Industry Facilitation and Support Program (IFSP) – Regional Round 2 Peter Cox Industry Participation Branch WA Department of Commerce

Genesis - Regional Buy Local Working Group Report submitted to Cabinet in January 2011 From that report $500,000 in Royalties for Regions funding was allocated to the Department of Commerce for -regional briefing sessions -IFSP funding aimed at improving access by SMEs to the supply chains of the government and resources sectors BACKGROUND

Four rounds of the IFSP have been completed since State-wide round funded by Department of Commerce -Regional Round funded through Royalties for Regions -Two jointly funded rounds between Department of Commerce and Chevron The four completed rounds have achieved -315 jobs created -33 apprenticeship positions created -$205 million in contracts generated -Over 600 attendees at 12 regional briefings BACKGROUND

The current regional round of the IFSP is the second funded through R4R Support has been broadened Now supports SMEs accessing opportunities in -State and local government -Resources sector -Agribusiness -Tourism -Utilities (gas, water, power) -Other major regional market opportunities CURRENT ROUND

The total amount available is $405,000 Up to $25,000 is available in matched funding to successful applicants FUNDING AVAILABLE

ABN Solvent Not a charitable organisation Headquartered in regional WA Operating for 3 years (some flexibility) Employ less than 200 people Turnover between $250,000 and $100 million Applicant able to pay up-front No double dipping for the same activity from other Government sources ELIGIBILITY

Temporary expert / consultancy fees Meeting pre-qualification requirements Implementation and audit of ISO management system standards Contract and tender negotiations Business / marketing plans Feasibility studies Assistance in applying for other government and international grants International market entry planning Unqualified consultants Third parties that are not at arm’s length from the applicant Support of any legal action EXAMPLES OF WHAT IFSP WILL FUND AND WHAT IT WON’T FUND

Equipment purchase / upgrade Upgrading or modifying existing equipment, vehicles or machinery Acquiring equipment, machinery Vehicles (commercial and/or specialised in nature eg Plant / Forklift) Vehicles not commercial or specialised in nature, that can be used for personal and recreational purposes i.e. cars, utility vehicles, vans and 4x4s. EXAMPLES OF WHAT IFSP WILL FUND AND WHAT IT WON’T FUND

Internal business systems Improvements to occupational health & safety systems, quality assurance systems, manufacturing and management systems Upgrades or expansions to applicant owned property/buildings Software purchase and upgrades e.g. tender management software, computer aided drafting or project management software Purchase of electrical equipment (desktop computers, laptops or portable electronic devices) linked to remote working General software upgrades and purchases e.g. Microsoft Office/Windows operating systems Land and property acquisitions Internal research and development activities EXAMPLES OF WHAT IFSP WILL FUND AND WHAT IT WON’T FUND

Training Up-skilling employees which leads to operational improvements Training linked with the acceleration of Australian Apprenticeship completion rates Travel and accommodation costs associated with training - where local options are not available Costs involved in bringing registered trainers to deliver local group training In house training Training by unregistered training organisations Tertiary education EXAMPLES OF WHAT IFSP WILL FUND AND WHAT IT WON’T FUND

PAYMENTS Payments are made as re-imbursement so you must be able to pay for the activity upfront Last date for applicants’ claims is 1 May 2015 REPORTING Within 6 months of receiving funding. Not onerous but critical for us to measure the success of the program and feed this back to our masters A template is provided PAYMENTS AND REPORTING

Department of Commerce website Interactive pdf application form online User guide Max Betteridge, Department of Regional Development, Aboriginal Economic Development section, is here for any Aboriginal businesses that may wish to speak with him FURTHER INFORMATION