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NGN Weed control Ag tech demonstration for the Vic Mallee and North Central Subregions

NGN Weed control Ag tech demonstration for the Vic Mallee and North Central Subregions

Reference number: PROC-9177176

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Release date:: Monday 02 December 2024
Closing time:: Thursday 23 January 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time
Enquiry deadline:: Thursday 16 January 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time
Industry briefing: Refer to Clause 10 RFT Terms and Conditions on how to register.

Summary

Growers at the Natya and Manangatang NGN Forums identified a desire to understand the options, fit and return on investment (ROI) of emerging ag tech weed control options that could benefit their operations. It was noted that growers are optimistically anticipating the role new weed control technology may be able to play in reducing herbicide input and weed management costs and maintaining grain market access by changing use patterns for herbicide chemistries. However, the high cost of the new technology adds significant risk and a potential barrier to adoption. Hence growers are keen to understand the fit, efficacy and impact on ROI of different weed management options. Of the options available, attendees were most keen to see green-on-green spray technology, automated sprayers, drone technology and non-chemical tech options such as mechanical and laser weeders demonstrated. Consequently, this investment is designed to demonstrate these technology types in local Victorian Mallee and North Central subregions, including side by side comparisons of the efficacy of weed control to assist growers in understanding the best fit for their local environment and evaluate the ROI of each new technology.

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: Lyndal Gordon, Contract Administrator
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 16 January 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

Outcome

Outputs

Output 1.

Title: Weed control ag technology demonstration days and weed control trials.

Description: By August 2025 and 2027 deliver six weed control ag tech demonstration trials, one at each of three locations in 2025 and again at similar locations in 2027. Locations will be in the Victorian Mallee and North Central sub regions.

Weed control ag tech demonstration days should include a range of technologies and manufacturer equipment with comparisons of technologies undertaken at the type of technology level and not product comparison. Approaches should be agnostic to manufacturer type.

Weed technologies which should be consider for inclusion but not limited to include green on green, automated/robotic and drone spray technology, mechanical. Whilst demonstration of electric and laser weeders is not proposed they may form part of discussions around viability and fire risks.

Demonstration days should include facilitated peer to peer discussion on the fit of technologies to local conditions and encourage sharing of experiences of attendees. Facilitated discussion should include costs, potential benefits, risks and discussion of ROI in local context such as technical risks and digital systems readiness.

Demonstrations should be undertaken in strips with assessments of efficacy of weed control undertaken as a comparison against technology types.

The provider will be responsible for the organisation, collaboration with manufacturers, promotion, trial plan, methodology, implementation, observations, collation, statistical analysis and discussion and extension of results, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of event and reporting to GRDC.

M&E of this program must include grower survey approaches at two time points (2025 and 2027) designed in consultation with GRDC and considering how the events and extension have informed decision-making processes.

Co-investment approaches from manufacturers particularly by way of provision of and skilled demonstration of equipment is expected. An open approach must be used to engaged ag tech manufacturers... see website listing for full output detail.

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 2 years.

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 clear and thorough plan to deliver the project outcome, specifying: Expected steps deliver the outcome (pathway to market) and outputs including key tasks/milestones, responsible parties and indicative timeframes. Identification to target users of the project outputs (who will the project directly deliver to e.g. grower, adviser, plant breeder, pathologist, the GRDC) Specific information, promotional plan, products and/or services to be delivered to target users. Project team structure and management arrangements, including collaborations with organisations, commercial companies and/or other project with relevant data.	50%
1b	A summary of the organisational and personnel capability to effectively deliver the tendered work, including: Project Management and reporting, monitoring and evaluation, collaboration with industry partners, technical capability, extension design. Business relationships, data and IP access relevant to the project. Full list of personnel, capabilities, project team role and time allocation to the project.	40%
1c	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 protect and any potential restrictions on its use, including in publication or commercialisation pf 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 recommended 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
4	Australian economy - The economic benefit of the procurement to the Australian economy.	N/A

Lodging a Tender

Questions and Answers

Q1. Confirm the current expectations for the proposed timings and location of each of the three-weed control ag tech demonstration trials in 2025 and again in 2027, to tailor our response to best suit needs of the GRDC request. I understand that as per the details the locations will be in 'Victorian Mallee and Northern Central sub regions', however, I am hoping to confirm whether the expectation is that the timings/ final location specifics are to be part of the initial proposal and recommended approach from the applicants, or are there specific logistical requirements for each demonstration that will be confirmed before/after the tender has been awarded?

A1. This investment is designed to deliver against the issues prioritised at the Natya and Manangatang GRDC NGN Forums. Consequently, it is expected that two of the locations would be near to these locations however applicants are encouraged to use their networks to recommend any additional locations or propose alternatives if there is a good rationale for doing so. Understanding applicants will put forward a planned approach. Specifics of the approach will be further discussed and agreed through the negotiation process with the preferred applicant(s).