Australian suppliers will be helped to compete for contract opportunities in five major projects in the lucrative resources and health sectors with $1.2 million from the Industry Capability Network (ICN) through the Supplier Access to Major Projects (SAMP) program announced today.
The Government is trying to ensure competitive and capable Australian companies are given a fair go when tendering for contracts in an internationally competitive environment by promoting the capability of Australian firms in areas where they may be overlooked. Our comparative isolation means Australia has had to develop its own technologies, products and processes in many different industry sectors and that expertise is now highly marketable globally.
The Government announced the Buy Australian at Home and Abroad initiative in its 2011-12 Budget, which included additional funding for SAMP, to boost Australian industry participation in major resource sector projects. This will allow the ICN to work with a greater number of resources projects and further increase opportunities for Australian industry.
The five projects will help Australian suppliers access opportunities in China’s coal mining sector, INPEX’s proposed Ichthys LNG development project, Eni’s Kitan oil field development project and related infrastructure development projects in East Timor, oil and gas module contractors and global procurement hubs in Asia, as well as the engineering and fit-out of new hospitals in the ASEAN region.
