certification overview

About certification

The purpose of certification is to assure AIMSC members that the Indigenous suppliers they seek to contract with are majority Indigenous Australian owned as well as managed and controlled  by Indigenous Australians.

Benefits of certification

Becoming an AIMSC certified supplier provides Indigenous-owned companies with greater opportunities to compete for business in the corporate and government sectors.

AIMSC certified suppliers also have access to AIMSC events including its Annual Business Opportunity Fair  as well as business development, mentoring and support provided by  AIMSC’s strategic partners.

Certification criteria

To be eligible for AIMSC certification, applicant suppliers must meet the following six criteria:

• ownership – at least 51 per cent ownership of the company by an Indigenous Australian(s)
• management – the company is lead / managed by a Principal Executive Officer who is an Indigenous Australian
• control – the key business decisions regarding the company’s finances, operations, personnel and strategy are made by an Indigenous Australian(s)
• for profit – the company is able to distribute its equity to members or others
• trading as a business – that is, your company has goods, services and / or products to sell
• business is located in Australia

The evidence applicant suppliers will be asked to provide to support the above claims include:

• copy of ABNR certificate
• copy of certificate of company registration attached
• copy of register of shareholders
• copy of register of office holders
• copy of company Constitution/partnership agreement/trust deed/joint venture agreement
• copy of delegations of authority
• copy of previous year's income tax statement
• copy of certificates of insurance

Certification process

There are three main steps in the certification process. These are:

1. completion of the certification application form and provision of relevant documents by the supplier seeking certification.
2. site visit at the business premises by two AIMSC staff. The purpose of the site visit is for AIMSC to get a better understanding of the business and the owner(s) future plans for the business.
3. confirmation or rejection of application for certification. The AIMSC board either agrees to certify or not certify the business applying for AIMSC certification. Applicants are advised of the board’s decision within 24 hours of the decision being made. If a supplier is certified, the owners will be notified and their business details will be added to the AIMSC supplier database.