Tenders ACT · Live feed
ACT government tenders for IT and ICT providers
Canberra is the centre of Australian government technology procurement — here is how the Territory and Commonwealth markets actually work.
Free API key in seconds · 500 free requests · No credit card
Canberra is the most important city in Australia for government technology procurement, and the reason is structural: nearly every Commonwealth department is headquartered there, and Commonwealth ICT spending dwarfs every state technology budget. The ACT Government adds its own Territory-level procurement for digital services, infrastructure and applications. Critically, most Commonwealth ICT work is bought through panels and standing offers rather than open tenders, which means panel access is the single most important commercial objective for an ICT supplier serious about government work.
Where ACT IT and ICT work is advertised
Tenders ACT carries Territory government ICT procurement including digital services, infrastructure, applications and support contracts. The much larger Commonwealth market appears on AusTender, but a critical structural point applies: a large share of Commonwealth ICT is procured through panels and standing offer arrangements, so the tenders that matter most are often panel establishments and refreshes rather than individual project tenders. Once on a panel, work comes via limited approaches to market. Digital and ICT panels cover software development, cloud, cyber security, data and labour hire, and missing a panel refresh can lock you out for years.
What you need to bid
- ✓Professional indemnity insurance, commonly $5m to $10m and sometimes higher for critical systems
- ✓Public liability insurance, typically $10m to $20m
- ✓Workers compensation cover under the ACT scheme with a current certificate
- ✓Security clearances for personnel — baseline as a minimum, with NV1 or NV2 required for sensitive work
- ✓Australian citizenship for personnel on many national security and Defence ICT engagements
- ✓Panel membership or standing offer arrangements on the relevant Commonwealth or ACT digital and ICT panels
- ✓Information security certification such as ISO 27001, and IRAP assessment for cloud and hosting services
- ✓Compliance with the Commonwealth's Protective Security Policy Framework and Essential Eight expectations
- ✓Demonstrated past performance on comparable government engagements with referees
Typical IT and ICT work in ACT
- →Software development, application modernisation and systems integration engagements
- →Cloud migration, hosting and managed infrastructure services
- →Cyber security assessment, uplift programs and security operations support
- →Data, analytics and reporting platform delivery
- →ICT labour hire and specified personnel engagements through panels
- →Digital service design, user research and accessibility uplift work
Pricing this work
Cleared personnel are the defining cost factor in Canberra ICT work. Security-cleared staff command a substantial premium and the available pool is small, so rates for NV1 or NV2 engagements are materially higher than commercial equivalents — price the cleared market, not the general market. Sponsoring clearances takes many months, which affects mobilisation commitments. On fixed-price delivery, government scope change processes can be slow, so ensure your variation mechanism is workable rather than theoretical.
How it works
Add AskTender to ChatGPT or Claude
One-click setup guides. A 2-minute copy-paste job.
Ask for tenders in plain English
Live data from all 9 Australian government portals, in your AI.
Other trades in Australian Capital Territory
IT and ICT providers tenders in other states
Tendering guides
Frequently asked questions
Why do panels matter so much in Commonwealth ICT procurement?+
Because a large proportion of Commonwealth technology work is bought through panels and standing offers rather than open tender. Once a panel is established, agencies approach panel members directly. If you are not on the relevant panel you never see much of that work, which makes panel establishments and refreshes the highest-priority opportunities to monitor.
What security clearances do government ICT engagements require?+
Baseline clearance is a common minimum, with NV1 or NV2 required for sensitive systems and national security work. Some Defence and intelligence engagements require Australian citizenship as well. Clearances take months to obtain and must generally be sponsored, so clearance capability is a real barrier to entry and a real competitive advantage.
Do I need IRAP assessment to sell cloud services to government?+
For hosting or cloud services handling government data, IRAP assessment is commonly expected, alongside compliance with the Protective Security Policy Framework and Essential Eight controls. ISO 27001 certification is frequently requested. These are substantial investments, so confirm which are mandatory for your target work before committing.
How should I price security-cleared ICT personnel?+
At the cleared market rate, which is significantly above commercial equivalents because the pool of cleared professionals is small and demand in Canberra is high. Pricing cleared roles at general market rates is a common error that either wins unprofitable work or fails because you cannot actually staff the engagement.
IT and ICT providers tenders in ACT, inside your AI
Live ACT IT and ICT tenders in ChatGPT and Claude, within 15 minutes of publishing.
500 free requests · No credit card · Cancel anytime