1. General Project Details
Company name: Sundrop Farms Pty Ltd
Description of the project: This project involves the construction of 20 hectares of climate-controlled energy-efficient greenhouses that use concentrated solar thermal energy for heating, cooling, and to desalinate seawater from the Spencer Gulf.
Project location: Port Augusta, South Australia
Link to project information: www.sundropfarms.com
Project contact for procurement information (name, phone and email): Paget Hargreaves, Director, 0414 330 270, paget@sundropfarms.com
2. Opportunities for Australian industry involvement
| List of goods and services to be procured for the project and the expected opportunity for industry participation | Australia Yes/no |
Overseas Yes/no |
|---|---|---|
| Consultancy services - environmental, permitting and planning, project management, training and education, legal, accounting | Yes | No |
| Civil and building contracting - bulk earthworks, roads and pavements, foundations, buildings and storage facilities, utility connections, standby fuel plant, backup power, biomass energy plant and equipment, pipelines, water retaining structures | Yes | No |
| Manufacturing and assembly of greenhouses | Yes | Yes |
| Manufacturing and assembly of solar arrays | Yes | Yes |
| Manufacturing and assembly of solar desalination plant | No | Yes |
| Any other supporting infrastructure works | Yes | Yes |
Disclaimer: The information provided in the table above is based on an initial assessment by the company. Any questions or issues should be raised with the project contact.
3. Communication Strategy
- Advertising Project Opportunities – Sundrop will advertise project opportunities via mainstream press (e.g. The Advertiser and the Transcontinental) and through its engagement with industry associations (e.g. The National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia, University College London in Adelaide, Agribusiness SA, Australian Water Association, Australian Society of Soil Science Inc, Irrigation Australia, and Protected Cropping Australia). Advertisements placed in industry association newsletters and the mainstream media will provide details of RFTs that areNew likely to arise, and encourage potential suppliers to register their interest and the types of goods/services they are capable of supplying.
- Industry Capability Network – A project portal has been established on the ICN Gateway website (http://www.nbn.icn.org.au/project/3362/sundrop-farms-expansion) which allows potential suppliers to register their interest in supplying goods and services to this project. The main EPC contractor will also utilise this web portal to advertise project opportunities as they arise.
- Supplier Briefing – Sundrop staff will be available at an open day industry seminar (to be held at the Port Augusta facility before the end of 2013) to discuss the project with potential suppliers and encourage the registration of their interest. The open day will be advertised in The Advertiser and Transcontinental newspapers.
- Website – Sundrop will develop its website to allow potential suppliers to register their interest and nominate the goods and/or services they are capable of supplying. The Sundrop website will also provide general information concerning upcoming project opportunities.
4. Opportunities through all tiers of supply and in all stages of the project
- Australian and International Standards – The project will comply with all relevant Australian standards.
- Pre-qualification – To ensure a fair and reasonable opportunity for all potential suppliers a pre-qualification process will be implemented with automatic issuance of relevant RFTs to ensure all potential suppliers are provided with notification of RFTs at the same time.
- Supplier Assessment Process – Potential suppliers will be provided with full, fair and reasonable opportunity to bid for the supply of goods and services to the project. Sundrop will encourage the main EPC contractor to assess all potential suppliers in the same manner, and where possible, contractually obligate them to do so. Potential suppliers will be assessed on their experience, track record, capabilities, and ability to provide performance guarantees.
- AIP Obligations – Sundrop will make a copy of this AIP Plan publicly available on the company website (www.sundropfarms.com) along with information detailing Sundrop’s commitment to providing Australian industry participation. Suppliers engaged by Sundrop, and its EPC contractor, will be contractually obligated to implement the actions of this AIP Plan in any subcontracting opportunities they undertake.
- RFT Response Templates – Where possible templates will be developed in order to ensure information required is precise and kept to a minimum. This will help to ensure responses to RFTs are eligible and managed in a fair, streamlined manner.
5. Opportunities for longer-term participation
- International Opportunities – Selected project suppliers will be encouraged to attend international industry forums, with Sundrop presenting the suppliers as part of the Sundrop project team.
- Integrating into Global Supply Chains – Sundrop and its EPC contractor will encourage the development of the project suppliers’ capability and capacity, and where appropriate will facilitate the integration of project suppliers into any part of the Sundrop global supply chain.
- Strategic Partnerships – Where a mutually beneficial arrangement can be identified Sundrop and its EPC contractor will look to enter strategic partnerships with project suppliers. In addition, Sundrop and its EPC contractor will also look to facilitate the formation of partnerships where synergies are identified between two or more suppliers.
- Feedback – Suppliers unsuccessful in their bid to supply goods and/or services to this project will be provided with feedback on their response with recommendations made, if applicable, to development activities that could improve the likelihood of success in bidding for future project opportunities.
- Training and Development – Project suppliers will have regular review meetings with Sundrop and/or the main EPC contractor to discuss contract performance. The meetings will identify and encourage strengths, as well as identify weaknesses and recommend remedial actions. The main EPC contractor will review work undertaken by project suppliers to determine their current capabilities and to identify potential development opportunities to further enhance capabilities.
- Referees – High performing suppliers will be provided with references.
6. Procedures and Resources
- Sundrop’s Chief Executive Officer has overall responsibility for AIP Plan implementation.
- Sundrop and its EPC contractor will utilise a record keeping system to maintain records, collect evidence and record the outcomes achieved through implementation of this AIP Plan.
- All project suppliers will be made aware of, and will be required to legally agree to, the principles of this AIP Plan.