Tender Advertisement #1577780

Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to provide guidance around the assessment of existing bridges and other structures for fatigue.

Scope:
This project will assist Austroads members agencies to identify and refine maintenance programs for bridges and other structure types that are at a higher risk of developing fatigue related issues. Fatigue constitutes significant risk to the asset owner. Liability risk will be reduced if the collapse risk from fatigue can be calculated more accurately. With Standards Australia unable to provide resolution or guidance on this topic due to divestment of interest, Austroads can provide much needed leadership and guidance in this space.

Deliverables:
This project will produce the following final deliverables:
• Guideline with recommendations and appendices
• Webinar
• Project data with populated metadata spreadsheet.
All literature review, case studies, worked examples and recommendations are to be submitted during the project to the Austroads Project Manager and PCG for review.
The intended end users of the final research report include:
• Austroads transport member agencies
• Other structural asset owners
• Industry
• Academia.
Rail asset owners and other stakeholders not associated with roads may also find this project informative.
Also included as part of this tender are the following documents:
• Master Services Agreement outlining our Terms and Conditions. Please note that our Terms and Conditions are not negotiable.

All submissions that are research project based must adhere to the Austroads style requirements and the Australian Government Style Manual

Summary of Austroads Publication Requirements for Research Reports:
Consultants engaged to deliver research reports for Austroads are required to use a standard report template designed to ensure clarity, consistency, and accessibility across all published outputs. While the full template will be provided upon contract commencement, the following outlines the key requirements tenderers should be aware of:

General Formatting and Style
• Reports must follow the Australian Government Style Manual, particularly in relation to:
o Inclusive and accessible language
o Grammar, punctuation, and capitalisation (e.g. sentence case for most headings)
o Referencing and attribution
• Use pre-defined Austroads styles for all headings, body text, tables, figures, and captions. Manual formatting (e.g. changing fonts or colours directly) is not permitted.
• The Table of Contents must be auto-generated and kept updated.
• The report should be:
o Logically structured: Each section must contribute to the report's purpose.
o Consistent: No conflicting information or contradictions.
o Thorough: All aspects of the agreed scope must be fully addressed and justified.
Content Development Guidelines
• The Summary and Section 1 (Introduction) are mandatory for all reports.
• Reports must include appropriate referencing for external sources, data, and studies.
• Any copyrighted material used must have documented permission and be properly acknowledged.
• A qualified editor must review the report before submission to ensure correct grammar, spelling, and readability.
Figures and Tables
• All figures and tables must:
o Be sequentially numbered
o Include a clear caption inserted using the Microsoft Word Insert Caption tool
• Images and diagrams must be clear, relevant, and referred to in the text.
Technical Details
• Specific instructions are included for each section within the template (e.g. expected content, structure, and formatting).
• Reports must avoid "style corruption" often caused by copying and pasting formatted text—authors must verify styles remain consistent with Austroads' format.
• Reports should be reviewed to ensure there is no duplication, ambiguity, or omission of scope elements.

All submissions are to be submitted as a PDF at a maximum size of 10MB.

All submissions are to include a completed Tender Proposal Coversheet.