Optimising agronomy of irrigated crops to enhance profit per megalitre of water

The work will synthesise evidence from previous GRDC irrigated agriculture investments and assess priority opportunities to improve profitability from irrigated cropping systems, with a focus on maximising profit per megalitre of irrigation water rather than yield or water-use efficiency alone. The analysis must consider the agronomic and economic drivers that influence irrigated crop decisions, including water availability, water price, input costs, seasonal conditions, crop potential, crop end use, rotations, and whole-farm water allocation. It must also assess how irrigation delivery systems and practices, including surface or furrow and pressurised sprinkler systems, interact with soil physical constraints and crop management factors to influence crop performance, input efficiency and profit per megalitre. For this procurement, irrigated crops primarily refers to grain crops within GRDC’s remit. The analysis should also consider how these crops compete with, complement or interact with other irrigated enterprises, including rice, cotton, forages and mixed farming systems, where relevant to whole-farm water allocation and opportunity costs. The successful tenderer will be required to review existing irrigation and crop decision-support tools, identify whether they are meeting grower needs, and assess whether practical economic tools or decision frameworks are required to support more confident and timely irrigation research investment decisions across winter and summer cropping scenarios. The final output will be a clear, evidence-based report that identifies priority research gaps, high-leverage agronomic opportunities, and practical recommendations to guide future GRDC investment in irrigated agronomy at national and regional scales.

Conditions for Participation

1 The Tenderer must be a single legal entity or recognised firm of partners 2 The Tenderer and any proposed subcontractor must be compliant with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 , the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and any other applicable labour laws and standards in the jurisdiction in which they operate. 3 4 The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not be named on the Consolidated List, being the list of persons and entities who are subject to targeted financial sanctions or travel bans under Australian sanction laws, as maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Timeframe for Delivery:

5 months

Agency: Grains Research and Development Corporation

ATM ID: PROC-9177500

ATM type: Request for Tender

Category (UNSPSC): 70140000 - Crop production and management and protection

Panel arrangement: No

Multi-stage: No

Multi-agency access: No

Closes: 03 Nov 2026 12:00 (Canberra time)

Published on AusTender, the Australian Government procurement portal. Responses are lodged through tenders.gov.au (free supplier registration).