Many of the goods and services required to deliver Victorian Government projects can be undertaken by local companies using local workers, service providers and locally manufactured products.

Local Jobs First projects have local content requirements that contractors and their supply chain must commit to achieving.

All businesses that contract with or receive grants from Victorian Government departments and agencies for government projects must meet their commitments to local content and jobs, as set out in Local Jobs First.

Grant projects are also considered to be a form of government procurement. Visit our Grants page for more details or see the Local Jobs First Supplier Guidelines.

Below is some high-level, practical information on how your business can get involved in supplying to government projects, and what happens once your business is selected by a contractor to deliver goods or services into a government project.

Local Jobs First projects offer different opportunities to local businesses. There are many ways that your business can get involved.

  • If your company has not already registered its capability with the ICN Gateway, this is your first step. You should ensure that you have indicated your company’s areas of interest and described your capabilities to ensure that you are alerted to relevant projects.
  • Government tenders are advertised through many different channels, so ensure that you are registered with other relevant government tender websites. Business Victoria has some tips on finding government contacts.
  • If you are a business operating in the construction industry, you may also need to register with the Construction Supplier Register to supply into state government projects that are released by contractors.
  • Monitor Project Opportunities, the ICN Gateway and other government tender websites for projects or work packages of interest to your business.
  • Keep an eye out for industry events and briefings around upcoming projects and ensure that you attend.
  • All Local Jobs First-applicable projects will require a Local Industry Development Plan (LIDP). This plan details your commitments to local content and jobs that you will deliver under the project, which will form part of your tender submission. The content required in LIDPs will reflect the contestability and MPSG requirements of the project at hand.
  • The Local Jobs First Supplier Guidelines are a great resource outlining the steps you need to take to ensure you comply with the requirements.
  • If you have questions about any aspect of the project, you should speak with the department or agency responsible for the project or tender or connect with ICN Victoria.
  • If you are looking to grow, build capability or increase your competitiveness, consider connecting with a Victorian Government Trade and Investment Office.

The contract has been signed and your company has officially been appointed to deliver a government project. Congratulations! What do you do next?

  • If the project is Local Jobs First applicable, your Local Jobs First obligations will be outlined in your contract.
  • To ensure local suppliers have the opportunity to participate, you should consider engaging with local supply chain business that have expressed an interest in the project through ICN and list your work packages or sub-contracts on the ICN Gateway.
  • You now need to deliver on the local content and job commitments included in your Local Industry Development Plan. This includes complying with the Local Jobs First Supplier Guidelines and the conditions contained in your contract, and ensuring your supply chain is keeping their end of the bargain.
  • You need to record and report on your progress to achieve your local content, job and other commitments using the Victorian Management Centre (VMC).
  • If there are changes that will affect the local content or job outcomes, you should seek help from ICN Victoria. You will also need to keep in contact with the department or agency responsible for the project and contract.
  • For Strategic Projects, if you are proposing to source an item internationally, but the approved LIDP listed local sourcing, you must notify the agency before contractually committing to the change. For more information see Strategic Projects: New requirements for proposed local sourcing changes.
  • If you have questions about any aspect of the project, you should speak with the procuring department or agency responsible for the project and contract.
  • As a supplier into a government project you may also be approached to participate in events to showcase the project, your and your supply chain’s capability, and the excellence of the workforce delivering the project. This is a great way of promoting the fantastic achievements from local businesses and workers on government projects.

Your project has completed. Well done! So, what happens now?

  • You will have confirmed with the contracting department or agency that the project is complete. For construction projects, this is practical completion. For goods projects, it is at the time of full supply (ahead of the defects period). For services projects, it is often at the end of the life of the contract.
  • It is now time to report on delivery of your Local Jobs First, VIPP and MPSG commitments.
  • Completion reporting is submitted on the Victorian Management Centre (VMC) using the same process as reporting during the project.
  • As part of this process you will need to complete the monitoring table attached to your Local Industry Development Plan (LIDP), identifying achievements against LIDP commitments.
  • It is important to keep records of these achievements as projects are audited and other compliance activities may also be undertaken.
  • Delivery of a government project is a great achievement, so be ready to engage with government to celebrate your success!