The HSRA is seeking to engage the services of a suitably experienced Service Provider to undertake First Nations People Participation and Engagement Services to support the Detailed Business Case for Sydney to Newcastle High Speed Rail.

The proposed corridor for high speed rail is expected to pass through areas of cultural and archaeological sensitivity across countries between Sydney and Newcastle.

The First Nations People Participation and Engagement Advisory Services seeks to understand the cultures and stories of local First Nations people communities along the proposed corridor by:

• Developing outputs that build understanding of First Nations people culture and heritage values and issues in the study area and help facilitate the meeting of project objectives;
• Undertaking a collaborative approach with relevant stakeholders;
• Contributing to successful co-design processes by supporting engagement with First Nations people stakeholders and producing materials that constructively inform discussions with First Nations people communities;
• Taking a proactive and responsive approach to problem-solving including the identification of potential mitigations for unavoidable corridor impacts.

The scope of work and procurement approach of engaging a certified First Nations people business and local First Nations people talent is aligned with the relevant plans and policies of the Australian Government, including actions in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) August 2022-August 2024.

The detailed scope of services including key tasks, deliverables and timeframes per functional area is outlined in Attachment 1 - High Speed Rail Sydney to Newcastle Detailed Business Case – First Nations People Participation and Engagement Scope – Services Brief.

Other Instructions:

An online industry briefing will be held on Wednesday, 27 March 2024. Further details are provided at A.A.1 of the ATM documentation. The industry briefing is not mandatory and attendance is at the sole discretion of the HSRA to entities with the capability to undertake the required services jointly or individually. Pre-registration via the Briefing Access Request form (see ATM Appendix) is required to be submitted by Friday, 22 March 2024.