FAQ
Questions about Contract Horizon
Federal contract notices only. Independent of the Australian Government. Write to hello@contracthorizon.com.au if something here does not answer it.
What does Contract Horizon do?
It lists Australian federal contracts that are due to end in the next 3 to 12 months, shows who holds each one and what it is worth, and emails you new matches for the searches you save. The aim is time to prepare before the work is re-tendered.
Where does the data come from?
From contract notices published on AusTender, under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence (CC BY 3.0 AU). AusTender materials are released by the Department of Finance. They can change, and should be verified on www.tenders.gov.au. We clean and combine the notices. The open or limited badge, the amendment timeline, and the estimates of tenure, extension rates, and lead time are worked out from those same notices. Every page, export, and email carries that notice, the licence, and a line that Contract Horizon modified the material.
Are you part of the government?
No. Contract Horizon is an independent Australian business. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Australian Government or any agency.
Why don't you list open tenders?
On purpose. Open tenders, called approaches to market, are published on AusTender, which offers its own free alerts. We focus on the stage before that: contracts that are ending, so you can get ready before a tender appears. Many people will want both.
Which contracts and states are covered?
Contracts awarded by federal agencies and published on AusTender, wherever in Australia the work is done. State and territory contracts are not included at launch. NSW and Victorian state data is not included, because of the licences on those sources. Queensland is next on our list. There is no date for that yet.
How often is the data updated?
Every morning. New and amended notices are pulled at 5:00 am Australia/Melbourne. Daily digests go out at 7:00 am Melbourne time, and weekly digests go out on Mondays at 7:00 am Melbourne time. A notice appears after the agency publishes it on AusTender. The production record covers five years of contract notices.
How does the re-tender score work?
We look at earlier contracts at the same agency in the same category, and find the one that most plausibly replaced each: a similar description, a start near the earlier end date, and a broadly similar value. The score is the share of those clear outcomes where the work went to a different supplier. 70 and above is high, 40 to 69 is mixed, and under 40 means the incumbent usually kept it. With fewer than five clear outcomes we say there is not enough history.
Is the score a prediction?
No. It is a count of what has happened before, not a forecast, a recommendation, or advice. Agencies can extend contracts, change how they buy, or use a panel. Treat it as one input to your own decision.
What is the retention rate?
The share of those earlier outcomes where the existing supplier kept the work, including when an amendment moved the end date out.
What does the Free plan include?
The first 15 contracts in any search, and one saved search with a weekly digest. That saved search includes a private calendar you can subscribe to. Free also includes the open or limited badge, the 24-month expiry calendar, and the extension, tenure, and lead-time estimates. CSV export starts on Solo. The re-tender score and limited-tender reasons in plain words are on Pro and Team. No card is needed.
What's the difference between Solo, Pro and Team?
Solo is A$49 a month: the full list, 5 saved searches, a daily or weekly digest, and CSV export, plus the badge, calendar, and estimates that Free already includes. Each saved search has its own private calendar subscription, on every plan. Pro is A$149 a month: unlimited saved searches, the re-tender score with its explanation, contract-family history, and the limited-tender reason in plain words. Team is A$399 a month: Pro for up to five people. You pay by card through Stripe.
How do Team seats work?
The account owner invites colleagues by email from the account page. Each accepted invitation uses one of the five seats. Every member sees what Pro includes.
How does the founding-member discount work?
Enter the code FOUNDING at checkout for 40% off. It is open to the first 100 paying subscribers. The discount stays for as long as that subscription stays active. If you cancel, a new subscription is at the standard price.
Can I cancel any time?
Yes. Paid plans renew each month until you cancel. Cancel from the account page, using Manage billing. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the period you have already paid for, then the account returns to Free. We do not refund part of a month. We email you at least 30 days before a price increase. Nothing here limits rights the Australian Consumer Law does not allow us to limit.
What does Open vs Limited tender mean?
It is the procurement method on the AusTender contract notice. Open means the notice says the agency ran an open tender. Limited means the agency approached one or a few suppliers. On Pro and Team, a limited notice also shows the reason code in plain words, such as no competition for technical reasons, or additional deliveries by the original supplier. If we do not have a plain-English reading for a code, we show the code itself. The wording is ours for the known codes, and the longer sentence is the text published on the notice. Check the notice on AusTender before you rely on it.
How do you estimate how long a supplier has held the work?
We follow the earlier contract we have linked, for as long as the supplier stays the same, and count the notices in that chain. The years run from the first start date in the chain to the current end date. We say at least that many contracts, because the chain stops when there is no earlier link. The link is our match between notices. Verify the notices on AusTender.
Why are some figures labelled estimates?
The open or limited badge, and the days and dollars on an amendment timeline, come straight from the fields on the contract notices. Tenure, the agency extension rate, and lead time do not. Those follow links we make between notices, so a later contract can be the wrong match, or an earlier one can be missing. Lead time is the typical gap between an earlier end date and the next contract's start. It is when the next contract usually starts, not when a tender opens. Treat the labelled figures as a reading of the public record, and verify the notices on AusTender.
What does the expiry calendar show?
Each month in the next two years, it shows how many contracts end and the published value of those contracts added together. It uses the same agency and category filters as the list, and it leaves out flagged rows, including 30 June dates, while those rows are hidden. The values are as published on the contract notices. We do not add or remove GST. Verify the notices on AusTender.
Can I put contract end dates in my calendar?
Yes. Each saved search has a private link. Copy it and subscribe in Google Calendar (Other calendars, then From URL), Outlook (Add calendar, then Subscribe from web), or Apple Calendar (File, then New Calendar Subscription). Each end date is an all-day event. The title is the contract description and the agency, and the event opens that contract on this site. Your calendar app refreshes the list on its own. Google can take up to a day, so a change may take a while to appear. The feed shows up to 200 matches and leaves out flagged rows. Keep the link private. Reset calendar link on your account page if you shared it, and the old link stops working. Every plan includes this. Free has one saved search, Solo has five, and Pro and Team have no limit.
What do you do with my information?
We store only what the service needs to run your account, send the emails you asked for, and take payment. Card details stay with Stripe. We don't sell your information or use tracking analytics. Digests go only to you, only if you opt in, and the unsubscribe link in each email keeps working. Email hello@contracthorizon.com.au to get a copy of your details or to delete your account. The Privacy page has the full list.