Regional Development Australia Fund

Round Two Guidelines Overview

This presentation is intended as an overview only.

For the full guidelines visit www.regional.gov.au

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Contents

RDAF Overview

(See Program Overview, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

Amendments to Guidelines

(See What’s New for Applicants, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

Eligibility

(See Section 3, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

• Organisations • Projects Criteria

(See Section 6, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

• Eligibility • Selection Process

(See Section 5, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

• • EOI Full application Key Roles

(See Section 2, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

• Advisory Panel • RDA committee Assistance

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RDAF Overview

(See Program Overview, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

RDAF is an almost $1 billion Australian Government program (some of which is subject to the passage of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax). Round One projects (worth $150 million) were announced in September 2011. List of Round One projects can be found at www.regional.gov.au

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Round Two Key Points

Round Two opened Thursday 3 November 2011 Round Two will be a two-stage process: • • Expressions of Interest (EOI) are due by 1 December 2011 Full applications are due 15 February 2012 (three viable priority projects will be selected from the EOI process) $200 million available $500,000 to $15 million available per project Dollar for dollar partnership funding preferred (1: 2 for projects over $5 million).

Amendments to Guidelines

(See What’s New for Applicants, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

• • • • • •

What’s New in Round Two?

A two-stage application process, including a short paper-based Expression of Interest (EOI).

A strong role for RDA committees: • Review all Expressions of Interest from their region • Select three viable priority projects to proceed to full application One EOI per applicant for a single project A maximum grant value of $15 million Preference will be given to applications that demonstrate partnership funding on a dollar for dollar basis for grant requests of $5 million and less, and on a 1:2 basis for grant requests of more than $5 million At least 50% partnership funding must be in cash

Amendments to Guidelines

(continued)

• • •

What’s New in Round Two?

Not-for-profit organisations must have a minimum annual income of $1.5 million Projects located in capital cities must demonstrate how the proposed project will benefit the broader region or other parts of regional Australia Guidance on the content of mandatory application documents, including: • Business case • • Asset Management and Operations Plan Project Management Plan • • Project Quality Plan Procurement Management Plan • Risk Management Plan

Eligibility

(See Section 3, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

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Eligible Organisations

Local government bodies, including those in the Indian Ocean Territories Incorporated not-for-profit organisations with a minimum annual income of $1.5 million, including those in the Indian Ocean Territories • • • • •

Ineligible Organisations

For profit companies Not-for-profit organisations with an annual income of less than $1.5 million Commercial arms of local or state government bodies Universities and technical colleges RDA committees These organisations may apply as part of a consortium led by an eligible organisation (with the exception of RDA committees).

Eligibility

(continued)

• • •

Eligible Projects

Investment ready: construction is ready to proceed within six months of the execution of the Funding Agreement Capital in nature: such as new infrastructure and upgrades to existing infrastructure Cohesive: not two or more different projects drawn together • • • • • • •

Ineligible Projects

Soft infrastructure Purchase of plant and equipment Administrative overhead items Commercial projects Activities directly and primarily supported by other Australian Government programs Projects eligible to be funded under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements Projects that are the normal responsibility of local governments

Criteria

(See Section 6, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applications must satisfy all of the listed eligibility criteria.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The applicant must be an eligible organisation.

The application must be for an eligible project.

Must be one of the three priority projects selected by the RDA committee The project must be viable and sustainable.

All mandatory documentation is provided.

Criteria

(continued) Selection Criteria

Applications that meet the eligibility criteria and are one of the RDA committee’s three prioritised projects will be assessed on a competitive basis. Eligible applications will be considered by the Advisory Panel on their merits, with the Panel making recommendations to the Minister on the most meritorious projects.

To be competitive applicants will need to present a strong case against each of the selection criteria.

1.

2.

3.

The extent to which the project will contribute to and sustain regional economic growth The extent to which the project will provide community benefit The extent to which the applicant leverages additional funding from a variety of sources

Process

(See Section 5, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

Expressions of Interest – due by 1 December 2011

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Applicant completes the EOI form located at www.regional.gov.au

the Department.

and submits via email to the RDA committee in which the project is located. The EOI is copied to RDA committees review each EOI and select three viable priority projects that will proceed to full application.

RDA committees provide a complete list of the EOIs received and the rationale for and outcomes of their consideration to the Department by 21 December 2011.

The Department will advise both selected and unsuccessful applicants of the outcome of their EOI in writing by 11 January 2012.

Unsuccessful EOI applicants will be referred to their RDA committee for feedback.

Process

(continued) Full applications – due by 15 February 2012

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2.

3.

4.

5.

The Department invites the proponents of the three viable priority projects in each RDA region to submit a full application.

Applicants complete and submit the web-form located on www.regional.gov.au

The Department analyses the applications against eligibility and selection criteria, assesses viability and conducts risk assessments.

Eligible applications and analysis by the Department are supplied to the Advisory Panel, which will consider each application based on its individual merits and relative to other eligible applications.

The Advisory Panel makes recommendations to the Minister, who will make the final decision on project funding.

Key Dates

(See Section 13, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

Milestone

Program announced Guidelines published Expressions of Interest (EOI) open EOIs close RDA committee decisions on EOIs Applicants advised of EOI results Applications for Round Two close First project announcements Contracts negotiated and executed

Anticipated Dates

Thursday 3 November 2011 Thursday 3 November 2011 Thursday 3 November 2011 Thursday 1 December 2011 Wednesday 21 December 2011 Wednesday 11 January 2012 Wednesday 15 February 2012 Mid to late May 2012 Within 8 weeks of the Minister’s announcement

Key Roles

(See Section 2, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

Advisory Panel

The RDAF Advisory Panel provides independent advice and recommendations on the allocation of funds to the Minister. The Operating Arrangements and details of members of the Advisory Panel are available on www.regional.gov.au

RDA committees

RDA committees also play a critical role in the RDAF process. RDA committees will review Expressions of Interest for potential projects, and select three viable priority projects that will progress to application. For more information on the process to be followed by RDA committees in reviewing EOIs, please refer to Attachment D in the guidelines.

RDA Role

(See Attachment D, RDAF Round Two Guidelines)

EOI Process

Each RDA committee member individually scores each Expression of Interest (EOI) from one to 10 RDA committee tallies scores for each EOI RDA committees prioritise all EOIs according to the tallied scores (highest to lowest) RDA committees will identify three priority projects based on scores assigned by committee members. The full committee will review and endorse the three priority projects to proceed to full application.

RDA committees provide feedback to unsuccessful EOI applicants.

Assistance

Applicants can ask questions relating to the application and assessment process by emailing [email protected]

RDA committees should direct questions to [email protected]

• • • • • • Documents available from the RDAF section of www.regional.gov.au

are: Guidelines for Round Two FAQs Best Practice Guide to Preparing an Application Funding Agreement List of RDA committee contacts RDAF Round Two fact sheet