Background
AgriFutures Australia is committed to supporting a sustainable, growing and prosperous ginger industry supplying product of the highest quality, that is strongly sought after by discerning consumers in Australia and around the world. To achieve this, AgriFutures Australia actively invests in research and development projects that support the achievement of the AgriFutures Ginger Program goal and align with the ginger industry’s research and development priorities.
Priority 2 of the RD&E Plan outlines supporting the development of new and emerging markets for Australian ginger, to uplift the consumption of ginger and grow the overall value of industry.
To support this, the AgriFutures Ginger Program did a scan of domestic and international research to identify the current trends in other ginger producing countries, to understand if there were any gaps in the Australian research or if there were valuable insights to validate in the Australia environment.
The Program identified there is no consistency in the defined chemical composition of ginger (that is the composition of macronutrients, vitamins, mineral, bioactive, phytochemical compounds etc in ginger). This is compounded by the fact that the volatile compounds in ginger change over time, throughout the supply chain dependant on handling, processing or environmental conditions.
As the health benefit potency of ginger is directly related to the proportion of volatile compounds, the industry is keen to understand the chemical composition of Australian ginger at various points of the supply chain (i.e. under different environmental conditions and post-harvest processes) as well as bench-marking Australian ginger against international produced ginger.
To enhance the value proposition of Australian ginger, the AgriFutures Ginger Program is seeking tenders from providers to:
- Define the chemical composition of Australian ginger at various points of the supply chain.
- Define the conditions and handling processes that influence the volatile compounds composition.
- Benchmark the chemical composition of Australian ginger against internationally grown ginger.
Applications close at 12pm (AEDT) on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.
Timeline
Activity |
Date |
RFQ – applications open |
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 |
RFQ – applications close |
Tuesday, 3 March 2026 |
Intended completion date of evaluation of respondents responses |
Late March 2026 |
Negotiations with respondents (if applicable) |
April 2026 |
Expected execution of contract or issue of agreement |
May 2026 |
Date of commencement of Project |
May 2026 |
Expected project completion date |
May 2028 |
Evaluation criteria
A respondent’s response will be evaluated against:
(a) The evaluation criteria identified in the table below; and
(b) The overall proposition presented in the respondent’s response.
Mandatory Requirements |
Complies |
Ability to meet the requirements |
Yes/No |
Full milestone/reporting table submitted with proposal |
Yes/No |
Final budget, with specified lines, submitted with proposal |
Yes/No |
Testimonials/references |
Yes/No |
Desirable requirements |
Complies |
Provide examples of your Organisation’s ability to provide a similar service. |
Yes/No |
Other Evaluation Criteria |
|
(a) Professional Expression of Interest Proposal |
|
(b) Organisation’s capability and resources |
|
(c) History of providing similar service |
|
(d) Availability to conduct audit and proposed completion date for report |
|
Submitting a response
Applications for this Request for Quote must be submitted online using the application in K2.
Respondent’s will be expected to provide:
- A detailed project plan – including timelines and the proposed milestone/reporting cycle, how the project will be conducted and how this will meet the requirements of the RFQ.
- A detailed budget (differentiating salary, oncosts, travel, communications etc) – attachments may be included.
- Examples of similar work the respondent has completed, including appropriate references who can be contacted to verify.
- Capability and relevant experience
The resultant Contract is expected to commence in May 2026 and is expected to run for a total of two years (concluding in 2028)
It is expected that a contract will be awarded based on how well a respondent addresses the objectives of the open tender. Selection will be based on the evaluation criteria. A detailed response will be beneficial. There is the opportunity to include additional attachments if necessary with your application in K2.
Applications for this Request for Quote must be submitted online using the application in K2.
Users must create a K2 account before submitting a proposal. To set up a secure account before submitting a proposal, please visit the login page below to access our new user or new company request forms.
Usernames and passwords will only be issued while the applicable round is open.
Terms of Reference
AgriFutures Australia uses standard form contracts and agreements for projects and research procured by AgriFutures Australia (please refer to https://www.agrifutures.com.au/contracts-and-agreements/). These contracts and agreements set out the terms on which AgriFutures Australia will engage successful applicants to carry out the project.
Applicants must be familiar with the contracts and agreements before submitting a response, and are advised to seek legal advice beforehand.
These contracts and agreements have been developed to reflect AgriFutures Australia’s statutory and other procurement responsibilities.
If you require any amendments to the standard agreement please complete the statement of non-compliance for each of the relevant clause. AgriFutures will then assess those requests.
Applicants will be taken to have agreed to all clauses in the Service Provider Agreement that are not referred to in a statement of non-compliance. The extent of any non-compliance will be a factor in AgriFutures Australia’s evaluation of the application.
If you require further information regarding these contracts and agreements please contact:
Contact
If you have any questions about the Request for Quote process, please contact:
Frequently asked questions
Is this project open to non-Australian-based companies?
Yes, it is, as long as they can demonstrate that they can produce suitable recommendations for Australian producers.
What is the budget for this request for quote?
The AgriFutures Ginger Program budget can be found in the AgriFutures Annual Operating Report. The Program invests in multiple projects in line with the RD&E Plan to meet industry priorities. The Advisory Panel will assess the cost of proposal against the value for money and, the capacity and capability of the proposed team against the capacity and appetite of the industry.
I have some feedback about this request for quote.
What ginger is in scope for this project?
The Australian Ginger Industry is interested in the composition of Australian fresh ginger and benchmarked against international ginger from major ginger growing countries (i.e. China, India, Vietnam, Thailand etc). As the industry seeks to understand the composition of ginger at different harvest times and throughout the supply chain, a productive relationship with the ginger industry is essential to the successful delivery of this project. As ginger production is largely concentrated in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, the AgriFutures Ginger Program can facilitate domestic strategic introductions, where required. Please do not contact the Ginger Advisory Panel before the outcome of your tender is communicated.
When does this RFQ close?
The RFQ close has been extended to the 3rd of March, the Panel assessment is still expected for late March.
How does the Advisory Panel assess budgets and value for money in RFQ submissions, and what role do emerging industry issues play during contract negotiation?
As investments are funded through grower levies and matched by the Commonwealth, procurements must demonstrate value for money in-line with the project activities and, capability and capacity of the project team. The Advisory Panel will assess the overall proposed budget, while considering the current Program budget and existing investments. At times, with successful applicants, the Advisory Panel may make additional commentary during contract negotiation on the specific project activities upon reflection of emerging industry issues and changing industry priorities.
Does AgriFutures cover organisation overheads?
AgriFutures does not typically accept overheads on projects. As a Research Development Corporation (RDC), our research funds are entirely derived from grower levies and the Australian Government, and the research we fund is for the direct benefit of our rural industries. It is critical that these funds are managed responsibly to ensure the sustainability and prosperity of our industries.
For this reason, AgriFutures applies a strict approach to overheads. Any inclusion of overheads will only be considered through negotiation, with a maximum allowable rate. If an overheard inclusion is to be negotiated, this must be transparently detailed within the proposed project budget submitted for consideration. Proposed overhead breakdown and cost will form part of AgriFutures’ overall assessment and will be considered alongside value for money, project impact, and alignment with industry priorities as part of the review of project proposals.
By carefully managing indirect costs, AgriFutures ensures that levy payers’ funds are directed toward delivering research with greater impact at a reasonable and sustainable cost.
How comprehensive should the proposed budget be?
The budget must be as comprehensive and accurate as the applicant can ensure at the time of submission. All relevant activities that are proposed to be conducted under the project must be budgeted for; this would also include any relevant costings where subcontractors are used to deliver project activities or outcomes (Note all subcontractors are subject to AgriFutures approval, as outlined in our current research agreement). Value for money forms part of the Panel’s assessment of projects, and where additional costs past the Panel endorsement stage, this can have an effect on the negotiations progress.
What methodology and capabilities are the Advisory Panel looking for in tenders?
To support the benchmarking, and in establishing the baseline with Australian ginger, the Advisory Panel seeks proposals with justified robust, replicable methodology. Proposals must accurately reflect the organization’s capability and capacity to deliver the proposed scope of work.
How will the findings and recommendations be used?
The Advisory Panel have outlined that this project is directly related to Priority 2 of the RD&E Plan. As the priority of this research is increasing the value proposition of Australian ginger for culinary or medicinal purposes, any recommendations should be complementary to current industry practises of producing fresh ginger, and accessible to the target audience. To facilitate this, there is an AgriFutures Ginger Program funded extension provider for the Australian ginger industry – successful tenders are expected to engage with them once the contract is signed and the project started.