New tools will assist businesses in meeting qualification requirements and understanding the tendering for NSW Government work.

Small businesses across NSW can now access free online training and an informative guide to help them become “tender ready” and bid for NSW Government contracts.

The NSW Small Business Commission has collaborated with TAFE NSW to deliver an online training program as well as a written guide to help small businesses understand and navigate the tendering and contract processes involved in working with the NSW Government.

The launch is the first major milestone in the four-year $5 million tender support program being delivered by the Commission, part of the NSW Government’s commitment to sourcing more goods and services from NSW small businesses.

The NSW Government spends about $40 billion each year on procurement of goods, services and construction, with nearly half of that amount going to small and medium businesses.

Tendering for Government work can be challenging and daunting for small businesses. The new resources will help small businesses gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to not only tender for Government work but also assist in tendering for private sector contracts.

The training program, Selling to the NSW Government, comprises four modules that help small businesses prepare for and navigate the four major stages of the tendering and contract processes:

• Getting Business Ready
• Finding Opportunities
• Selling to Government
• Successful Supplying

The training is complemented by a new publication, Selling to the NSW Government: A Guide for Small Business, a 45-page guide to becoming a Government supplier, which also includes templates for key tendering documents, such as a business’s capability statement and referee report.

The development of the resources was informed by a recent survey of small businesses, which identified their key pain points in tendering for Government work and what information and assistance was most useful in helping businesses lift their capabilities and compete effectively.

The Commission’s tender support program aligns with the NSW Government’s refreshed Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and Regional Procurement Policy, which allows Government agencies to buy directly from an SME for procurements up to $150,000.

The training modules and the guide can be accessed via the NSW Small Business Commission’s website.