WA Local Capability Fund – Standards Compliance Round

The Standards Compliance Round of the Local Capability Fund will cover 50% of eligible expenditure up to $20,000, requiring eligible costs of at least $40,000 if aiming to receive a total $20,000 in funding
Applications for this round remain open until funding is fully committed.

The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation has released the Local Capability Fund, which provides grants to help small and medium enterprises to enhance their competitiveness and secure work on large-scale projects in Australia and overseas.

Key Requirements

The Standards Compliance Round is designed to support Western Australian SMEs with the costs of engaging external expertise to implement and certify the following national and international standards:

– ISO 9001 – Quality management standards to improve efficiency and reduce product failures
– ISO 14001 – Environmental management standards to reduce environmental impacts, waste, and improve sustainability
– ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety standards to help reduce workplace accidents
– ISO 27001 – IT security standards to keep sensitive information secure
– ISO 50001 – Energy management standards to lower energy consumption
– AS/NZS 5131 – Steel industry compliance standards to improve the quality of structural steelwork
– ISO 13485:2016 – Quality management systems requirements for medical devices

What is eligible for funding?

Funding assistance will cover the costs of engaging external experts/consultants to implement and certify the eligible standards. This includes:

Implementation Activities:
– Assessing current systems and practices
– Reviewing existing procedures
– Conducting gap analyses
– Developing manuals, procedures, and related documentation
– Providing staff training on implementation and ongoing maintenance of the management systems

Certification Activities:
– Registration and certification fees
– Fees for the initial certification audits, completed within the financial year
– Travel, accommodation, and meal expenses for the certification auditors

What companies are eligible for funding?

In order to be eligible companies must:

Have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
Be operating in a trade-exposed industry facing competition from other national or international SMEs
Have operated in Western Australia for at least 3 years at the time of submission of application
Currently be registered for GST and have been for at least 12 months prior to application, with the intention to maintain registration for the next 12 months
Be a for-profit business or organisation
Be a Western Australian-based business with plans to remain in the state for at least the next 12 months
Have a staff size exceeding one but less than 200 full-time equivalent positions

If the organisation has previously received funding for the LCF they may reapply provided they have:

Fulfilled all obligations under previous funding agreements of the Financial Assistance Agreement, including submitting all required reports on time
Received less than $200,000 in total LCF funding within the past five years (excluding COVID-19 LCF rounds)
Claimed all funds from previously awarded LCF grants

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

Industry analysis presentation
Competitor Analysis Presentation
Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.

This grant is open

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