Step 2 — delivery model
Lead what you can carry. Partner for the rest.
Government buys from a legal entity. If your team is not ready to be that entity, contribute a defined delivery lane through a prime contractor, consortium or joint venture.
“Auspicing” is common grant language. In a tender, use the contract words: prime contractor, subcontractor, consortium member or joint-venture party.
Choose the relationship.
| Model | Who signs with government? | When it works | What must be written down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime + subcontractor | The prime. | One entity has the systems, balance sheet and buyer relationship; specialists deliver defined packages. | Scope, price, payment, flow-down clauses, evidence, IP, insurance, change control and termination. |
| Consortium | Usually a nominated lead, subject to the tender rules. | Several organisations combine capability for the bid while keeping their separate identities. | Lead authority, bid cost, decision rules, exclusivity, liability, workshare, pricing and what happens if the bid wins. |
| Joint venture | The JV or the parties jointly, depending on its legal form. | A major project needs shared capital, risk, governance and delivery control. | Ownership, board or steering control, guarantees, liability, profit, loss, assets, people, IP, deadlock and exit. |
| Referral or adviser | The tenderer. | You provide limited advice or introductions but do not promise delivery. | Authority, confidentiality, fee, conflicts, claim limits and no implied endorsement. |
Official guides: Queensland collaborative bidding and Selling to the Australian Government.
Settle the deal before writing the bid.
- Exact legal entities, ABNs and authorised negotiators.
- Who leads the portal account, buyer questions and addenda.
- Who owns each response criterion, deliverable and risk.
- Price build-up, margin, payment timing and bid costs.
- Licences, insurance, guarantees and financial capacity.
- Evidence each party permits the bid to use.
- Intellectual property, confidential material and public claims.
- Subcontract flow-down, audit, reporting and purposeful-procurement commitments.
- Approval gates, disputes, replacement, withdrawal and no-bid rights.
Worked pattern
Windemere: VFG leads, local systems strengthen the bid.
VFG Skateparks carries the technical skatepark design, repair, pricing and delivery lane. Luke carries source organisation, tender language, local benefit, meeting structure, question control and digital evidence. Engineers and other specialists sign the work that needs professional authority.