Boeing Australia and Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC) have signed an agreement to grow and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned and controlled businesses.
The five-year relational head agreement will see both businesses operate under shared guiding principles and a strategic partnership, making it easier for all of Boeing’s Australian subsidiaries to engage Indigenous small and medium enterprises.
Relational agreements are designed to focus on the relationship between the businesses, defining the principles for ethical interactions which are advantageous to both parties.
“Boeing Defence Australia has been working with iDiC since 2017,” Scott Carpendale, vice president and managing director of Boeing Defence Australia, said.
“We’ve spent more than $18.5 million with Indigenous businesses since 2012 and expect this figure to increase significantly now that all of Boeing’s Australian subsidiaries can engage Indigenous owned businesses under the agreement.
“This agreement bolsters our commitment to achieving genuine and sustainable reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider community in Australia. In addition, it further builds on our work towards boosting Indigenous education and employment prospects.”
iDiC identifies business opportunities for its Indigenous business consortium partners and provides turnkey solutions to prime contractors delivering nation-building projects in the infrastructure and defence industries.
“Boeing and iDiC have worked together to create a true partnership based on trust and aligned values,” Adam Goodes, chief executive officer and director of iDiC, said. “In the pursuit of growth for Indigenous businesses, we operate as one team.”