Joint Procurement Funded Support – Stream 1

• All NSW councils - (as defined in the NSW Local Government Act).​
• Regional Organisations of Councils (ROCs)
• Regional Waste Groups
• Joint Organisations (JO’s)​

NSW councils remain eligible if they partner with councils outside of NSW (however, the lead council must be a NSW council). 

For Stream 1 single councils or groups of councils can apply (represented by a lead council). 

Organisations who are not eligible to apply for the Joint Procurement Funded Support may partner with an eligible organisation to deliver the project and in doing so, benefit from the project outcomes. However, the lead applicant must be an eligible organisation.

A council-owned company or a Special Purpose Entity created to provide waste services are also eligible to apply.  A Special Purpose Entity is usually a subsidiary company set up separately from a parent company for a specific task, project or operation to shield the parent company from the risk associated with the project.

Be exploring the joint procurement of domestic and/or council commercial waste management services or waste infrastructure (Stream 1)

The types of services and material streams that you can be exploring:

1. New or expanding existing waste management facilities, including:
   1. transfer stations
   2. domestic and council commercial waste disposal or waste processing facilities
   3. material recycling facilities (MRFs)
   4. organics/FOGO/FO processing
   5. facilities for recycling or managing problem wastes
   6. mobile waste infrastructure used for crushing, shredding or baling waste that is intended to be accessed through a sharing arrangement between 2 or more councils
2. Domestic and/or commercial council waste management services,​ including:
   1. collection and haulage
   2. processing or recycling
   3. disposal or treatment

Eligible waste streams include:

Domestic and/or council commercial waste kerbside collection services, including:

• general household waste (red lid bin services)
• recycling co-mingled (yellow lid bin services)
• organics (garden organics and/or FOGO or FO)

Problem wastes, such as: (this is not an exhaustive list)

• bulky goods or materials
• metals and whitegoods
• textiles
• e-waste
• tyres
• mattresses

Note: Projects that focus on or include a problem waste collection service must compliment rather than duplicate the EPA funded household problem waste programs or existing product stewardship schemes.

The EPA receives strict annual funding allocations for its programs, with limited capacity to carry over funds to future financial years. Successful applicants will be required to:

• Commence the project within three months of signing the Funding Deed. If a project does not commence within three months, without justification, the EPA may revoke the grant.
• Commit to have the project completed by June 2027.

The EPA will consider minor requests for variations to your project scope, timeframe or budget when it does not involve the seeking of any additional funds.  These should be submitted as soon as possible when known by you using the ‘Schedule B’ Deed Change Request Form in the Funding Deed. Significant extensions of time will only be approved under exceptional circumstances with evidenced justification. Any significant changes such as the use of the funds for any additional unproved purpose/activity would be treated as a new grant application.

The project must be completed by 30 June 2027.

Private enterprise

staff time

• Projects not located in NSW unless the lead council is a NSW council.
• Projects and project activities that do not align with the objectives of the program
• Project costs already incurred prior to the date of signing the funding deed
• Projects that have received funding from other EPA, State Government or Commonwealth agencies for the procurement of waste services or waste infrastructure
• Procurement of equipment such as bins, caddies and education
• Any costs associated with the ‘Manage’ stage of the procurement i.e. managing existing waste contracts
• Any costs associated with setting up and managing the new contract 
• Fees and costs of reports associated with applying for Development Applications
• Costs associated with the application or gaining of funding, e.g. consultant fees or legal fees
• Land acquisition and venture capital
• Project contingency funds
• Project management costs associated with council/applicant time allocated towards project management. These should be included as in-kind contributions. 

These include but are not limited to:

• exploring partnerships and council collaboration opportunities
• legal advice e.g. requirement to tender
• analysis and alignment of procurement objectives across partnering councils
• technology scans or investigations
• facilitated council workshops for joint procurement opportunities
• waste data collection and analysis ​
• waste audits*
• bin reconciliations**
• business case, CBA, or feasibility study
• commercial advice
• identifying suitable land
• assessment of procurement options
• project coordination costs***

* Waste audits will only be considered where they are part of a broader project plan exploring joint procurement and where the data will be used to inform a joint procurement. The applicant must demonstrate how the outputs of the waste audit will be used to inform the viability of a joint procurement project. Audits are only applicable for councils who have not undertaken a waste audit in the previous 3 years. The EPA’s Guidelines for Conducting household kerbside residual waste, recycling and garden organics audits must be used.

**Bin reconciliation: this work only applies to councils who have not undertaken a bin reconciliation in the past 10 years, and the project must be part of a wider joint procurement project - not the sole purpose of the funded project.

***Project coordination costs: funds may be used to hire a project coordinator to manage the project on behalf of the applicant. Examples might include use of an external contractor or secondment (to new role) but should be a dedicated position established to coordinate the project, as opposed to an existing staff member’s time spent on the project. Project coordination costs can be allocated across Stream 1 and Stream 2, if required. For example, an applicant may hire somebody to coordinate their Stream 1 project. On conclusion of that project, they may decide to proceed with a joint procurement (Stream 2) and wish to continue to employ the same person to coordinate the Stream 2 project. In this case two separate applications will need to be made showing the need and budget for the project coordination costs.

• The application must be prepared and submitted by an ‘Eligible applicant’.
• Applications for Stream 1 can be made by a single council or by a lead council on behalf of a group of councils.
• Applicants may apply for both Stream 1 and Stream 2 at any time. Where an applicant applies for a Stream 1 Project and then applies for a Stream 2 grant for the same project, the total funding permitted across the two streams is no more than $500,000.
• Applicants can apply for a maximum of 2 different projects under each stream throughout the life of the program. The TRC will take into consideration total amount of funding awarded to the lead applicant to ensure equitable use of the funding.
• The project being funded must either be exploring joint procurement (Stream1).
• The project must be related to domestic waste (see p.14 definition). It may also include commercial waste collection services provided by the council.
• Evidence of formal commitment is not required for a Stream 1 project, however applicants must provide supporting evidence from one or more councils showing their support or intention to work with the lead applicant on the project. This can include an email or letter of support
• Stream 1 and 2 projects can run over multiple years but must start no more than 3 months after signing the Funding Deed to ensure they are delivered within the time permitted.
• Applications for Stream 1 and Stream 2 must include supporting documentation, including a project plan (that outlines the context, scope, inclusions and exclusions) a budget plan (highlighting all costs, including a minimum of one quote from suppliers).