Background
The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) Improved Access to Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Program helps Australian agricultural industries gain improved access to safe and effective chemical uses, particularly where the cost of generating regulatory data may not be commercially viable.
AgriFutures Australia has been awarded ten grants under Round 11, with a combined value of $2.05 million exclusive of GST. The funded activities address priority chemical uses for smaller and emerging plant industries and include work to support new label uses, crop-group label uses and minor-use permits.
All ten projects have been scoped, approved and funded. At commencement, the successful contractor will receive the executed grant agreements, approved applications, project budgets, milestones and reporting requirements. All Round 11 grant agreements conclude on 31 July 2031.
Purpose of this RFQ
AgriFutures Australia is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced contractor to provide end-to-end project management services for the ten Round 11 grant projects.
The contractor will coordinate technical delivery and administration, procure and manage research providers, hold the research-provider contracts, monitor budgets and risks, and meet the reporting obligations described in this RFQ and the grant agreements.
The budget ceiling for the project-management services is $410,000 exclusive of GST. The contract is expected to commence on 16 October 2026 and conclude on 29 October 2031.
The period between the grant agreement end date and contract completion is intended to allow for final reconciliation, acquittal, completion reporting and contract close-out.
This Request for Quote closes on Tuesday, 6 October 2026 at 1 pm AEST.
Timeline
Activity |
Date |
RFQ – applications open |
Monday 21 September 2026 |
End of period for questions or requests for information |
Friday 2 October 2026 |
RFQ – applications close |
1pm, Tuesday 6 October 2026 AEST |
Intended completion date of evaluation of respondents’ responses |
Friday 9 October 2026 |
Negotiations with respondents (if applicable) |
Monday 12 October 2026 |
Expected execution of contract or issue of agreement |
Friday 16 October 2026 |
Evaluation criteria
Responses will be evaluated against the mandatory requirements, weighted criteria and overall proposition. AgriFutures Australia may undertake reference checks and may invite shortlisted respondents to participate in an interview if considered appropriate.
Submitting a response
Responses must be submitted online through K2 and should include the following information:
- Executive summary
- Key personnel and team structure
- Capability, qualifications and experience
- Project plan and methodology
- Budget Provide a detailed project-management budget.
- Conflicts and contractual compliance
- Relevant examples and referees
The resultant Contract is expected to commence as soon as practicable after the successful service provider has been identified and contract negotiations have concluded.
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.
How to make a submission
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.
FAQs
Yes. The approved grant amount for each project represents the total funding available for project delivery. This includes project management and coordination activities as well as the generation and analysis of data required to support regulatory outcomes. The total cost of project delivery must be managed within the approved grant amount for each project.
Costs associated with regulatory support activities, including regulatory advice, regulatory strategy, dossier preparation, permit or registration support, APVMA pre-application advice (PAA), and other specialist regulatory activities, should be included within the Project Management Services budget.
No. Formal pre-application advice (PAA) from the APVMA has not been sought for any of the Round 11 projects. The projects were developed through the Agvet Chemicals Forum and grant application process, which included scoping of the anticipated data requirements and project activities.
Project Management Services costs relate to the coordination, management and administration of the grant activities, including project planning, procurement, stakeholder engagement, regulatory coordination, reporting, budget management and oversight of research providers.
Trial expenditure relates to the delivery of research activities, including field and laboratory studies, data generation and analysis, and other technical work undertaken by research providers to support the intended regulatory outcome.
Respondents are only required to provide a detailed Project Management Services budget.
The budget should include project management fees and expenses associated with the services to be provided and must not include trial expenditure (research-provider) funds.
While respondents are not required to submit detailed trial budgets, they should ensure that their proposed Project Management Services costs are proportionate to the overall grant funding and allow sufficient funds to remain available for the delivery of the required studies, trials, data generation and analysis activities.