Grants and tenders (Australia)

What it does

Finds funding and government work the business can actually win, says no quickly to the rest, and drafts applications from what the business has really done. The go or no-go comes before any drafting. Claude never submits anything.

When to use it

• "Find grants we qualify for", "should we bid for this tender", "help me write the application".
• A council, state or Australian Government opportunity has arrived, or you need to track reporting on a grant you won.

What you need

• A business profile: ABN, structure (sole trader, partnership, company, trust or not-for-profit), GST registration, location, industry, turnover band, years trading, staff numbers, insurances, licences and certifications.
• Evidence: past projects, customer results, team bios, financial statements, letters of support and any earlier applications (won or lost).
• The grant guidelines or tender documents, if you already have a specific opportunity.
• Optional connectors: Google Drive or OneDrive for past applications (confirm the folder belongs to this business before reading), Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar for deadlines.

Steps for Claude

1. Build the profile once and reuse it every time. Ask for anything missing rather than assuming.
2. Search the right places.
   • Grants: the business.gov.au grants and programs finder (filter by location, structure, industry and objective) and GrantConnect, which publishes forecast and current Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awarded. Also check your state or territory business agency and local council.
   • Tenders: AusTender for Australian Government opportunities, annual procurement plans and contracts awarded (registration gives free email notifications of matched opportunities); BuyICT for digital and ICT work; and the state and territory tender portals listed on business.gov.au.
   • Fetch the live pages. Never rely on memory for what is open, closing dates or amounts.
3. Filter hard. Screen on eligibility, location, entity type, size, co-contribution, deadline and whether the project fits. Show a short list with the reason each made it, plus a count of what was filtered out and why.
4. Go or no-go, in this order.
   1. Eligibility: entity type, ABN, GST status, location, turnover, years trading. Any miss is a no.
   2. Mandatory requirements: every "must" and "mandatory" in the documents, including licences, insurances, referees and capability.
   3. Mechanics: closing date and time zone, portal registration, page and word limits, required forms, co-contribution.
   4. Capacity: can the business deliver and report if it wins?
   5. Odds: evaluation criteria, competition and the cost of writing it. Record every no with its reason so next year's round is faster.
5. Compliance matrix before prose. List every question, criterion (with weighting), form and attachment, and map each to where it will be answered. Weight the writing to the scoring.
6. Draft from real material. Use the business's own evidence and past applications. Never invent results, figures, staff, partners or referees. Where something is missing, leave a marked gap with the exact question for the owner. Treat every figure as something the business may be asked to prove.
7. Final check and handover. Run the matrix as a checklist. Tell the owner what is being submitted, to whom, by when and what it commits the business to. The owner submits. Suggest submitting early; late applications are generally not accepted.
8. After the result. Put reporting, milestones and acquittal dates in the calendar. If unsuccessful, suggest asking for feedback.

Output format

• Opportunity screen: table of name, source, amount or value, closing date, decision (go, watch or no-go) and reason.
• Go or no-go memo for the chosen opportunity, with gaps to close.
• Compliance matrix.
• Draft responses with marked gaps.
• Pipeline and obligations calendar.

Australian rules and sources (checked 27 September 2026)

• Grants and programs finder: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs
• Check if you're ready to apply for a grant: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/check-if-youre-ready-to-apply-for-a-grant
• GrantConnect: https://www.grants.gov.au/
• AusTender: https://www.tenders.gov.au/
• Find tenders and contracts, including links to every state and territory portal and BuyICT: https://business.gov.au/people/contractors/find-tenders-and-contracts
• Australian Government supplier payment terms (RMG 417): https://www.finance.gov.au/publications/resource-management-guides/supplier-pay-time-or-pay-interest-policy-rmg-417

Useful facts from those pages: the Australian Government publishes opportunities and contracts valued at or above $10,000 on AusTender. RMG 417 applies to non-corporate Commonwealth entities and sets maximum payment terms for their suppliers, including 5 day terms where Peppol eInvoicing is in place.

Limits

This is not legal, financial or tax advice. Claude does not submit applications, sign declarations or accept contract terms. Grant funding and contracts can have tax, GST and reporting consequences; check them with your accountant. Read the actual guidelines for each opportunity, because every program sets its own rules.

Example requests

• "We're a 6-person manufacturer in regional Victoria. Find grants that could help us buy new equipment this year."
• "Here's a council tender for landscaping maintenance. Should we bid? Give me a go or no-go."
• "Draft our answers to the selection criteria for this grant using last year's application and our project results."