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WA Local Capability Fund – Supplying Key Projects Round

WA Local Capability Fund – Supplying Key Projects Round

  • The Supplying Key Projects Round of the Local Capability Fund will cover 50% of eligible expenditure up to $50,000, requiring eligible costs of at least $100,000 if aiming to receive a total $50,000 in funding
  • Applications are open until 13 September 2024

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 Supplying Key Projects Round is designed to support Western Australian SMEs in enhancing their business capabilities and capacity to supply to major projects undertaken by the Federal, Western Australian and local governments, along with the private sector. The priority sectors for this funding round include:

  • Energy (oil, gas, renewables)
  • Mining
  • Civil construction
  • Defence
  • Marine

What is eligible for funding?

The funding can be used to cover the costs of engaging external experts and consultants to provide these types of planning, advisory, and business development services:

Planning and Business Advice

  • Strategic and business planning support
  • Development and execution of marketing strategies
  • Supply chain facilitation and advisory services
  • Guidance and assistance with tender submission preparation
  • Assistance with applying for other government and international grant programs

Internal Business Infrastructure and Systems

  • Enhancements to production systems
  • Improvements to transportation and distribution capabilities
  • Upgrades to IT and communication systems, including cybersecurity measures
  • Optimisations to operational systems to meet pre-qualification requirements of target markets

Training and Skills Development

  • Upskilling of employees to enhance operational processes
  • Training activities to fulfill the employer’s staff development requirements
  • Travel and accommodation costs for training programs not available locally
  • Costs for bringing in registered trainers or specialists to deliver training

Funding can also cover:

Plant and Equipment Investments

  • Purchasing new equipment or machinery
  • Obtaining second-hand equipment or machinery from dealers
  • Modifying existing equipment and machinery
  • Expanding or upgrading the applicant’s owned business facilities
  • Purchasing specialised vehicles for business purposes – bobcats, forklifts, cherry pickers, backhoes, bucket trucks (Standard utility vehicles, 4x4s, and vans are not considered specialised vehicles)
  • Acquiring specialised computer hardware and software – tender management, project management, online sales/marketing systems

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.