• Cook Government announces four new Local
  Capability Fund rounds and nine regional rounds worth over $3 million
• Small businesses invited to apply to bolster
  bids for Government and private sector contracts

The Cook Government is
encouraging small to medium-sized local businesses to apply for more than $3
million in grants to assist their bids for Government and private sector
contracts.

The Local Capability Fund
(LCF) helps recipients improve their capability, capacity and competitiveness
to supply goods, services and works to the Government, major projects and other
important markets.

Four new Local Capability
Fund rounds worth $2.2 million in total have been announced for 2023-2024, with
grants of up to $50,000 available.

The four new rounds
feature:

• Supplying Key Projects Round to assist
  businesses around the State to supply to key Government and private sector
  projects in priority sector markets;
• the Aboriginal Business Round to assist businesses
  with majority Aboriginal ownership to supply goods, services and works to
  Government and the private sector;
• National and International Standards Compliance
  Round to assist with the costs of engaging external expertise to carry out
  implementation and third-party certification of seven specific national and international
  standards; and
• the LCF will also pilot a Digital Transformation
  Round to provide initial support for eligible businesses to adopt and use
  digital technologies and data and further the Government’s understanding of
  needs in this area. This round will be opened in the coming weeks.

Nine regional LCF rounds
worth $900,000 in total with grants of up to $20,000 will be progressibly
launched throughout 2023-24. These rounds will help businesses in regional
areas improve their services.

Through the LCF, more
than 600 businesses have received total funding of $22.7 million, helping
secure more than $1.05 billion in contract awards.

To find out more about
the LCF and to submit an application, visit Local
Capability Fund (www.wa.gov.au)

Comments attributed to Minister Assisting the Minister for State and
Industry Development, Jobs and Trade Stephen Dawson:

“The Local Capability Fund has been able to assist hundreds of
businesses and supplied tens of millions in funding for them.

“This has resulted in
more than 2,000 employment opportunities and nearly 250 apprenticeships.

“The Cook Government encourages
businesses to apply  for the grant, which will help them in their bids for
both Government and private sector contracts.”