract in relation to this procurement will commence with a proposed term of two years (2025 to 2027).

Conditions for Participation

The following are mandatory conditions with which a Tenderer must comply to participate in this procurement process:

The Tenderer must be a single legal entity or recognised firm of partners except where the Tender is submitted by a consortium and the Tender specifies that each member of the proposed consortium will be party to the contract.
The Tenderer and any proposed subcontractor must be compliant with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and any other applicable labour laws and standards in the jurisdiction in which they operate.
The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not have a judicial decision against it (not including decisions under appeal) relating to employee entitlements and who have not paid the claim.
The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not be named on the Consolidated List, being the list of persons and entities who are subject to targeted financial sanctions or travel bans under Australian sanction laws, as maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Minimum Form and Content Requirements

The following are the mandatory content and format requirements that the Tenderer must complete and provide to participate in this procurement process:

Submit Tenders using the Grains Investment Portal.
Write Tenders in English and express any measurements in Australian legal units of measurement.
Budget details must be submitted on the ‘GRDC Budget Template’ provided in the Grains Investment Portal.

Evaluation Criteria

In the table below are the Evaluation Criteria that the Tender Evaluation Team will use to assess the value for money of all Tenders.

No	Type	Weighting
1.	Technical – Qualitative evaluation criteria related to non-price factors such as methodology, project plan, track record, experience.
1.1.	Description of the project and plan In your application, provide a concise project plan that demonstrates how you will generate the stated Investment Outputs and meet the Investment Outcome. Your response should address the following key points: (a) Project description Provide an overview of the project, its objectives, how they align with the Investment Outputs and how they deliver the state Investment Outcome. (b) Proposed milestones and timelines Outline the key milestones for each stage of the project (Data collection and preparation, Data analysis and exploration, and Interpretation and reporting), along with a timeline for completion. (c) Data and Data Access Conditions List the datasets you will use in the project, including any data you may plan to generate. Specify the access conditions for each dataset (e.g., public, restricted, licensed) and confirm that they meet the necessary requirements for and activities within this project and with potential future uses. (d) Resource Allocation Describe how you will allocate resources (personnel, technology, budget) to each stage of the project. Ensure that your resource plan supports the successful delivery of Investment Outputs and the Investment Outcome.	35.00%
1.2.	Value proposition of prepared dataset, and analysis In your application, please demonstrate the value your proposal will deliver, focusing on the following key elements: (a) Alignment with FAIR Principles Explain how preparing and standardising the datasets according to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) will create value and enhance data utility. (b) Insight Generation and Impact Explain how the analysis of prepared datasets will produce insights that benefit grain growers. Highlight the potential for significant industry impact and describe how your analysis could lead to positive, measurable outcomes and its pathway to adoption by Australian grain growers. (c) Further applications This sub-criterion is focussed on the reusability of the datasets that will be prepared for analysis. Discuss the full scope of potential applications of the prepared datasets. How could these datasets support future analyses and innovation in the Australian grains industry? Provide examples of potential uses that add value. (d) Accessibility and Licensing Discuss how the accessibility and licensing of the background and prepared datasets will impact future usage of the data both within this investment and in general, with reference to the ‘prepared dataset applications’ provided above and the ‘data access conditions’ of Selection Criterion 1(c).	40.00%
1.3.	Personnel and Team Capability In your application, demonstrate that your organisation has the capacity and capability to successfully deliver the project. Your response should address the following key elements: (a) Relevant Experience Provide details of your organisation’s experience with data curation, aggregation, and analysis. Highlight any previous projects that are similar in scope and complexity to this one. (b) Key Personnel Identify the key personnel who will be involved in delivering the project. Provide an overview of their skills, qualifications, and relevant experience in data management, analysis, and project delivery. (c) Technical Resources and Infrastructure Describe the technical resources, tools, and infrastructure available to support the project. This may include data processing tools, software platforms, and storage systems. (d) Collaborative Partnerships If applicable, describe any partnerships or collaborations that will support the successful delivery of the project. Highlight the role of each partner and their relevant expertise.	25.00%
2.	Price - The tendered budget.	N/A
3.	Risk - Risks inherent in the application including the degree of compliance with the draft contract and any actual or perceived conflict of interest.	N/A

Lodging a Proposal

Attachments

Questions and Answers

Q1. What is the total allocated budget for the GrainData Fusion project, and how is it being utilised to achieve its objectives?

A1. The budget for this project is not being released to the public as part of the Request for Proposal process. We are looking for market-driven responses and will assess for value for money once the approach to market closes.

Q2. How does the project intend to expand the number of datasets referenced in the GRDC Data Catalogue?

A2. The project will expand the number of datasets in the GRDC Data Catalogue by increasing deposits in Approved repositories and registering metadata.

Researchers will be asked to register RD&E data not currently in Approved repositories, enabling reuse to generate new insights for grain growers. For more details, please refer to the Outputs of the proposed investment and the Request for Proposals document available on the GRDC and AusTender websites.

Q3. Are there any specific data types or areas of focus that GRDC is prioritizing?

A3. This is an OPEN CALL, and proposals should align with GRDC’s RD&E Plan 2023-28. Examples of potential scope areas featuring valuable dataset types to inspire applicants. These categories are not restrictive, and applicants may propose their own dataset types under the open category (scope area 10), provided they align with GRDC’s RD&E Plan 2023-28. Applicants are also encouraged to use datasets from multiple categories. For more details, please refer to the Outputs of the proposed investment and the Request for Proposals document available on the GRDC and AusTender websites.

Q4. Is GRDC currently seeking partners to contribute to the catalogue or support its further development? If so, what are the criteria or mechanisms for engaging with GRDC on this initiative?

A4. GRDC encourages its partners and the public to contribute to the GRDC Data Catalogue by registering metadata with the GRDC Data Catalogue and the associated datasets deposited in Approved repositories. For more details, please refer to the Outputs of the proposed investment and the Request for Proposals document available on the GRDC and AusTender websites.

Q5. The data that you collect, is it manually collected data from Excel spreadsheet or is it sensor data or is there a whole range of data sets that are there?

A5. GRDC defines RD&E Data as “Information, including in raw or unorganised form, which may be used for analysis, that is captured, generated, produced or otherwise developed by a GRDC Partner in the course of conducting a project, during the term of an agreement with GRDC.

RD&E Data may be:

numerical, written, descriptive, visual or audible;
durable records derived from Primary Materials such as assays, test results, transcripts, and laboratory and field notes;
raw or analysed, experimental or observational;
other documents or media containing information associated with the research process.

The GRDC Data Catalogue stores metadata that describes various datasets. However, the actual RD&E data itself is stored in what we call GRDC-Approved repositories, which are managed by research partners. The list of GRDC Approved repositories can be found at GRDC RD&E Data Capture and Storage Guidelines for Research Partners.

Q6. Is it structured or unstructured data? Is every researcher e.g. Universities collecting rainfall, rain, precipitation or millimetres or how clean is the data. Is there any thought about that?

A6. RD&E Data generated through GRDC co-investments is structured data. GRDC requires research partners to deposit all valuable RD&E Data to be deposited in Approved repositories and associated metadata registered with the GRDC Data Catalogue. GRDC requires RD&E Data to be accurately collected, stored and maintained.

Q7. The GRDC data catalogue and I have seen that the data catalogue not only host data sets but also tools, like machine learning tools and things like that right. I'm wondering if that is a I'm mistake or is that like the maybe in the next phase of what this catalogue might be?

Data files, e.g. excel file, CSV but in the context of what I’ve seen on the data catalogue, also looking at examples Python scripts, R scripts that has been referenced on the data catalogue. It's more of a framework, a tool. It's not necessarily a data set that it's describing information. I'm wondering what is the intended purpose of the data catalogue, more of an asset catalogue rather than just data?

A7. GRDC’s Strategy for RD&E data management aims to enhance the visibility and accessibility of GRDC's data assets, which are stored in distributed "Approved" repositories. The GRDC Data Catalogue does not hold the actual RD&E data, it just holds the metadata which is data about data. Metadata is defined as Information defining and describing the RD&E Data, including information about the purpose, processes, and methods involved in collecting the RD&E Data. Metadata supports the understanding and context of RD&E data. Rich metadata.

Q8. Can the proposal just focus on the data analysis side of things or does it need to meet all of those 3 criteria?

A8. The proposal must meet the requirements expressed in the RFP document.

Q9. The Approved repositories. Is there an opportunity that one of us or the successful applicant will be in a Approved repository if we pass whatever GRDC is looking for as a repository so that the data can be handled straight from our platform rather than shuffling data around the which adds costs.

A9. Approved Repositories are an essential component of GRDC’s approach to RD&E Data Management and are used to publish RD&E Data and related metadata generated within GRDC investments. GRDC have developed a set of criteria by which Approved Repositories are defined (See GRDC RD&E Data Capture and Storage Guidelines for Research Partners). Based on these, we’ve compiled lists of Approved Repositories, repositories that can be used to store valuable RD&E Datasets generated in GRDC Investments. If there is a data repository that is not included in these lists and you think it will be suitable for long-term storage of data from a GRDC investment, please let us know by emailing data.catalogue@grdc.com.au.

As a group of collaborators, you may nominate one of the collaborators to provide an Approved repository.

Q10. Who’s responsible for finding the data, GRDC must have an understanding where these gaps in the market or data sets may lie and is it the sole responsibility for the applicant to go out and engage or is GRDC going to be a component and a broker within that process to facilitate and ensure that the project is on track and the data is brough on the right way.

A10. It will be the responsibility of the applicant to do the RD&E data collection and preparation.

Q11. I'm just trying to, I guess quantify the scope in particular around the stage two around extracting the insights for grain growers and these suggested scope areas are really useful but are quite broad. How does the successful applicant determine what the question is that the platform should be answering or I mean remote sensing is quite different from social behaviour. So how do we prioritise the data that is gathered and then the subsequent questions that are then asked?

A11. This RFP is an open call for proposals. However, we provide in the RFP documents a list of potential scope areas: a list of valuable dataset types that we hope will inspire applicants to apply. These categories are not intended to work as limiting factors, and applicants may choose to use their own dataset types as part of the open category (scope area 10) to propose analysis that aligns with GRDC’s RD&E Plan 2023-28. Additionally, applicants may use dataset from more than one category.

Q12. Is that collaboration inside or outside of the terms of reference or the actual RFP that we've got here? At the moment, we're going through the tender process. So do we have to fill out the whole tender documents and the collaboration form or can we fill out the collaboration form and then GRDC internally can sort of align a few of us together that may build the puzzle as much as possible and then then we can sort of come back in as a consortium and then then do the application afterwards.

A12. The collaboration form will enable you to see what others have if you opt in, so if you choose to opt out and just say we've got your own data sets, this is what you would like to do. But if you feel you want to do both and you’d like to also collaborate, you can. If you register yourself through that collaboration, you'll be able to see what datasets other researchers have identified, and then you can start communicating with them as well.

Q13. The data request process states 28 days is that is that the time frame where you would expect to be able to have data released that is co-owned? Or what does the 28 days relate to?

A13. If a researcher searches the GRDC Data Catalogue and finds a dataset of interest, the researcher must submit a data request via the GRDC Data Catalogue. We approximate that GRDC will evaluate the data request and a decision to share or not share the data will be provided within 28 days.

Q14. If we identify data assets that look as though they will be useful from the metadata catalogue register, then the only way you can assess these sorts of things (referring back to the question about how well structured they are) you know how much work is going to be involved into transition that to the next use some might be more advanced than other. Do those custodian organisations have to be a partner on the on the bid or not?

A14. They might be, and they might not be.

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