Industry Capability Network (ICN) Limited’s Chairman, David McLachlan, today welcomed Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s new plan to help support local businesses compete for work in Australia.
“The Australian Government’s move to extend the requirements for Australian Industry Participation (AIP) Plans for grants of $20 million or more will have a positive impact on businesses Australia-wide,” he said.
“Over the past 14 years ICN has supported AIP plans by administering the Australian Government’s Supplier Access to Major Projects (SAMP) program, which provides funding to help research and identify capable and competitive Australian businesses who can supply goods and services to major projects.”
“ICN has a long and successful relationship with the resources sector and with a national network of technical consultants as well as an online database of over 50,000 suppliers we are working on some of the biggest projects here and abroad,” Mr McLachlan said.
Funded through the Australian Government Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, ICN has received more than $13 million to finance industry research and support. Under the SAMP program, 144 projects have received support resulting in more than $4 billion worth of contracts awarded to Australian companies that may have otherwise gone offshore to overseas suppliers.
Also, under the program ICN has appointed eight national sector managers to promote competitive Australian suppliers to major projects. The national sector managers work with government, industry and local suppliers to help maximise Australian and New Zealand content across key sectors such as clean technologies, health, the national broadband network, oil and gas, rail and water.
ICN is a not-for-profit organisation funded by Australian, state and territory governments. Since it started 25 years ago, ICN has helped Australian suppliers find $15 billion worth of contracts and its online system, ICN Gateway, holds project opportunities worth more than $95 billion.
For more information about ICN and the opportunities available to Australian suppliers, go to www.icn.org.au or call your local ICN consultant on 1300 961 139.
