Applying for Prequalification
Contractors must first obtain an 'Application Form' from the Participating Authority with which they are seeking prequalification. Each Participating Authority (except the Department of Lands and Planning, NT) publishes their own State/Territory version of the National Prequalification System 'Application Form' on their website.
These can be accessed from the links in the table of participating authorities. Contractors may also request a hard copy of the 'Application Form' from the contact persons listed.
The completed 'Application Form' must be lodged with the relevant Participating Authority for assessment. That Participating Authority will become the contractor's "assessing authority" for the purposes of the National Prequalification System, and will liaise with the contractor regarding any matters relating to the assessment process or the awarding/non-awarding of prequalification.
For example:
John Smith Contracting Pty Ltd
- Seeks prequalification with DIER by completing the DIER version of the National Prequalification System 'Application Form'
- DIER becomes John Smith Contracting Pty Ltd's "assessing authority"
- DIER assesses the application and awards full prequalification in categories R2, B2 and specialist category TS (Traffic Signs), along with a Financial Level of F5.
Obtaining Mutual Recognition
Contractors assessed under the Austroads National Prequalification System and awarded "full" prequalification status in road/bridge construction categories and financial levels are eligible to seek recognition of that status with other Participating Authorities. This involves the completion and lodgement of a simple 'Registration Form (for Mutual Recognition)'.
As with the 'Application Form', each Participating Authority publishes their own State/Territory version of the National Prequalification System 'Registration Form (for Mutual Recognition)' on their website. These forms can also be accessed via the links above. Prequalified contractors must download or request a copy of the 'Registration Form (for Mutual Recognition)' from each Participating Authority from which they are seeking recognition of their prequalification status and lodge the completed form directly with that authority.
For example:
John Smith Contracting Pty Ltd
- Prequalified with DIER
- Seeks recognition of its prequalification status from VicRoads, RTA and TMR
- Downloads copies of the 'Registration Form (for Mutual Recognition)' from the VicRoads, RTA and TMR websites and lodges the completed forms with those particular authorities
- VicRoads, RTA and TMR recognise John Smith Contracting Pty Ltd's prequalification status for categories R2 and B2 and for the Financial Level F5. Prequalification in the specialist DIER category TS is not recognised, as the mutual recognition framework only currently extends to road and bridge construction categories and financial levels and not specialist categories.
