GRDC National Grower Network - Nitrogen Banking study and regional roadshow

Reference number: PROC-9177168

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Release date:: Monday 18 November 2024
Closing time:: Tuesday 07 January 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time
Enquiry deadline:: Tuesday 31 December 2024, at 05:00 PM ACT local time

Summary

At a number of recent NGN Forums the topic of Nitrogen (N) Banking and the fit for N Banking in different parts of the state has been raised as a priority.

GRDC are already investing in a number of different N Banking scenarios around the state via Ri$kWise and the Ri$kWise linked SEP2311-001SAX NGN- Comparison of nitrogen demand and banking strategies to aid N decision making in Esperance.

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: Laura Baugh
Grains Research and Development Corporation
Email: Western@grdc.com.au

Make all requests for further information or clarification in relation to this procurement in writing (email) prior to 31 December 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 not accept Tenders from Consortia.

Lodgement of Tender

Submit your Tender response electronically through the Grains Investment Portal.

AusTender

TBC.

Description

At a number of recent NGN Forums the topic of Nitrogen (N) Banking and the fit for N Banking in different parts of the state has been raised as a priority.

Outcome

By March 2026 growers in the Western region will have access to a comprehensive online resource outlining the risks and rewards of adopting N Banking principles in their farming systems in WA drawing from expertise from the Northern and Southern Regions of Australia. Opportunities for face to face information sharing from N Banking experts will also be provided via a regional roadshow.

Outputs

Output 1

By June 2025 growers in the Western region will have access to a comprehensive report relating to N Banking principles in Western Australia

N Banking has been researched extensively in the Eastern States of Australia and many learnings can be derived from this body of work that have relevance to the Western Region. Private fertiliser companies have also investigated N Banking. Previous GRDC investments into Nitrogen could also be drawn upon to determine the relevance of N banking to certain parts of Western Australia. This investment proposes to conduct a desktop review of all relevant trial data from public and private sources relevant to the Western Region that could help to draw conclusions on the subject of N Banking including the current Ri$kWise and associated N Banking work carried out in the Esperance Port Zone. A comprehensive report outlining the benefits and disadvantages of N Banking in the Western Region can then be compiled to help growers understand the risks and rewards of N Banking. A GRDC Grow Notes or Factsheet style online manual will be developed to assist growers in their decision making to be updated as new results come to light from current projects.

Output 2

By March 2026 growers in the Western Region will have had the opportunity to hear directly from N Banking experts from the Southern and Northern region via a regional roadshow

Upon delivery of the desktop review report a regional roadshow will be delivered to growers utilising the expertise of N Banking experts such as Professor James Hunt and others to deliver the theory and principles of N Banking and the relevance to the Western Region.

This roadshow will comprise at least 2 subject matter experts on N Banking delivering findings directly to growers either on location at a relevant N Banking trial or in a seminar format in at least 5 regional locations evenly distributed in the Western Region from North to South. The successful applicant will need to liaise with the GRDC Manager to ensure co-ordination with other GRDC events in the region.

Proposed Budget

Proposed Contract & Term

GRDC will contract under the terms of the Services 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 13 months.

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
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.
Applications must be written 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.
1a	Demonstrated track record of the project team, including: a) relevant achievements of the project leader in providing leadership, co-ordination, management, monitoring and evaluation and the timely delivery of high quality outputs b) relevant technical knowledge and experience of all key personnel (including proposed subcontractors) in the research area c) relevant achievements in the delivery of commercial IP (if relevant) d) ability of the project team to collaborate with the relevant research organisations and industry personnel to build on the research (national and international) already undertaken in this area	30%
1b	A detailed plan to deliver the investment outcome and outputs, specifying the: specific information, products and/or services to be delivered key tasks/milestones, responsible parties and indicative timeframes project team structure and management arrangements, including collaborations with organisations, commercial companies and/or other projects with relevant data.	40%
1c	A summary of the organisations capability to effectively deliver the tendered work, including: accreditations facilities business support business relationships, data and IP access relevant to the project.	30%
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