Defence Industry Masterclass Series – Session 1: Tender Talks

As Australia’s commitment to the defence industry continues to grow, Piper Alderman is pleased to deliver a second year of the “Defence Industry Masterclass”, a four-part series of panel discussions designed to navigate the law of the defence industry.

Over the last three decades there has been an increase in the involvement of commercial industry in defence procurement. From the introduction of the Commercial Support Program in 1991 to the work now performed by the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) there has been an intentional shift towards strategic outsourcing to enable defence to focus on core activities. As a result, a significant portion of the goods and services required by defence are now put out to competitive tender.

When preparing a response to a request for tender to provide goods or services as part of a defence project there are several things that contractors need to be aware of, consider and prepare that are specific to defence contracts. These include:

• Security – including clearances, policies and plans;
• Australian Industry Capability;
• Environmentally Sustainable Development and Whole of Life plans; and
• Insurance and risk.

During this session our panel will discuss some of the key legal and commercial issues that can arise when preparing a tender for a defence contract.

Panel:
Mike Hartas
Defence Account Manager, REDARC
Mike has a wealth of experience in the defence industry having served 18 years as an officer in the Australian Army and 5 years in delivery and sales with QinetiQ in Australia. Mike is responsible for the management of defence relationships with key primes, sales, custom defence work to date and new opportunities within REDARC Electronics.

Michael Slattery
Business Development Manager, Rowlands Metalworks
Michael is a senior member of the management team, providing strategic advice to the business. He is responsible for all commercial activities and business development both locally and internationally across a wide range of industries and manages key partners, such as customers, institutions, associations and government departments.

Kevin Beaulne
Account Executive ISR and SA, Boeing
Kevin is an experienced Business Development professional working in the aerospace, defence engineering industry. Kevin was previously the Head of Business Development at Babcock, the Principal Account Manager at Rockwell Collins and Business Development Manager Aerospace at BAE Systems. Prior to this Kevin held a number of senior management positions with the Australian Defence Force, NZ Defence Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Canadian Forces.

Juniper Watson
Senior Associate, Piper Alderman
Juniper is a construction lawyer whose practice spans the life of commercial contracts from tender to completion. Her experience in the resolution of disputes informs her advice to clients negotiating terms and during contract administration to appropriately manage risks. Juniper and her team are currently advising on construction contracts for infrastructure facilities, equipment supply, installation and commissioning. Juniper sits on the Board of Defence Teaming Centre.

Facilitated by:
Tim O’Callaghan
Head of Adelaide Office and Deputy Managing Partner, Piper Alderman
Tim has been involved in the defence industry for over 15 years and is the former Deputy Chair of Defence Teaming Centre.

REGISTER HERE