Government Procurement, Tenders and Grants

Government tenders

In December 2009 the Commonwealth Government announced that from 1 January 2010 Australian businesses tendering for procurement contracts with Commonwealth entities (e.g. Defence Materiel Organisation) must comply with the Fair Work Principles.
The Fair Work Principles support the Fair Work Act and its objective of promoting 'fair, cooperative and productive workplaces'. The Fair Work principles are about guaranteeing fair wages and decent working conditions for the some of the lowest paid and most vulnerable workers in Australia.

Specific provisions for the TCF industry

In addition to the general requirements of the Fair Work Principles, the Government requires that any clothing or footwear businesses that tender for contracts with Commonwealth Entities are either accredited, or seeking accreditation, with Ethical Clothing Australia (known as the Homeworkers Code of Practice) prior to signing the contract.

This requirement does not apply to manufacturers who do not have a commercial presence in Australia. 

Government grants for the TCF industry

Likewise, applicants for certain Government grant programs, such as the Textile Clothing and Footwear Strategic Capability Program (TCF SCP), are also required to be accredited or seeking accreditation.

What are TCF businesses required to do?

TCF businesses need to demonstrate to Government that they are either accredited with Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA) or seeking accreditation.

Accredited businesses

Accredited businesses receive a certificate of accreditation, valid for 12 months, that they can present when applying to tender for TCF contracts with prospective Commonwealth entities.

Seeking accreditation

A business is considered by ECA to be ‘seeking’ accreditation when it has satisfied the following criteria:

• Discussed their situation with the relevant Accreditation Advisor
• Completed their business’s details on page 2 of the ECA accreditation application form
• Completed the ECA accreditation application fee form
• Paid the ECA accreditation application fee
• Registered¹  with Fair Work Australia's Board of Reference (unless all of your garments or products are produced solely by your employees at your business premises)
• Provided a list of suppliers

¹ It is sufficient for the applicant to be either currently registered or to have completed and submitted an application for registration with Fair Work Australia’s Board of Reference.

If a business is genuinely engaged in the process of seeking accreditation, and has satisfied the above criteria, Ethical Clothing Australia can provide a letter confirming this for inclusion in the business's tender or application documentation.

NOTE: Contacting Ethical Clothing Australia to make enquiries regarding applying for accreditation, is in itself, not sufficient criteria for a business to satisfy ‘seeking accreditation'.

Eligibility

Any business that is responsible for the manufacturing of textile, clothing or footwear goods in Australia is eligible to apply for accreditation with Ethical Clothing Australia.

Further Information

For further information please contact Ethical Clothing Australia.