REMINDER: If you are a relevant employer within the meaning of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 and seeking to supply goods or services to government at or above $80,000, the Workplace Gender Equality Procurement Principles require you to provide a Certificate of Compliance with the Act as part of the procurement process.

To be eligible for a Compliance Certificate you must submit a report to WGEA by 31 May 2024 or seek an extension before 31 May and submit your report within the extension period. To seek an extension, please email support@wgea.gov.au with the subject heading Application for extension.

Closed ATM View - PROC-9176000

Facilitating adoption of integrated weed management strategies for Feathertop Rhodes grass in the Northern Region, Prg 1

Linda McDougall

Phone: 0472832502

Email Address: northern@grdc.com.au

Web Address: https://grdc.com.au/research/applying-and-reporting/current-procurement/open-tenders

Document(s) Contact Name:
Linda McDougall

Document(s) Contact Phone:
0472832502

Document(s) Contact Email:
northern@grdc.com.au

ATM ID:

PROC-9176000

Agency:

Grains Research and Development Corporation

Category:

70140000 - Crop production and management and protection

Close Date & Time:

1-Aug-2019 5:00 pm (ACT Local Time)
Show close time for other time zones

Publish Date:

5-Jul-2019

Location:

NSW, QLD
Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane

ATM Type:

Request for Tender

Multi Agency Access:

Panel Arrangement:

Multi-stage:

Description:

Project Background

Feathertop Rhodes grass is a highly aggressive weed that, despite being a focus of several research efforts, is continuing to increase in incidence and severity in northern farming systems. The recent confirmation of resistance to glyphosate also highlights the need to manage the weed with an integrated systems approach. This proposal builds on work in DAQ00105, US00084, and NGA00004 that have investigated various strategies for managing feathertop Rhodes grass in the summer/winter cropping areas of the Northern Region.

To facilitate improved management of feathertop Rhodes grass in Queensland and northern NSW, a communication and extension campaign is required. The procurement will update the current feathertop Rhodes grass integrated weed management (IWM) publication for winter/summer cropping areas by incorporating recent research results and will be used as the focus of a targeted extension campaign.

In the winter cropping areas of southern NSW, research is required to develop a locally adapted feathertop Rhodes grass IWM plan for the prevailing farming system. This should be based on the existing IWM plan but will need to address:

1. differences in the value of residual herbicides (based on the presence of sandy, acidic, low OC soils, lower and winter dominant rainfall and crop choice) taking into account possible product registration opportunities

2. differences in the effectiveness of cultivation (based on soil type)

3. use of Site-Specific Weed Management

4. opportunities for management in the pasture phase (e.g. chemical options and with grazing as a first step in a double knock) and

5. the impact of livestock on both spread and/or control of the weed (e.g. livestock field preference and feathertop Rhodes grass regrowth).

Extension of this work to growers in southern NSW is a key component of this procurement.

Project Description

This investment consists of two interrelated procurements. The applicant may apply for one, or both the procurements (PROC-9176001 Program 2 and this one). Where only one of the procurements is applied for, applicants should demonstrate how they will link with the corresponding program.

This investment Program 1 will:

1. Update the IWM plan for feathertop Rhodes grass (originally released in 2014) and use targeted extension and communication strategies to facilitate adoption of it in northern NSW and Queensland.

Applications should clearly demonstrate how the proposed program will cover the entire winter/summer cropping belt of northern NSW and Queensland.

Expected Outcome

By June 2024, the extent and impact of Feathertop Rhodes grass on grain yield in the Northern Region will be reduced through growers implementing integrated weed management strategies.

Expected Outputs

Output 1

By December 2019, an updated IWM strategy for Feathertop Rhodes grass available for growers and advisers in northern New South Wales and Queensland

Details:

Scope to be based on the DAF publication Integrated Weed Management of Feathertop Rhodes grass 2014 but should include new research where relevant

Output 2

By June 2021, an extension package to facilitate adoption of the IWM strategy for Feathertop Rhodes grass developed and delivered in northern NSW and Queensland

Details:

Extension package may include demonstrations sites, field walks and communication products.

Conditions for Participation:

The investment will be offered based on a set of eligibility and selection criteria:

Eligibility criteria: the conditions applicants must fulfil to be eligible to apply
Selection criteria: the items against which applications will be evaluated. Each criterion is assigned certain points which are summed to rank the applications in each advertised investment area.

Eligibility Criteria

1. The Applicant must be a single legal entity or recognised firm of partners.

2. The Applicant and any proposed subcontractor must be compliant with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012.

Selection Criteria

1. A clear and thorough plan to achieve the project outputs, specifying:

method to be used (including anticipated statistical analysis capacity)
proposed milestones
proposed locations of field experiments (if required to deliver project outputs)
staffing (including relevant skills, experience and availability of key personnel and proposed subcontractors)
budget (defining the funds sought in each year of the project and the potential investment from all parties)
project structure and management arrangements

2. A clear and thorough plan to deliver the project outcome, specifying:

expected steps to deliver the outcome (pathway to market)
identification of target users of the project outputs (who will the project directly deliver to e.g. grower, adviser, plant breeder, pathologist, the GRDC)
specific products and services to be delivered to target users
potential for the development of commercial IP

3. Demonstrated track record of the project team, including:

relevant achievements of the project leader in providing leadership, co-ordination, management, monitoring and evaluation and the timely delivery of high quality outputs
relevant technical knowledge and experience of all key personnel (including proposed subcontractors) in the research area
relevant achievements in the delivery of commercial IP (if relevant)
ability of the project team to collaborate with the relevant research organisations and industry personnel to build on the research (national and international) already undertaken in this area

4. Freedom to operate in regards to the provision of the project outputs to GRDC or a third party if required.

detail any Research Organisation intellectual property that is required to deliver the project outputs and any restrictions that may impact on the provision of project outputs to GRDC or a third party, if required
detail any third party intellectual property that is required to deliver the project outputs and any restrictions that may impact on the provision of project outputs to GRDC or a third party, if required

5. Demonstrated track-record of collaborating and/or working with third-parties in the delivery of aligned R&D outcomes

In addition, the following are assessed by the Tender Evaluation Team – but it is not expected that the applicant will include specific reference to these criteria.

6. The cost effectiveness and value for money of the tender response

7. Compliance with the tender requirements and draft Contract

8. Quality and effectiveness of risk controls

Timeframe for Delivery:

This two-year investment will commence September 2019 and conclude June 2021.

Address for Lodgement:

All applications must be submitted via the GRDC Grains Investment Portal https://access.grdc.com.au/

To register as a first-time user, please visit https://access.grdc.com.au/ and:

• Click on the register button at the top right-hand side.

• Complete the Registration Form. Fill in all the fields: your email address, a password and the captcha. Your password must be alphanumeric with at least one special character (i.e. not a letter or number). Click register to continue the process.

• Registration is confirmed by the system sending an email to you, with details to complete the registration process.

• Once the registration process is complete, you can sign in and review all investments open for tender

Once you have located this investment, you can commence the application process by completing the details for each field available, until you reach “Submit Application” on the last page.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact GRDC Contracts Administrator Linda McDougall via email northern@grdc.com.au or use the online support function available.