Optimisation of Crop Establishment: Procurement B - Nationally Coordinated Demonstration and Extension to Improve Crop Establishment
Tender ID: 590931
Tender Details
Tender Description
Enquiry deadline:
Wednesday 20 August 2025, at 05:00 PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Industry briefing
Refer to Clause 10 RFT Terms and Conditions on how to register
Summary
Prior GRDC research revealed that about 50% of growers are not achieving their target plant populations because of establishment issues. There are multiple factors affecting establishment that interact differently in different environments. Surface soil characteristics such as hardness, dispersiveness, and water repellence affect establishment, as do stubble loads and variability in surface soil moisture and early vigour across genotypes. Failing to achieve target plant populations can reduce yield potential and/or result in costly reseeding.
While the yield losses vary across crops and environments, they’re significant. For example, prior research has demonstrated yield losses of 8% to 18% in canola across the Southern and Western Regions because of uneven establishment (Harries, et al. 2018, McDonald et al., 2021, Minkey and ReithMuller 2022). Hitting target plant populations could become more difficult in future as growers navigate variable starts to the season, large scale programs with complex logistics, and limited availability of skilled labour. Having the information required to optimise establishment will be increasingly important in future.
Current and prior GRDC investments such as CSP2212-005RTX – that is undertaking a G x E x M approach to improve canola establishment, and UOA1803-009RTX - that investigated plant density, spacings, and precision planting across the Southern and Western Regions - delivered useful insights on crop establishment. A series of smaller National Grower Network (NGN) projects from GRDC have also delivered impacts for growers by sharing the knowledge and know-how required to set up seeding/planting equipment optimally.
There’s a need to (1) build on the success of prior GRDC investments in seeder/planter set-up workshops to ensure more growers can realise the benefits, (2) drive adoption of existing research outputs in crop establishment through demonstration trials and supporting extension activities, and (3) discover new and novel solutions to improve establishment. This is one of two inter-related procurements on crop establishment that aim to deliver on those three needs nationally.
Offer period
Offers will remain open for acceptance by the GRDC for a period of 6 months after the Closing Time.
Document contact and enquiries
Attention: Brianna Oram
Grains Research and Development Corporation
Email: tenders@grdc.com.au
Make all requests for further information or clarification in relation to this procurement in writing (email) prior to 20 August 2025.
GRDC will publish all requests and responses to requests on the GRDC website under Questions and Answers at the bottom of this webpage.
Consortia response
GRDC will not accept Tenders from Consortia.
Lodgement of Tender
Submit your Tender response electronically through the Grains Investment Portal.
AusTender
https://www.tenders.gov.au/Advert/Show?Id=bfdb05e7-adea-444c-a9d7-d1b64b2226ae
Description
Optimisation of crop Establishment: Overview of both procurements
This is one of two inter-related procurements aimed at improving crop establishment nationally through a coordinated investment in research, development, and extension. Procurement B (Proc-9177302) is a nationally coordinated demonstration and extension investment. Procurement B will consolidate existing information sources from past research, provide additional seeder/planter set up workshops in response to grower engagement and feedback, and test locally relevant approaches to improving establishment using quality-assured on-farm demonstration trials. Procurement A (Proc-9177301) is focussed on researching new and novel ways to improve establishment using new tools, technologies, inputs, and management practices, especially when dry sowing. GRDC is interested in exploring a variety of solutions in Procurement A which is likely to result in multiple applicants being successful. The intent is to develop new solutions in Procurement A projects that are – at a later stage – fed into the nationally coordinated Procurement B project to further evaluate those solutions on-farm and at scale.
Description of Procurement B (PROC-9177302)
Procurement B is focussed on driving adoption of existing research outputs in crop establishment through demonstration trials and supporting extension activities, and continuing delivery of seeder/planter set-up workshops previously delivered in a series of National Grower Network (NGN) projects. The procurement will consolidate past research, validate best practices, and deliver regionally tailored extension activities to address persistent knowledge and skill gaps in crop establishment.
The successful tenderer will be responsible for overseeing the national coordination of the Program, including the delivery of large-scale demonstration trials, seeder/planter setup workshops, related agronomy, and a robust monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) framework. Delivery will be supported by regional sub-contractors and local reference groups to ensure relevance and responsiveness to local conditions. Annual operating plans will be developed in consultation with GRDC and regional stakeholders to specify trial sites, workshop locations, extension deliverables, and per annual budget allocations to different activities. Procurement B will operate as a Two-Party Research Contract between GRDC and the lead organisation. The lead organisation will oversee delivery across regional hubs and ensure consistency in data collection, quality-assurance, extension messaging, and evaluation standards.
GRDC’s intent is to feed promising solutions developed in Procurement A into the demonstration trials network and extension activities delivered in Procurement B (PROC-9177302). This will help ensure that new solutions are rapidly validated on-farm and at scale, and depending on their success, extended to growers through regionally tailored workshops and communication materials. This coordinated approach will help ensure that new knowledge is rapidly validated, extended, and adopted on-farm, helping growers improve establishment outcomes across diverse environments and seasonal conditions.
Location
New South Wales : Central West : Far North Coast : Far West : Hunter : Illawarra : Mid North Coast : Murray : New England : Orana : Riverina : Southern Highlands : Sydney
Queensland : Cairns & Far North Queensland : Gladstone : Mackay Whitsunday Region : Mount Isa & North West Region : Rockhampton : South East Queensland : South West & Darling Downs : The Central West : Townsville : Wide Bay Burnett
Victoria : Barwon South West : Gippsland : Grampians : Hume : Loddon Mallee : Melbourne
South Australia : Adelaide : Eyre & Western : Far North : Fleurieu & Kangaroo Island : Limestone Coast : Murray & Mallee : York & Mid North
Northern Territory : Barkly : Big Rivers : Central Australia : East Arnhem : Greater Darwin : Top End
Australian Capital Territory
Tasmania
Similar Tenders
Active opportunities matching this tender's categories and regions.