Every step to bid in Australia.

This guide is the checklist behind an Australian federal bid: each document and step, grouped by the point in a procurement when it is asked for, with who can lawfully do it. For how Australian government procurement works overall (the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, thresholds, procedures, assessment, complaints and payment), see How to bid for government contracts in Australia, and for the portal itself, How to register on AusTender.

Before you bid

Your logins

1. An AusTender Registered User account, per person. You need a free AusTender login to download approach-to-market (ATM) documents, receive addenda and lodge federal tender responses.

• Cost and time: free; the online form is done the same day.
• Valid: an account that isn’t used to log in for 6 months or more is suspended.
• Who does it: accounts belong to a person and an email, not to the company, and anyone registering holds themselves out as an authorised representative of the organisation (Terms of Use 4.1). So your company first gives written authority to whoever will act for it; a bid writer then registers their own account, with their own password and security question, in your organisation’s name. You can keep your own account as well. Responses lodged under any of these accounts land in a folder under your company name.
• From abroad: the same. The country list covers every country and the ABN field is optional.

2. State and territory portals. buy.nsw, Buying for Victoria, QTenders, Tenders WA and the portals of SA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT each need their own registration; an AusTender account doesn’t carry over. On Tenders WA, for example, the business registers first and then registered persons under it; an existing user adds further people, so a bid writer can be added as their own named person. Tenders WA offers a “Commercial International Supplier” organisation type, but its person form marks ABN and ACN as mandatory, so check each portal.

3. The Supplier Portal (panel suppliers only). A central profile of capabilities, panel contacts and identifiers (Australian business, New Zealand business, First Nations, SME, women-owned) that you need once you are on a Commonwealth panel, not to bid on ordinary tenders. Access is by invitation, with a passcode sent to the panel contact recorded in AusTender, and Finance emails panel suppliers about five business days before their onboarding window. It uses a separate login. Your business decides who the panel contacts are, each uses their own credentials, and the name shown comes from the Australian Business Register. It opened to all businesses from July 2026, starting with ABN holders; non-ABN holders are expected to follow later.

Your business identity

4. Australian Business Number (ABN). The 11-digit identifier on the Australian Business Register. You don’t need it to bid, but without one payers must withhold part of each payment, and you need it for GST, the Supplier Portal, DISP and a satisfactory STR.

• Cost: free.
• Valid: ongoing; the ABR can review your entitlement at any time.
• Who does it: a registered tax agent applies for you. Applying for an ABN for someone else is a tax agent service, so only a registered agent may be paid for it. You supply certified identity documents and a statement of your business activities in Australia, and keep the reference number.
• From abroad: you are entitled if you carry on or are starting an enterprise in Australia, make supplies connected with Australia’s indirect tax zone, or are a Corporations Act company. Non-residents without a TFN must mail the business-activity statement, certified proof of identity and a cover sheet to the ATO’s Non-resident Registrations Team within 43 days of applying. Documents must be in English or certified by an authorised translation service.

5. myID and the Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM). How a business proves who acts for it on government online services. You need it if your company will request an STR itself, nominate a tax agent online or use ATO business services.

• Cost and time: free; the same day with a Strong myID. Standard myID holders and “primary persons” must call RAM support.
• Valid: basic-user authorisations last up to 12 months; standard ones run until removed.
• Who does it: your principal authority, personally. They set up their own myID (Strong needs an Australian passport plus a citizenship certificate, driver licence or Medicare card), link the ABN in RAM, and then authorise named people, each with their own Digital ID in the same name and a business email only they can access. Everything an authorised user does counts as an action of the principal. A myID can’t be shared.
• From abroad: directors without Australian identity documents can’t get a Standard or Strong myID online, and must use RAM’s other ways to link or a registered tax agent with phone-based agent nomination.

Status you declare

6. Australian business status. Since 17 November 2025, non-corporate Commonwealth entities must invite only Australian businesses (New Zealand businesses count) for procurements from $10,000 up to the threshold: $125,000, or $7.5m for construction. The test covers ownership, tax residency and principal place of business, including the parent. You make the self-declaration, and a false one is a ground for exclusion. It doesn’t apply to procurements from standing offers.

7. Supply Nation registration (Indigenous businesses). Listing on Indigenous Business Direct puts an Indigenous-owned business in front of buyers under the Indigenous Procurement Policy: the mandatory set-aside for $80,000–$200,000 contracts and all remote contracts, and CPR Exemption 16. From 1 July 2026 the test is 51% or more First Nations ownership and control, or ORIC registration, with the 50% criterion still accepted during the 2026-27 transition. Registration is free. The application can be prepared for you, but the Indigenous owners supply the evidence of Indigeneity, ownership and control themselves, sometimes by statutory declaration.

With your bid

8. Read the ATM and ask questions. A bid writer, as a registered user, downloads the ATM and addenda while logged in, with the profile details correct; AusTender emails addenda to whoever downloaded. Documents obtained elsewhere still need registering and downloading on AusTender (Terms of Use 1.2.6), and ATM material can’t be redistributed (Terms of Use 5.4). Questions go to the contact officer by the ATM’s deadline, and the answers come out as addenda.

9. The declarations and plans you’ll be asked for.

A few details matter. The STR’s ABNs must match the tendering entities, and you also need valid STRs for partners, trustees, JV parties, head companies, GST group representatives and known first-tier subcontractors. A satisfactory STR needs a TFN, ABN and GST registration, at least 90% of lodgments made in the last 4 years and no unmanaged undisputed debt of $10,000 or more. Buyers can’t use the tax residency disclosure to exclude you. WGEA reports are due by 31 May (or extended before then); WGEA issues the letter 28 days after a fully compliant report, and its registration confirmation email can stand in if you haven’t yet reported. Employers under 100 staff simply say they aren’t a relevant employer. The IPP targets are 4% at contract level or 3% at organisation level, reported quarterly in IPPRS. Conditions for participation may ask for prior experience, but not experience with that entity, the Australian Government or a particular location.

10. Contract terms. The Commonwealth Contract Terms are mandatory for procurements under $200,000 by relevant entities and encouraged up to $1m, and by responding you accept them. A lawyer can review them, and any additional terms that are negotiable, before you commit; the decision to accept is yours.

11. Statutory declarations, where the tender asks. A Commonwealth statutory declaration under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 is used for eligibility claims such as Indigenous ownership, or whenever a tender asks.

• Cost and time: the form is free; witnesses may charge, except JPs. Same day.
• Valid: it doesn’t expire while the facts stay true, though the requester may set a time limit.
• Who does it: a person, such as a director, makes it; a company can’t. It is signed on the approved form before an approved witness in person or by video link, or made digitally through myGov with the declarant’s own Digital ID. A lawyer, accountant or notary can witness but never declare for you. A false statement is a Commonwealth offence carrying up to 4 years’ imprisonment.
• From abroad: use an approved witness with a professional connection to Australia (video link is fine), a notary appointed overseas, an Austrade or Australian consular officer, or myGov.

12. Financial guarantees, if the ATM asks. The CPRs let entities set a financial guarantee as a condition for participation, stated in the request documentation; no general federal bid-bond rule exists. Your bank issues it in the form the ATM requires, against your counter-indemnity or collateral. If you bank abroad, check whether the ATM accepts a foreign bank’s guarantee.

13. Lodge on AusTender. Responses go only through the ATM’s lodgement page before the closing time in ACT time, and the countdown clock is the official time; hand, fax and email responses aren’t considered. Upload at most 5 files at a time (zip allowed), with names under 100 characters and no special characters, self-contained and without macros. You can lodge again while the ATM is open, but uploads can’t be withdrawn, so tell the contact officer which version counts. The on-screen receipt is conclusive proof of lodgement; save it. A bid writer can lodge under their own account in your company’s name once you have given the written go-ahead, because a lodged response is deemed authorised by the tenderer (Terms of Use 1.6.8). The DemoATM lets you practise first.

If you’re in line for award

Insurance is generally not needed to bid: winners meet the cover set in the ATM before contracting, and the CPRs say suppliers shouldn’t be made to take it out until a contract is to be awarded. The ATM sets the levels; if they look excessive, query them with the contact officer. Workers compensation is compulsory and must be under the scheme of the state where your staff work.

CAIP plans may be needed from successful tenderers for procurements of $20m or more including GST. They show how Australian industry gets a full, fair and reasonable chance to bid as subcontractors; they don’t require buying Australian.

Cyber. Agencies manage cyber risk in procurement under the PSPF. ICT suppliers usually have to meet ISM expectations, and cloud and managed service providers need regular IRAP assessments. The same applies to overseas suppliers for systems that handle Australian Government data.

Before the contract

WHS Accreditation Scheme (building work). Head contractors must be accredited by the Federal Safety Commissioner before they enter into head contracts for building work funded by the Australian Government: directly funded work of $4m or more, and indirectly funded work of $4m or more where the Government contributes at least $6m and 50% or more, or $10m or more regardless of share. You register on FSC Online and apply with your past WHS performance, a gap analysis of your safety management system, operations and current projects, and sign a further declaration on National Construction Code compliance. Federal Safety Officers then audit you, including on site at a live project where you are principal contractor. First accreditation lasts 3 years, and reaccreditation up to 6. A foreign builder must operate a WHS management system on an Australian project to be audited.

Defence Industry Security Program (DISP). Mandatory for work on classified information (PROTECTED and above), weapons and explosive ordnance, Defence base security services, or where a contract requires it. There is no membership fee, though implementation costs apply. You apply through the DISP Member Portal, nominate a level (Entry, 1, 2 or 3) for each security domain and file a Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence declaration. A director or senior executive becomes your Chief Security Officer, with an Australian clearance and Digital ID and the RAM principal authority role; you also appoint a Security Officer and meet ASD Essential Eight Maturity Level 2 on corporate ICT used with Defence. Only Australian entities with an ABN or ACN can join; foreign entities rely on a recognised Security of Information Agreement or Arrangement.

Personnel security clearances (AGSVA). Staff who need ongoing access to classified resources must hold a clearance at the right level; a clearance isn’t needed to respond to a tender. A sponsor, the contracting agency or a DISP member at Level 1 or above, requests it in myClearance, and each person completes their own application. From 1 July 2026, excluding GST: Baseline $810.91, Negative Vetting 1 $1,724.55, Negative Vetting 2 $3,445.45, Positive Vetting $16,003.64, charged to the sponsoring entity, though the Finance guide says the cost may fall on the supplier. Clearances are subject to revalidation. Foreign nationals need a foreign clearance recognised under a Security of Information Agreement or Arrangement; otherwise only an exceptional citizenship waiver applies.

GST registration. Compulsory once GST turnover reaches $75,000 ($150,000 for non-profits), within 21 days of reaching it, and part of a satisfactory STR for a tendering business. It is free, and a voluntary registration generally lasts at least 12 months. Once you have an ABN, a registered tax or BAS agent registers you and lodges BAS; you nominate the agent yourself in Online services for business, or by phone if you have no access. Standard registration needs an ABN and proof of identity, and non-residents can’t lodge through Online services for business, so the ATO says the best way for them to lodge BAS is through an Australian registered tax or BAS agent. Simplified GST registration is for imported services, digital products and low-value goods; it can’t claim GST credits and doesn’t give the ABN and GST an STR needs.

ASIC registration of a foreign company (ARBN). A foreign company that will carry on business in Australia, rather than through an Australian subsidiary, registers with ASIC for an Australian Registered Body Number, and keeps a registered office and a local agent in Australia. The fee is $636, and an annual return (Form 406) is due each calendar year. A lawyer prepares Form 402 with four attachments: certified copies of the certificate of incorporation and the constitution, a memorandum appointing the local agent (Form 418) or a power of attorney in its favour, and a memorandum on certain directors’ powers. A director or secretary, or the proposed local agent, signs, and it is posted to ASIC with the fee. Your directors need a director identification number first. Local agents are responsible for the company’s obligations and may be liable for breaches. A foreign parent that doesn’t itself carry on business in Australia needn’t register.

Supplier Portal, after a panel win. Accept the invitation and keep panel contacts and identifiers current; ask the Panel Administrator to change contacts.

Notarisation and apostilles. A notary certifies or notarises documents, and DFAT legalises them through Australian Passport Offices or by mail, for example when a JV partner’s home country needs Australian documents. DFAT charges $105 for an apostille and $105 for an authentication certificate (fees from 1 January 2026, rising with CPI each 1 January). For use in Australia, a JP or other approved person certifies copies. You sign before the notary in person, or before a consular officer overseas, where Australian consular notarial services cost $90 each and officers can certify copies of foreign documents for use in Australia.

Certified English translations. Documents not in English, such as the ABN business-activity statement or ASIC foreign-company documents, are translated and certified by a NAATI-certified translator, whose credential you can check by Certified Practitioner Number in the NAATI online directory.

Who does what

The professionals involved

Banks and financial institutions issue any financial guarantee or bond the ATM sets.

If your company is from abroad

You don’t need an Australian company to bid on federal tenders at or above the thresholds; below them, and for DISP defence work, only an Australian business qualifies. Who may bid from abroad, and on which contracts, is explained in How to bid for government contracts in Australia. For the paperwork:

Register on AusTender with your home address; the ABN field is optional. Overseas experience and ISO certificates count, because the CPRs assess abilities on your business activities wherever they took place. Disclose your home-country tax residency where asked. For an STR as a new international tenderer with no TFN or ABN, apply by emailing the ATO’s STR application form or by phone; with fewer than 4 years of Australian tax history you make extra statements and the STR lasts 6 months. An ABN needs an enterprise in Australia or supplies connected with it, with documents in English or certified translations; a foreign company carrying on business in Australia registers with ASIC or sets up a subsidiary. Make statutory declarations before a notary appointed overseas, an Australian consular officer or a witness with a professional connection to Australia by video link. Certified copies of your corporate documents can be made by an Australian consular officer. The modern slavery reporting duty isn’t intended to reach foreign parents that don’t directly carry on business in Australia, and the WGEA letter applies only if you employ 100 or more people there. Foreign staff need a recognised foreign clearance for classified work.

Pitfalls

• Never share a login. myID, RAM, ATO, AusTender, Supplier Portal and myClearance credentials are personal; advisers act under their own.
• Put the authority in writing before anyone registers or lodges on AusTender in your company’s name (Terms of Use 4.1).
• Approve the final response every time. A lodged response is deemed authorised by the tenderer (Terms of Use 1.6.8).
• Nominate your tax agent yourself. The ATO says the agent can’t complete the nomination for you or ask for your login code.
• Check the STR’s dates. It takes about 4 business days and lasts 6 or 12 months, so check it is valid on the closing date and again at award.
• Don’t miss the close. Late responses are rejected unless the agency mishandled them; upload well before closing and contact the AusTender Help Desk before close if anything fails.
• Don’t redistribute ATM documents (Terms of Use 5.4).
• Check every status claim against its definition. False Australian business, SME, First Nations or women-owned declarations are grounds for exclusion.
• Below-threshold Commonwealth ATMs ($10,000 up to $125,000, or $7.5m for construction) are not open to businesses that aren’t Australian or New Zealand.
• Clearances are personal and sponsor-driven. Nobody else fills in an applicant’s vetting answers.
• Don’t share a lawyer with a competitor. A solicitor or law practice may not act for two competing bidders in the same tender (ASCR 11.2), except as Rules 11.3 and 11.4 allow.

Doing it with askTender

In Australia, your askTender Partner is added as a named user on your company’s account on AusTender and works under their own login. You keep your own login and sign only what the law reserves to you: giving the written authority, approving the final response, confirming the declarations, making any statutory declaration and signing the contract. The askTender Desk prepares the declarations, plans and responses, assembles the bid and coordinates the certificates; askTender Partners, such as a registered tax agent, a lawyer, a notary or a NAATI-certified translator, do the steps their licence covers.

Questions

Sources

• AusTender: register as a user
• AusTender Terms of Use
• AusTender help: lodge a tender response
• AusTender help: Supplier Portal questions
• Selling to Government: minimum requirements
• Selling to Government: supplier obligations
• Selling to Government: security requirements
• Commonwealth Procurement Rules, 17 November 2025
• Department of Finance: procurement-connected policies
• ATO: Statement of Tax Record
• ABR: ABNs for businesses outside Australia
• ATO: standard GST registration for non-resident businesses
• Relationship Authorisation Manager: create an authorisation
• ASIC: register a foreign company in Australia
• NIAA: Indigenous Procurement Policy guidelines (12 May 2026)
• Supply Nation: join
• Modern Slavery Register: resources
• Federal Safety Commissioner: how to apply for accreditation
• Defence Industry Security Program: eligibility and suitability
• AGSVA: vetting fees
• Attorney-General’s Department: who can witness a Commonwealth statutory declaration
• Attorney-General’s Department: making a statutory declaration overseas
• Smartraveller: notarial services
• NAATI: sector overview
• ASD: Infosec Registered Assessors Program (IRAP)
• Tenders WA

This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.