NGN Water quality impacts on herbicide efficacy

Reference number: PROC-9177244

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Release date:: Friday 28 March 2025
Closing time:: Tuesday 06 May 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time
Enquiry deadline:: Tuesday 29 April 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time

Summary

The quality of water used in spraying operations is essential for achieving optimal weed control in cropping systems. Reduced herbicide efficacy can significantly contribute to herbicide resistance in weeds and negatively affect profitability if spray applications do not effectively reduce the weed population.

Enhancing growers' understanding of water quality test results will enable them to make more informed weed management decisions, which could involve either improving water quality or making appropriate herbicide choices.

This issue has been raised by growers at Northern Region NGN forums in 2023 and 2024 and is a matter of concern.

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, Lyndal Gordon
Grains Research and Development Corporation
Email: Lyndal.Gordon@grdc.com.au

Make all requests for further information or clarification in relation to this procurement in writing (email) prior to 29 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

TBC.

Description

The quality of water used in spraying operations is crucial for achieving optimal weed control in cropping systems. Poor water quality can reduce the effectiveness of herbicides, which can significantly contribute to the development of herbicide resistance in weeds. This, in turn, negatively impacts profitability if spray applications do not effectively reduce the weed population. Growers have raised this issue at Northern Region NGN forums in 2023 and 2024, highlighting it as a matter of concern.

Enhancing growers' understanding of water quality test results will enable them to make more informed weed management decisions. This could involve either improving water quality or selecting appropriate herbicides based on the test results.

This investment aims to develop resources that support growers in understanding the importance of water testing in effective weed management. These resources will guide them on how to interpret water test results and use this knowledge to create a business action plan. Focus groups will be utilized to inform the development of these resources, ensuring that the outputs meet growers' needs and can be used in broader extension activities.

Outcome

Outputs

Output 1: Focus Groups

By May 2027, growers in key area who rely on bore water will understand the quality of water they have access to on property for use with herbicide mixing and options available to them to improve water quality and herbicide efficacy as well as improved decision making of herbicide choice.

Deliverables include:

Establishment of a minimum of 12 targeted focus groups.
Focus groups should be established in the Upper and Lower Namoi and Lachlan valleys of NSW and the Central Queensland, Balonne, Darling Downs and Border Rivers regions of Queensland - Water quality testing costs to be covered in the project operating expenses.
Develop written materials that support the focus groups.
Support growers to interpret water quality test results.
Focus groups will improve understanding amongst participants of impact of water quality on herbicide efficacy.
Assist growers to develop an action plan for their business that details potential infrastructure options and or herbicide options that best suit their available water and cropping system.
Focus group activities and feedback may also identify opportunities for this issue to be communicated to the broader industry through output 2.

Output 2: Communication and Extension

By May 2027, delivery of extension and communication activities targeted at growers, advisors and spray contractors to increase their understanding of water quality issues on herbicide efficacy and actions that can be taken to improve this.

Deliverables include:

Minimum of 4 case studies to be developed that are derived from Output 1. Case studies to be promoted through GRDC communication channels.
Conduct a webinar or similar that communicates water quality issues on herbicide efficacy.
Be available to provide this knowledge for GRDC Research Updates if requested.
Develop written content from issues or opportunities raised in the focus group from output 1, that will be formatted, published, and promoted through communication platforms such as GRDC.

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 30 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.
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	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.	60%
1b	Evidence of the ability and experience to deliver similar investment outcomes, including details of previous relevant project/s where the organisation has: Met contractual obligations. Managed and designed experiments. Managed sub-contracts. Collaboration with relevant organisations and industry (national and/or international) to build on the work already undertaken in this area. Achieved impact. Note: include details of the impact.	40%
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
4	Australian economy – The economic benefit of the procurement to the Australian economy.	N/A