The Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owner Led Water Quality Improvement Program

⁠⁠⁠The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the Department) is implementing the Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owner Led Water Quality Improvement Program (the Program), designed to improve water quality across the Great Barrier Reef and its Catchments. The Program will be delivered and governed by Traditional Owners.

The Program will occur in two phases. Phase One focuses on establishing and supporting a Traditional Owner–Led Reef Water Quality Advisory Group and a Traditional Owner–Led Reef Water Quality Working Group. The Advisory Group will provide strategic advice to inform the design and implementation of Phase Two, after which it will be stood down. The Working Group will operate for the duration of the Program to 2030, supporting Traditional Owners across Reef Catchment regions. Phase Two, outside the scope of this procurement, is expected to be a grant program shaped by Phase One outcomes.

In Phase One, the Department seeks a single contractor with the expertise to:

• establish and support the Advisory Group and Working Group;

• provide advice, guided by the Advisory Group, on program design for Phase Two;

• assist potential applicants with Phase Two grant application guidance;

• build capacity for Traditional Owners to engage collaboratively in Program activities;

• design and implement a monitoring and evaluation framework for the Program; and

• promote collaboration and information sharing to support Traditional Owner priorities and water quality improvements.

The procurement is expected to commence in May 2026 and run to 2029–30. A single provider (or consortium led by a single provider) is required to ensure consistent governance, aligned engagement, streamlined administration, and scalable delivery across 70+ Traditional Owner groups. A sole provider will act as a convenor, quality controller and capacity builder, while engaging Traditional Owner and First Nations partners as sub?contractors to maintain cultural integrity and local leadership.

If a consortium is selected, the lead organisation will hold the contract with the Australian Government, be accountable for all deliverables, and oversee performance of approved sub?contractors. Sub?contractors will be engaged through legally binding agreements with the lead organisation and will deliver defined components such as regional facilitation, training, cultural governance, technical input and capacity building. This model preserves a single point of accountability while enabling genuine Traditional Owner leadership and regional delivery.