Proof of Concept Funding

Reference number: PROC-9177135

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Release date:: Monday 09 December 2024
Closing time:: Friday 14 February 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time
Enquiry deadline:: Wednesday 29 January 2025, at 05:00 PM ACT local time

Please be advised that from COB Thursday, 19 December 2024 until Friday, 3 January 2025 no tender enquiries will be addressed. Responses will resume on Monday, 6 January 2025.

PLEASE NOTE - A change has been made to this summary as of 17 December 2024.

Summary

The GRDC Proof of Concept Funding program focusses on research activities that provide critical information to give confidence in the potential concept or innovation and facilitates the scoping of future research and development.

Proof of concept activities are a critical step in the development of any innovation. It is at this stage that evidence demonstrating the feasibility of an innovative concept is generated, typically through experimentation or pilot projects. Proof of concept investments are usually time-sensitive, relatively low in capital and set the scene for future development plans, typically involving a significant increase in the financial resources as well as technical sophistication required to take the innovation all the way to adoption and impact.

Example eligible activities include:

in planta proof of concept studies in relevant models;
controlled environment trials, in-silico modelling;
pest management methods/technology in situ;
analysis to support future investment decisions such as use-case analysis, and
feasibility studies.

The Proof of Concept Funding will also seek to support cross industry/discipline technology translation activities to encourage the application of existing research and development from adjacent industries, within the grains industry.

Strategic Alignment

GRDC welcomes proposals in all Focus Areas identified in GRDC’s Research, Development & Extension Plan 2023-28. The alignment with GRDC’s strategy will be considered as part of the evaluation criteria.

Activities must be supported by a plan for research and development activities to realise the concept and deliver the benefits to Australian grain growers.

Offer period

Offers will remain open for acceptance by the GRDC for a period of 4 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 Wednesday, 29 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 accept Tenders from Consortia.

Lodgement of Tender

Submit your Tender response electronically through the Grains Investment Portal.

Applicants are invited to submit their proposal to the Grains Investment Portal using the Proposal template (Word) provided (max 6 pages).

The template requires applicants to address evaluation criteria which proposals will be evaluated by.

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?Id=b0b6ad53-c954-4566-a97a-8ee0c7d2c891

Description

GRDC’s purpose is to invest in research, development and extension that creates enduring profitability for Australian grain growers. To help deliver on its purpose GRDC seeks applications for funding to support early-stage innovations that have the potential to create value for Australian grains growers and require proof of concept studies to demonstrate their feasibility and applicability to the industry.

Funding will support key early-stage research and development activities that will provide critical information to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept or innovation or support cross industry/discipline technology translation activities of existing research and development from adjacent industries. This is an open, competitive process and not all applicants may be awarded funding.

To participate in this process, applicants must be seeking funding that is less than $250,000.00 excluding GST, with a minimum of 1:1 leveraged funding of financial commitments or in-kind equivalent. Research must align to the research and development priorities of the Australian grains industry identified in the GRDC RD&E Plan 2023-28. Proof of concept activities and milestones, including reporting, must be completely within 18 months of commencement.

Outcome

Output

Proposed Budget

Proposed Contract & Term

GRDC will contract under the terms of the GRDC Funding Agreement.

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 no more than 18 months.

Conditions for Participation

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

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.
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 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.

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:

Applicants must complete the Proposal template and submit it via 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.
When submitting their Tenders through the Grains Investment Portal, Applicants must respond “yes - fully compliant” in the Contract Compliance statement section. GRDC does not intend to enter negotiations with Applicants and will not consider Applications that are not fully compliant with the Funding Agreement.

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	The proposal demonstrates a strategic fit and benefit to Australian grain growers: The research/technology or application of the research/technology is a novel concept to the grains industry. Strategic alignment to a GRDC Focus Area(s) The innovation has a compelling, significant, and realistic value proposition to benefit to the Australian grains industry.	40%
1b	The proposal’s project plan describes the activities necessary to achieve proof of concept objectives, efficiently and effectively and in the specified timeframe.	30%
1c	The proposal describes the following aspects of the development of the innovation post-PoC stage: high level steps of the research and development program and the pathway(s) to market, including intended end users, and estimated future funding, infrastructure, and capability requirements	20%
1d	Key personnel, detailing relevant: experience within relevant industry/scientific discipline achievements of the Project Lead in providing effective leadership, management and timely delivery of high quality outputs.	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

Lodging a Tender

Submit your Tender in the Grains Investment Portal by 5pm Canberra local time on Friday, 14 February 2025.

Applicants must complete the proposal template and submit it via the Grains Investment Portal (GIP). For sections of the proposal template that are duplicated in the GIP, applicants may simply indicate "As per proposal document."