Background
AgriFutures Australia is a Research and Development Corporation, with core functions in People and Leadership, National Challenges and Opportunities, Levied Industries, Emerging Industries, and Global Innovation programs including evokeAG. and growAG..
AgriFutures is looking for a graphic design agency to place on a retainer for a two-year term 1 May 2026 – 1 May 2028, with the option to extend for a further year 1 May 2028 – 1 May 2029, to deliver their standard graphic design work.
The graphic design agency also will also work closely with the AgriFutures Communications Team to ensure Brand Guidelines are up to date and be the strategic lead from a branding/design perspective ensuring AgriFutures’ approach to design continues to be innovative and considered best practice.
Timeline
Timeline
Activity |
Date |
RFQ – applications open |
Monday, 2 February 2026 |
RFQ – applications close |
Monday, 2 March 2026 |
Intended completion date of evaluation of submissions |
Friday, 19 March 2026 |
Expected execution of contract or issue of agreement |
Friday, 9 April 2026 |
Date of commencement of Project |
Friday, 1 May 2026 |
Expected project completion date |
Monday, 1 May 2028 |
Service requirements
AgriFutures Australia has a budget of $18,000 per month (excluding GST) to spend on design works across our strategic focus areas.
We understand that some months will be busier/quieter than others however we are looking for an agency to complete “standard design work”, including, but not limited to, the following items:
- Design of AgriFutures research outputs such as final reports, fact sheets, summaries, toolkits. This may involve repurposing complex research content into visually appealing resources for print and online, or creation of standard Adobe templates for internal use. It would also include any alterations to these documents, which can at times be substantial, and quick corrections such as reformatting or removing a date.
- Creation of AgriFutures program collateral to support communication campaigns, events, sponsorship activities and advertising needs e.g. flyers, handbooks, booth signage etc.
- Creation of AgriFutures corporate documents including annual reports and supporting collateral
- Digital assets such as social media templates and website banners
- AgriFutures corporate and program templates incl. PowerPoint decks, letterheads, email signatures, business cards, pull up banners
- Creation and strategic oversight of corporate and program brand guidelines incl. new program logos and associated guidelines for use
Please note that over this contract period AgriFutures will be developing a new five-year Strategic Plan which may result in new brand guidelines being developed.
The successful agency will receive briefs from our team with the work completed deducted from the bank of monthly hours.
It is AgriFutures’ preference that at the end of each month, any left-over hours can be carried over to the next month and so on. However, AgriFutures also understand that carrying hours over will need to have a limited timeframe attached to this. For example, any hours carried over need to be used within eight months.
It is also AgriFutures’ preference that we can then use any hours carried over for special projects that may come in. If the bank of monthly hours is exceeded, the successful agency will then charge AgriFutures at their normal rate for any works that need to take place over and above the monthly retainer.
We would like to host a planning session with the successful agency to discuss processes and create an efficient and effective flow of work and information between our two organisations. We currently use Monday.com.
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 |
Weighting |
Adherence to the RFQ – met deadline, included all required information/sections complete. |
10% |
Number of hours per month will be included under the retainer of $18,000 per month (excluding GST) |
10% |
The rate that will be charged per hour for any work that is over this monthly hour allocation |
5% |
Demonstrated organisational capability: Ability to interpret and translate a brief – Attention to detail and time management – Understanding of current graphic design trends – Ability to manage a high volume of work and collaborate across multiple areas of the organisation Experience using different software |
30% |
Provide examples of your organisation’s ability to provide a similar service – refer to standard design work above. This should demonstrate your innovation approach to modern design Demonstrates innovation of design/exception of branding |
30% |
Are you a government approved service provider? |
5% |
Testimonials/references |
10% |
Submitting a response
Applications for this Request for Quote must be submitted to the designated project contact officer.
Respondent’s will be expected to provide:
- How many hours per month will be included under the retainer of $18,000 per month (excluding GST)?
- What is the rate that will be charged per hour for any work that is over this monthly hour allocation?
- Team structure – who would be working on our business and their credentials
- Suggested process/ workflow given high volume of work and the ability to work with/manage interactions with multiple stakeholders
- Examples of related work
- Testimonials or references from companies that you have provided a similar service.
Your response can be in the format of your choice.
The resultant Contract is expected to commence on 1 May 2026.
It is expected that a contract will be awarded based on how well a respondent addresses the objectives of the tender. Selection will be based on the evaluation criteria. A detailed response will be beneficial.
HOW TO MAKE A SUBMISSION
Applications for this Request for Quote must be submitted to the designated project contact officer, Ellie Pattinson, by 9am AEDT Monday, 2 March 2026
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
What is the typical monthly utilisation historically (approx hours/month), and how variable are peaks across the year?
Over the last 12months we are ranging between 100-120 hours per month.
Can you confirm your preferred carry-over rules: expiry period (you mention 8 months as an example), whether carried hours are used FIFO (oldest first), and any maximum cap on banked hours at any time?
To-date our provider has been very flexible, we track hours on a monthly basis and will just continue to roll over. There are peaks and troughs, so hours are generally not banked up for long.
For special projects using carried hours, can scheduling be by mutual agreement to avoid displacing BAU priorities?
Yes, this is how we work.
Which deliverable types are highest volume in practice (research outputs, digital assets/templates, event collateral, corporate publications, brand work)?
Highest is research reports.
Annual report: is this expected in each year of the contract term, and what is the typical page count/complexity?
Correct we have an Annual Report and an Annual Operating plan that are developed each year. Refer to links for page numbers.
Brand work: do you anticipate new program logos/guidelines as occasional requests, or is there an expected broader refresh during the term?
We don’t produce new logos or guidelines often; however we have a new Strategic Plan which is due to go through design this year, which we could see a refresh of our branding guidelines. We have also been working with an accessibility partner, and we are expected to see some branding tweaks come from this.
How many stakeholder reviewers typically contribute per job, and who is the final approver?
You will only deal with the one AgriFutures rep per project, we will manage approvals internally.
Are there any standard internal sign-off steps (e.g., legal/executive/program) that affect turnaround time?
Corporate reports will go up to the MD for approval and research reports will go to GMs.
What are the typical turnaround expectations for (a) minor amends, (b) standard assets , and (c) complex publications?
a) minor amends are within the day
b) standard assets 2-5 days
c) complex publications 1-3 weeks.
Will the successful agency be added to your Monday.com workflow for briefing/approvals, and is there a preferred brief template/process you’d like followed?
Yes, we will the successful provider to Monday.com, and we will share with you our briefing template and process for input.