Industry Capability Network - Northern Territory (ICN NT)

The Industry Capability Network (ICN) is an organisation that introduces Australian and New Zealand businesses to projects large and small. ICN's objective is to assist in fulfilling the Federal Government’s Australian Industry Participation (AIP) policy, enhancing sovereign capability and local supply chains within major projects. With a network of over 90,000 Australian businesses, including 4,000 in the Northern Territory, our core role is to provide project owners with a platform to engage local industry while utilising our comprehensive business data to inform procurement decisions, bid-lists, and supply chain mapping, ultimately fostering local economic growth. ICN operates predominantly during the scoping phase of the procurement lifecycle, which leads into the bid phase, typically managed by the project’s own procurement team. After that, there’s an assessment and award period. Following which, the awarded contractor mobilises and commences. The entire process can take up to 18 months due to the complexities within major project procurement and the sourcing of high-value items. ICN’s engagement in fiscal year 2023, saw the processing of 7,000 plus purchase requests, totalling more than 6 billion dollars - a significant increase compared to previous years, indicative of the planned works over the next 12 – 18 months. This growth was primarily driven by the Oil & Gas, Defence and Renewables sectors planned in the Northern Territory. ICN’s early involvement in the procurement process gives a unique perspective into planned major procurement and scheduling of works before the market is often aware.