Guides · Updated July 2026
Guides to winning Australian government tenders
Practical, Australian-specific guides — from finding tenders across all nine portals to the bid/no-bid call and the response that scores. No filler, written for SMEs.
Flagship
How to win government tenders
The full playbook: registration, finding early, bid/no-bid, writing, pricing, debriefs.
Directory
How to find government tenders
Every portal in every jurisdiction, and how to watch them all at once.
Explainer
How do government tenders work?
Thresholds, the lifecycle, evaluation and who can apply.
Explainer
The RFT, explained
Anatomy of a Request for Tender and how to respond without losing easy points.
Explainer
What is an EOI?
How Expressions of Interest lead to tenders — and how to make the shortlist.
Template
Tender response template
The section-by-section structure evaluators reward.
Step-by-step
How to apply for tenders
Registrations, insurances, submission mechanics — and the rejection traps.
Framework
The bid/no-bid decision
Five factors and a 10-question checklist that protects your margins.
Comparison
Best tender notification services
Free alerts, paid aggregators and AI-native feeds, honestly compared.
Explainer
What is a tender?
Types, terminology and how government tendering works in plain English.
Explainer
Government procurement process
Step-by-step: how governments buy, from planning through to contract award.
Step-by-step
How to register on AusTender
Create your account, set up notifications and start finding federal tenders.
SME guide
Small business government tenders
How SMEs start winning government work — policies, panels and first steps.
Strategy
Tender evaluation criteria explained
Weighted criteria, mandatory requirements and how to score higher.
Strategy
How to price a tender
Pricing strategies and the mistakes that lose tenders or kill margins.
Getting started
How to get government contracts
The four routes into government work and the order that gets you there fastest.
Capability
Capability statement template
A six-section template with a worked trade example you can copy.
Capability
How to write a capability statement
A seven-step process for turning claims into evidence buyers can verify.
Capability
Capability statement examples
Three worked industry examples, with strong and weak wording compared.
Capability
Capability statement checklist
Twenty-five checks to run before your statement reaches a buyer.
Bidding
Why tenders get rejected
The nine compliance failures that eliminate bids before they are scored.
Bidding
Tender writing tips
Twelve techniques that move scores — and what does not.
Bidding
Tender compliance matrix
The highest-value hour of any bid, with a worked table you can copy.
Bidding
Tender response checklist
Forty pre-submission checks across compliance, content, pricing and format.
Strategy
Bid/no-bid scorecard
Score any opportunity across ten weighted factors before you commit.
Strategy
Tender debrief questions
Ten questions to ask after losing, and how to act on the answers.
Strategy
How to get on a government panel
Panels carry much of the recurring spend. Miss a refresh and you wait years.
Strategy
Subcontracting on government contracts
Use award notices to find head contractors letting packages you can deliver.
Finding work
How to find council tenders
The best SME entry point — and the hardest to monitor, with 537 councils.
Finding work
Indigenous business and government tenders
How the IPP set-asides and state policies work, and how to use them.
Compliance
ABN and licences for tenders
The registrations buyers verify first, by state, and how long each takes.
Compliance
Tender insurance requirements
Public liability limits, professional indemnity and the certificate gotchas.
Guides by trade and state
Where the work is advertised, what licences and insurances each state expects, and who is already winning it — written for one trade in one state.
NSW
QLD
VIC
WA
SA
Put the guides into practice
Every Australian government tender, live in ChatGPT and Claude. First 25 requests free.
25 free requests · No credit card · Cancel anytime