4.  Unsolicited proposals

While unsolicited proposals can provide innovative ideas about improving delivery of government services, they must demonstrate an overall community benefit and be consistent with the Government's plans and priorities.

The Director-General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is the first point of contact for unsolicited proposals. DPC will consult with relevant agencies to assess the merits of a proposal and determine where it fits into the relevant priorities of agencies. The State Infrastructure Strategy (SIS) will be used to benchmark the proposal against current priorities and gauge its impact on other projects.

The Director-General will inform proponents of the outcomes of the preliminary assessment. The Government will not reimburse any costs incurred by a proponent in developing and presenting an unsolicited proposal. The Government will normally test unsolicited proposals in the market place through competitive tendering. The aim is to maximise both financial efficiencies and effective service delivery.

Requests to bypass the competitive tendering process and negotiate directly with the Government must be approved by the BCC. Approval will only be granted where the proponent can show there would be no viable competition for the delivery of the proposal's essential outcomes. See the following section for further guidance on Direct Negotiations.