August 25, 2017
AMT: What is the Industry Capability Network actually and what are its objectives? Don Matthews: ICN Victoria has been operating since 1984 and is best described as a business network which links Victorian and Australian manufacturers – specifically small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – into projects. So in many ways we sit between a buyer on the one hand and a supplier on the other hand, and we look to connect them based on capability and project requirements. Effectively, our whole aim is to increase the number of manufacturers in Victoria that are participating in those projects so that the work does not go offshore. Our primary reason for being is to facilitate the Victorian Industry Participation Policy (VIPP) on behalf of the State Government and as such, we are a not-for-profit body. All states and territories – bar Tasmania and New Zealand – have an ICN, and there is a co-ordinating group out of Canberra called ICN Limited (ICNL). AMT: Tell us a bit more about the activities you’re engaged in. DM: Our VIPP team assesses…