Who needs CAL?
CAL accreditation is commonly required if you are:
Tendering direct to government
Tendering or preparing to tender directly for NT Government work.
Working for head contractors
Required to get on, or stay on, a head contractor's subcontractor list.
Renewing or upgrading
Renewing, reinstating or upgrading your accreditation.
Newly established contractor
Building your capability to compete for government work.
Interstate contractor
Expanding into the Northern Territory.
Know what you're taking on
Most contractors who look at CAL don't stop because it's hard. They stop because they can't tell how much evidence is enough - what CAL is asking for and at what level.
That's a judgement call, and it's the one we make first.
We look at the work you're chasing, the level you're likely to need and what evidence you already have, then tell you what's missing before you commit to anything.
Before you start, you need three answers:
What is involved in applying for CAL?
What evidence is needed for the level I want?
How long will this actually take?
Know that up front and you know what you're taking on. Leave it, and there's a good chance your application stalls part way through while you chase the evidence you didn't know you needed, often with a tender deadline looming.
How the process works
Four steps, from first conversation to decision.
Confirm whether CAL
is required
Not every contractor, and not every tender, needs CAL. If it isn't required for the work you're targeting, we'll tell you.
Determine the right accreditation level
We work out the accreditation level that fits the work you want to pursue and the evidence your business can support, not simply the highest available.
Find the evidence you already have
We review what's already in the business, work out what CAL will accept as proof, and tell you what's missing before anything is lodged.
Prepare and submit
We prepare the application and supporting documentation, lodge it with CAL, and manage the process through to decision, including any requests for further information.
You give us your information once and we take it from there.
If we need input from your accountant or adviser, we'll work directly with them to get what we need.
The three parts of CAL
Whatever level you're applying for, CAL is assessing the same three things.
Financial capacity
Whether your business has the financial resources to undertake contracts at your nominated accreditation level.
Technical capacity
Evidence that you've successfully completed similar work, supported by independent referee verification.
Managerial capacity
The systems, licences and management practices that demonstrate your business can consistently deliver compliant projects.
Your accreditation level determines the maximum value of contracts you're eligible to tender for.
Choosing the right level matters, which is why we work it out with you rather than leaving you to guess.
You'll know what you're paying, and why.
Every business starts from a different position. Some already have the evidence and systems in place; others need more work before they're ready to apply.
We scope each engagement around what your business actually needs, so you're not paying for work that doesn't apply to you.
Before any work begins, we'll explain what's involved, agree the scope, and confirm the fee upfront.
The YCM Guarantee
We can’t guarantee that CAL will accredit you or at what level, but we do guarantee the quality of our work. If CAL returns your application because of something we missed or presented incorrectly, we’ll fix it and resubmit it at no cost to you.
CAL accreditation is the first step towards competing for NT Government work.
Where CAL is required, accreditation gets you through the first gate. It doesn't win the tender. That comes down to the written response, scored against the published criteria and weightings by evaluators who may know nothing about your business beyond what you put in front of them.
That's the work we do next: tender strategy, written responses and the evidence to support them. And we help keep your accreditation current and at the appropriate level as the business grows.
Why contractors choose YCM
I spent two decades inside Australian Government procurement, assessing submissions and chairing evaluation panels. I know what an application looks like from the other side of the table.
An assessor can't simply take your capability on trust. They need evidence they can defend if the decision is ever questioned. That changes what goes into an application, and it's why the ones that get accredited at the right level are the ones that make the assessor's job easy.
Most contractors are more capable than their paperwork suggests. The work is finding the evidence that already exists in the business and making sure the assessor can see it..
Frequently asked questions
Let's work out the right next step.
Book a call
Whether you're starting from scratch, upgrading your accreditation or not sure where to begin, we'll help you work out the right next step. The first step is simply a conversation.
Every enquiry is handled confidentially. We don't disclose who we act for or what opportunities they're pursuing without your authorisation.
