Defence ICT tenders aren't won on architecture. They're lost on the security section nobody could write.

Your platform can be genuinely better and your bid still dies at the clearance schedule, or at a security narrative that gestures at compliance without mapping to ASD frameworks. In PROTECTED-level procurement, the evaluators score whether you can operate inside Defence's security envelope before they score what you've built.

Book a Defence Strategy Session

The opportunity

A buyer whose first question is always security

Defence ICT spans networks, systems integration, software, cyber and communications infrastructure, procured through CASG-managed processes, standing panels and AusTender releases, with AUKUS technology priorities and the 2024 National Defence Strategy pulling investment toward advanced capability, ISR and secure communications. Australia's $330B+ defence investment over the decade puts sustained money behind all of it.

The difference from commercial ICT procurement is that security is not a hurdle at the end, it's the lens over everything. Solutions are assessed against ASD frameworks, delivery happens in PROTECTED-level environments, delivery teams need clearances that take months to sponsor, and DISP obligations sit under the contract. A vendor who treats the security schedule as paperwork is telling the evaluation board, in writing, that they've never delivered inside this environment.

What we deliver

The bid that survives the security read

Security compliance narrative

How your solution and delivery model operate within ASD frameworks and PROTECTED-level environments, written as a coherent argument, mapped to the RFT's security requirements, not a list of certifications.

Personnel & clearance schedules

Delivery roles mapped to required clearance levels, with sponsorship pathways and realistic lead times, the schedule that makes your delivery dates believable.

DISP readiness assessment

Your membership position against what the procurement requires, assessed at go/no-go, because an ICT bid without the DISP answer is a bid that can't be awarded.

AUKUS & innovation alignment

Your capability positioned against AUKUS technology priorities and the 2024 National Defence Strategy, the strategic-alignment criterion most ICT bids leave to a marketing paragraph.

ASDEFCON-structured responses

Where the RFT uses defence template formats, clause-mapped responses with a complete compliance matrix, structure first, eloquence second.

End-to-end bid management

24-hour go/no-go, security management plan, AIC plan, risk and transition planning, reviews and lodgement, one accountable process from RFT to submission.

The VXS evaluation lens

How defence ICT tenders are scored, and where bids die

Critical sections in every defence ICT tender

Security compliance narrative, mapped to ASD frameworks and the RFT's accreditation requirements; the section this niche is won on
Personnel & clearance schedule, cleared engineers are the scarce resource; the schedule proves you have a plan for them
Technical response mapped to the RFT clause structure, ASDEFCON-format where applicable
AUKUS / innovation alignment, scored under 2024 National Defence Strategy priorities
AIC plan, onshore development, support and data handling, with named partners
Risk & transition plan, including accreditation pathways and cutover in live environments

Where defence ICT bids fail

A commercial SaaS proposal lodged against a defence RFT, scored non-compliant on structure
Security sections that gesture at compliance without mapping to ASD frameworks or the accreditation the environment demands
Personnel schedules missing clearance levels, or assuming clearances get "sorted after award" with no sponsorship pathway shown
Boilerplate security management plans that don't meet DISP
Innovation claims with no connection to stated AUKUS or National Defence Strategy priorities

Evaluators in this space are security-literate. Bids that aren't get read once.

FAQ

Asked before every defence ICT bid

Do we need DISP membership to bid for defence ICT work?

For work touching defence information, systems or establishments, which is nearly all of it, DISP membership is effectively mandatory at some level. Whether it must be held at tender time or by award varies by RFT, and clearance sponsorship for your people generally hangs off it. Because DISP and vetting timelines run to months, we assess your position at go/no-go so you're bidding with a plan rather than a hope.

What is an AIC plan and is it scored?

The Australian Industry Capability plan describes how the contract builds Australian industry, in ICT, that usually means onshore development and support, local data handling, and named Australian partners in the delivery chain. Where the RFT includes it, it's scored, and sovereign capability policy has only raised its weight. Specific commitments with named partners score; a paragraph about valuing local industry doesn't.

Can SMEs realistically win defence contracts?

Defence ICT is arguably the most SME-open corner of the portfolio, AUKUS and innovation priorities have Defence actively looking for advanced capability from smaller Australian firms, directly and through prime supply chains. The pattern that works: capability statement positioned early, DISP and clearance pathway sorted, and a security narrative that reads like you've operated in the environment. CDIC supports exactly this entry path.

Planning a defence bid?

We review your DISP status, capability alignment and ASDEFCON readiness before you commit.