Engagement of Delivery Partners for the Entrepreneurs’ Programme

The Department is seeking to engage Delivery Partners to deliver expert business advisory and facilitation services to eligible businesses for the Entrepreneurs’ Programme (the Programme). The network of Delivery Partners must enable the Programme to reach eligible businesses Australia wide.

The Programme needs strong, collaborative and constructive partnerships with Delivery Partners who will use their knowledge, resources and networks to support a national approach to delivering expert business advisory and facilitation assistance within the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) ecosystem.

Delivery Partners will promote and build SME capabilities and encourage high value innovation to improve business growth, innovation and commercialisation outcomes. The Programme is seeking Delivery Partners who are innovative in their thinking, customer and partnership focused, collaborative, and committed to implementing and supporting the Programme service offering.

Delivery Partners will deliver expert business advisory and facilitation services for the Programme, ensuring services are delivered to eligible businesses Australia wide. These organisations must have the capability and capacity to:
• deliver expert business advisory and facilitation services to eligible businesses across all existing Programme elements through experienced and qualified specified personnel;
• utilising the Department’s internal service delivery tool, manage workflow, the effective allocation of specified personnel and workload balancing including determining the appropriate deployment of specialist skills to best meet the needs of individual businesses;
• promote the Programme’s services to eligible businesses through marketing, communication and business development activities to ensure adequate take up of services and demand for services is maintained;
• provide the Department with market and business intelligence relating to the Programme’s eligible businesses through a deep understanding of the issues impacting the state or region; and
• demonstrate a strong commitment to culture, collaboration, values and good Programme outcomes for businesses.

The delivery of the Programme is ‘private-sector delivered but Government-backed’ and is intended to instil confidence in the quality and independence of the advice for businesses entering the Programme, some of whom may be seeking advisory assistance for the first time, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse, or Indigenous backgrounds.

The Department strongly encourages tender applications from organisations with expert business advisory and facilitation services experience, as well as industry knowledge, interaction and linkages with eligible businesses as defined in the current Programme guidelines.

The Department’s intent is for Delivery Partners to comprise a national network and deliver consistent Programme services to eligible businesses across Australia. The Department expects to engage approximately ten Delivery Partners, reserving the right to vary this number in order to deliver against expected demand for services.