Engaging with suppliers

Our aim is to: 

• issue competitive tenders that will suit a broad range of suppliers. 
• offer whole-of-life project engagements, creating an opportunity for suppliers to invest in their teams.
• limit the number of tenders issued per month, to avoid overwhelming the market.
• Reward consistently high-performing suppliers via our performance management process and reward top performers with the opportunity to tender for future opportunities.
• Provide suppliers with an opportunity for a debrief if unsuccessful during the tender process, to provide constructive feedback regarding tender submission.

We will enable industry through:

• developing resources such as EFSG 2025 to support all new build school infrastructure projects by clearly defining design expectations and spatial requirements.
• respond to stakeholder feedback on design resources, like the Pattern Book, to complement and clarify technical standards with standardised designs.
• ensuring industry can bring best practice and innovation to the design and construction of school infrastructure.
• adopt a ‘live learning’ model, where updates to the EFSG reflect evolving priorities, lessons learnt and sector feedback.

We have grouped some projects into bundles to: 

• drive efficiencies for both our suppliers and the NSW Government
• streamline the tendering process, with the aim of reducing costs for suppliers by appointing a single supplier for each of the disciplines. 

We will engage specialists’ services, such as the ones listed below, on a project-by-project basis: 

• business case development
• community and stakeholder engagement 
• environmentally sustainable design 
• transport planning 
• social impact assessments 
• Aboriginal and European heritage 
• acoustic engineering 
• waste management 
• Building Code of Australia (BCA) 
• surveying 
• geotechnical and/or contamination 
• disability, accessibility and inclusion 
• ecology 
• arboriculture 
• flood modelling.   

Our approach will be to: 

• liaise with suppliers before finalising the tender list, to ensure those invited have the appetite and capacity to submit a competitive tender, and be part of the team to deliver the required project/desired outcomes, should they be successful. 
• use refined and standardised scopes of service for each engagement, with any non-standard or project-specific requirements clearly identified in the tender documents. 
• invite a maximum of 3 to 4 tenderers per opportunity, so evaluations are quicker and more effective for suppliers 
• identify opportunities to appoint suppliers that are: 

o   Aboriginal-owned businesses 

o   able to demonstrate a diverse workforce 

o   small-to-medium sized or regional businesses 

o   locally owned, or will commit to using local labour and businesses.

Find out more

For further information about any of the listed opportunities, please contact the Supplier Relationship Team: ProcurementSRM@det.nsw.edu.au