How to become a prequalified contractor under the Austroads National Prequalification System
- Overview
- New Financial Levels - Effective 1 July 2011
- How to prequalify
- How to obtain recognition of prequalification status
- List of Contractors Prequalified under National Prequalification System
- Questions?
Overview
The Austroads National Prequalification System is a national system administered at local level by the various State and Territory road authorities participating in the system. Hence, there is no "central" body that manages the prequalification process. Rather, contractors seeking to prequalify under the National Prequalification System must apply for prequalification directly with the Participating Authority of their choice. Once prequalified, eligible contractors may seek to have their prequalification status recognised by other Participating Authorities - subject to certain restrictions and conditions.
A list of Participating Authorities, contact details, and locations for form downloads is below:
New Financial Levels - Effective 1 July 2011
As a result of feedback from Participating Authorities and contractors, particularly in the ACT and QLD, the Austroads National Prequalification System Management Committee recently agreed to amend the National Prequalification System by introducing three new Financial Levels - F15, F20 and F75.
The purpose of the new Financial Levels is to bridge the gap between existing levels F10 and F25, and F50 and F100.
This should prove beneficial to contractors whose assessed contract capacity falls between these established levels. For example, under the current Financial Levels, a contractor whose assessed contract capacity is $17M may potentially be awarded Financial Level F10. However, with the introduction of the new Financial Levels, that contractor could be awarded a Financial Level of either F15 or F20, which would better reflect its actual financial capacity and potentially open up additional tendering opportunities.
The new Financial Levels will be effective as of 1 July 2011.
What does this mean for you?
If your organisation is currently prequalified at a Financial Level lower than the three new levels e.g. F10 or F50, you may be eligible for an upgrade. Details regarding the process for requesting an upgrade, including what (if any) additional information may be required to support the request, can be obtained by contacting your Participating Authority's nominated representative.
How to prequalify
Interested contractors must first obtain an 'Application Form' from the Participating Authority with which they are seeking prequalification. Each Participating Authority (except the Department of Lands and Planning, NT) publishes their own State/Territory version of the National Prequalification System 'Application Form' on their website. These can be accessed from the links in the table above. Contractors may also request a hard copy of the 'Application Form' from the contact persons listed.
The completed 'Application Form' must be lodged with the relevant Participating Authority for assessment. That Participating Authority will become the contractor's "assessing authority" for the purposes of the National Prequalification System, and will liaise with the contractor regarding any matters relating to the assessment process or the awarding/non-awarding of prequalification.
For example:
John Smith Contracting Pty Ltd
- Seeks prequalification with DIER by completing the DIER version of the National Prequalification System 'Application Form'
- DIER becomes John Smith Contracting Pty Ltd's "assessing authority"
- DIER assesses the application and awards full prequalification in categories R2, B2 and specialist category TS (Traffic Signs), along with a Financial Level of F5
How to obtain recognition of prequalification status (i.e. accessing the mutual recognition framework)
Contractors assessed under the Austroads National Prequalification System and awarded "full" prequalification status in road/bridge construction categories and financial levels are eligible to seek recognition of that status with other Participating Authorities. This involves the completion and lodgement of a simple 'Registration Form (for Mutual Recognition)'.
As with the 'Application Form', each Participating Authority publishes their own State/Territory version of the National Prequalification System 'Registration Form (for Mutual Recognition)' on their website. These forms can also be accessed via the links above. Prequalified contractors must download or request a copy of the 'Registration Form (for Mutual Recognition)' from each Participating Authority from which they are seeking recognition of their prequalification status and lodge the completed form directly with that authority.
For example:
John Smith Contracting Pty Ltd
- Prequalified with DIER
- Seeks recognition of its prequalification status from VicRoads, RTA and TMR
- Downloads copies of the 'Registration Form (for Mutual Recognition)' from the VicRoads, RTA and TMR websites and lodges the completed forms with those particular authorities
- VicRoads, RTA and TMR recognise John Smith Contracting Pty Ltd's prequalification status for categories R2 and B2 and for the Financial Level F5. Prequalification in the specialist DIER category TS is not recognised, as the mutual recognition framework only currently extends to road and bridge construction categories and financial levels and not specialist categories.
List of Contractors Prequalified under National Prequalification System
A list of contractors and their details who have prequalified under the National Prequalification System can be found here.
Questions?
Any questions regarding the Austroads National Prequalification System should be directed to the contact person(s) nominated for the relevant State/Territory, as listed in the table above.