While the immediate crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic feels like a thing of the past, its ripple effects continue to challenge Australian industries. Persistent transport, material, and labour shortages, combined with rising inflation and cost pressures, have underscored vulnerabilities in global supply chains. These challenges affect businesses of all sizes, forcing stakeholders to reassess their dependence on international shipping.
Procurement and supply chain specialist Industry Capability Network (ICN) emphasises the importance of a proactive approach to strengthening national self-sufficiency. Leveraging more than four decades of experience and data, ICN is addressing supply chain gaps before they escalate into critical issues for governments or private project owners.
At the forefront of this effort is ICN’s innovative capability analysis tool, Perspective. This tool taps into Gateway by ICN – a comprehensive procurement database connecting major project owners with local suppliers to identify and address supply chain gaps early in the planning process.
Spotlight on Perspective
Daniel McCormick, CEO, ICN Northern Territory, explains how Perspective is reshaping supply chain planning and development.
“Perspective analyses company data from Gateway by ICN to pinpoint industry capabilities across regions and sectors,” he says. “For instance, in a rail project, discovering supply chain gaps mid-procurement often leads to importing capability from interstate or overseas. Perspective prevents this by identifying gaps ahead of time, enabling better project planning.”
Perspective by ICN gives industry and government a comprehensive and detailed view of supply chains. This provides an understanding of strengths and weaknesses across various industries and sectors, as well as opportunities for growth and development. The data generated allows government agencies and project owners to make informed decisions about where to focus efforts and resources, fostering a more resilient and self-sufficient national economy.
Perspective also facilitates strategic planning and policy development, ensuring that Australia is better equipped to respond to market demands and global challenges. Ultimately, supply chain mapping efforts contribute to building a robust and competitive industrial landscape, driving innovation and sustainable growth across the country.
Beyond project planning, Perspective evaluates over 80,000 businesses listed on Gateway. These profiles include contact details, products and services, equipment, certifications, staff demographics, project history, and more.
ICN’s nationwide network of consultants collaborate directly with suppliers to gather and refine data. Perspective uses this information to generate detailed reports tailored to ICN’s clients, covering priority sectors such as defence, construction, renewable energy, hydrogen, aquaculture, and mining.
Driving Industry Growth and Resilience
“We’ve produced in-depth reports for sectors like maritime, Defence, offshore gas, and hydrogen,” McCormick shares. “For any project, we can simulate a theoretical contracting structure, identifying capable businesses and assessing prequalification and geographic requirements. This allows governments to identify strong industry capabilities and strategically invest in areas needing development.”
The technology, developed over six years, has proven invaluable to both public and private sector clients. “Perspective provides critical market intelligence that maximises the local supply chain and fosters a deeper understanding of Australia’s business ecosystem,” McCormick adds. “This helps build sovereign capability, enhance project efficiency, and mitigate disruptions from global crises like pandemics or geopolitical conflicts.”
A Vision for Australia’s Future
ICN’s overarching mission remains steadfast: to support the growth of Australian businesses by maximising local industry participation in public and private procurement. Perspective plays a pivotal role in achieving this goal, ensuring Australia’s supply chains are resilient, its industries are robust, and its economy is prepared for future challenges.
To learn more about ICN and Perspective, visit the ICN website.