National leading practice management of stored grain pests

Reference number: PROC-9177242

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Release date:: Monday 24 March 2025
Closing time:: Tuesday 22 April 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time
Enquiry deadline:: Tuesday 15 April 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time

Summary

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is seeking suitably qualified organisations to deliver a nationally coordinated program for resistance monitoring and best-practice management of stored grain pests. This investment builds on the success of previous programs and aims to safeguard the effectiveness of key fumigants, including phosphine and sulfuryl fluoride, while ensuring compliance with market access requirements.

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: Anjana Gakhar
Grains Research and Development Corporation
Email: anjana.gakhar@grdc.com.au

Make all requests for further information or clarification in relation to this procurement in writing (email) prior to 15 April 2025.

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

https://www.tenders.gov.au/Advert/Show/e37c8e2f-b5a3-41aa-93a1-b4a6fa30e54e

Description

The successful tenderer will be required to:

Conduct national resistance monitoring for key stored grain pests, using scientifically validated sampling and testing methodologies.
Develop and refine fumigation protocols for high-sorptive grains such as canola, ensuring practical solutions for growers and bulk handlers.
Enhance rapid diagnostic testing to enable early detection of strong resistance and emerging threats.
Provide evidence-based recommendations on treatment strategies to maintain fumigant efficacy and prevent control failures.
Deliver a targeted communication and extension program to support industry adoption of best-practice resistance management strategies (working with the National Grain Storage Development and Extension (NGSDE) Team, PRB2412-001SAX).

The outcomes of this investment will help reduce post-harvest losses, maintain grain quality, and support the long-term profitability of Australia’s grain industry. GRDC encourages applications from research institutions and industry organisations with demonstrated expertise in resistance monitoring, grain storage pest management, and extension activities.

Outcome

From September 2025, the national resistance monitoring program for stored grain insect pests will provide timely and accurate warnings of the emergence of new resistances and the spread of known resistances. As a result, growers and bulk handlers will be able to avoid pest control failures and implement effective, evidence-based strategies to manage resistant insect populations. This will ensure the continued efficacy of key treatments, reduce the economic impact of resistance, and help maintain market access for Australian grain, safeguarding both industry profitability and food security.

Outputs

Output 1: National resistance monitoring and management

From September 2025 onwards, deliver a nationally coordinated program to monitor resistance to phosphine, sulfuryl fluoride, and spinosad across all major grain-growing regions, enabling early detection and targeted management of resistance outbreaks.

Details:

Conduct timely resistance monitoring using statistically sound sampling protocols for key pests, including Rhyzopertha dominica, Tribolium castaneum, and Cryptolestes ferrugineus.
Expand monitoring activities to include additional storage environments and tailored sampling strategies in high-risk regions.
Provide early warnings of significant resistance detections and implement immediate containment measures in collaboration with growers and bulk handlers.
Evaluate the success of containment measures annually and refine eradication strategies as needed.

Output 2: Resistance trends and treatment effectiveness

From September 2025 onwards, provide detailed annual analyses of resistance trends, treatment effectiveness, and emerging resistance patterns to inform long-term resistance management strategies.

Details:

Analyse resistance data annually to identify trends, severity, and geographic spread, and assess cross-resistance patterns in affected pest populations.
Characterise new resistance as it emerges and evaluate the effectiveness of existing treatments to inform improved management strategies.
Present updated treatment recommendations to the National Working Party on Grain Protection (NWPGP) for industry adoption.
Publish region-specific reports outlining pest prevalence, resistance severity, and actionable management guidelines to ensure effective implementation at the grower and bulk handler level.

Output 3: Enhanced resistance testing protocols

By September 2028, develop and validate new resistance testing protocols to strengthen the monitoring program and provide actionable insights to industry.

Details:

Expand quick test availability for diagnosing strong phosphine resistance in pests such as Tribolium castaneum and Cryptolestes ferrugineus.
Develop testing protocols for sulfuryl fluoride resistance in Rhyzopertha dominica, validated through laboratory assays.
Deliver practical guidelines for implementing these protocols across industry testing facilities.

Output 4: Tailored fumigation protocols for high-sorptive grains

By December 2027, establish practical fumigation protocols for canola and other high-sorptive grains, validated through field trials and supported by updated label recommendations.

Details:

Conduct laboratory trials to refine fumigant dosages and ventilation periods for high-sorptive grains.
Perform field trials to validate fumigation protocols in diverse storage systems, including cone and flat-bottom silos.
Develop updated fumigation guidelines, ensuring alignment with industry safety and efficacy standards.

Output 5: Communication and extension activities

By December 2025 and updated annually, develop and implement a communication and extension (C&E) plan to ensure broad industry adoption of updated resistance management practices.

Details:

C&E Plan to be developed in consultation with GRDC and coordination with the National Stored Grain Extension Team.
Deliver annual updates on resistance trends and management practices through workshops, publications, and online platforms.
Collaborate with the National Stored Grain Extension Team (as needed, including at least one face-to-face meeting and two online meetings per annum) to develop consistent messaging and region-specific resources.
Provide grower training sessions on the application of new fumigation protocols and quick tests.
Establish feedback loops to measure adoption rates and address barriers to implementation.

Output 6: Monitoring and evaluation of investment impact

From December 2025, deliver a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to assess the impact and success of the resistance monitoring program, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with industry needs.

Details:

By December 2025, develop a robust M&E framework to track key metrics, including resistance trends (frequency, severity, geographic spread), adoption rates of management strategies, and economic impacts (cost savings and loss reductions) for growers and bulk handlers.
Capture stakeholder feedback through surveys, interviews, and workshops to assess program satisfaction, adoption barriers, and areas for improvement.
Conduct a mid-contract review by December 2027 to assess progress, validate key metrics, and address any emerging challenges or gaps.
Deliver a final M&E report by August 2029, detailing program achievements, quantified economic impacts, and recommendations for future investments and resistance management improvements.

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 4 year term.

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.
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.
1a	Capability and Personnel Demonstrated ability to deliver national-scale resistance monitoring and pest management projects, including: Track record in resistance monitoring, fumigation protocols, and stored grain pest management. Technical expertise in resistance testing, diagnostic tools, fumigation strategies, and industry extension. Facilities and infrastructure for lab testing, field trials, and data analysis. Industry collaboration with bulk handlers, growers, and research institutions. Project leadership in managing large programs, meeting timelines, and coordinating multi-stakeholder collaborations.	30%
1b	Methodology and Project Plan Clear approach to achieving project outputs, including: Experimental design and statistical analysis for resistance testing and treatment evaluation. Project structure, milestones & management to ensure timely delivery. Research and field validation sites to support industry-relevant findings.	30%
1c	Path to Market and Adoption Plan to ensure industry uptake and impact, including: Target users (e.g., growers, bulk handlers, advisers, GRDC). Key outputs (e.g., resistance reports, fumigation protocols, diagnostic tools, training). Communication and extension via workshops, digital platforms, and industry collaboration. Commercialisation potential (if applicable) for IP or diagnostic tools.	20%
1d	Intellectual Property (IP) A summary of the IP including: Existing IP that you intend to use during the project and whether this would cause any restrictions on the use, publication or commercialisation of the intended project outputs. New IP that may be created during the project. How IP will be managed.	10%
1e	Data Management An overview of your approach to data management in accordance with GRDC RD&E Data Management Guidelines, including: Existing data that you intend to use during the project and any potential restrictions on its use, including in publication or commercialisation of the intended project outputs How all data will be managed during the investment New valuable data that will be created during the project and the Approved Repository where it will be stored. Note: We recommend searching the GRDC Data Catalogue for data that could be used in your proposed work, either by negating the need to generate new data or by adding to analyses being carried out.	10%
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