Standards Australia will accept submissions for the current round of Standards Australia Resourced projects on 2 February 2012 with a close date of 1 March 2012. Project Proposal Forms and a guidance document, incorporating feedback received from a stakeholder survey, are available.

As always submissions will be evaluated and considered in accordance with our Project Prioritisation and Selection and Net Benefit criteria. Eligible projects will commence progressive from the second quarter of the 2012 calendar year.

Proposing a new Standards project 
All proposals under Standards Australia’s development pathways must be submitted using the appropriate proposal form. Proposals to:

• develop, revise or amend Australian (or joint Australia/New Zealand) Standards, adopt International Standards or other documents should use the Proposal Form - Standards Development Projects;
• participate in international standards development activities through ISO or IEC should use the Proposal Form - International Participation;
• adopt new or existing ISO or IEC International Standards should use the Proposal Form - Direct Text Adoption. 

Net Benefit is a key element of Standards Australia's Business Model and a Net Benefit case is a compulsory element of any new proposal. A proposal may incorporate a single project, or a national or international program of work including multiple projects.

Preparing your proposal

• The new project proposal forms were made available in February 2011. Proponents are requested not to use earlier versions of the form but rather the new versions linked to above. National Sector Managers are available to assist with guidance and advice regarding the requirements and completion of the new proposal form. National Sector Managers can be contacted through Standards Australia’s Customer Information Service on mail@standards.org.au or 1800 035 822.
• Please contact a National Sector Manager or Standards Australia’s Customer Information Service (CIS) by email or phone (1800 035 822) for information on the work currently underway in your sector of interest, direction on completing the form, and the various pathways for development.
• Complete all sections of the form and submit electronically via email to Standards Australia.

To be considered as part of the Prioritisation and Selection Process, completed proposals need to be received by Standards Australia by the current closing date. It is preferred that proposals are received at least a week prior to this date, which will allow National Sector Managers to review and provide initial feedback.

Proposals for projects under the Externally Funded pathway are able to be submitted at any time.

Proposal review and approval

• Proposals received will be logged centrally and confirmation sent to the proponent. Proposals may also be made publicly available on the Standards Australia website.
• Once proposals are evaluated and reviewed, and a decision has been made by Standards Australia, the outcome will be communicated directly to the proponent and a list of approved projects published on the Standards Australia website.
• Project proponents and responsible Committees will be notified with details on project commencement activities.

Assistance and Support
If you have any queries or require further information, contact a National Sector Manager or Standards Australia’s Customer Information Service (CIS) by email or phone 1800 035 822 for assistance.