Australian communities hit by disaster need access to life saving resources, including:
The National Emergency Management Stockpile (NEMS) Capability can assist states and territory governments to help roll out these critical goods and services quickly. It's maintained by NEMA the Australian Government.
The Australian Government continues to invest in the NEMS Capability.
The goal is to increase the Australian Government’s agility and speed in supporting states and territories in crisis. The NEMS Capability supports disaster-impacted communities, when and where that support is needed most.
State and territories can access extra support. They may choose to do this when they've used all their resources in response to severe disasters.
Increasing support through the NEMS reduces the nation’s reliance on the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The ADF is now able to concentrate more on national defence rather than domestic response and relief efforts.
NEMS Capability has 3 components. Each part supports a rapid critical disaster response.
The NEMS Standing Offer Panel launched in May 2024. It is available for use by authorised Australian Government agencies through the AusTender website.
The NEMS Panel can also be accessed through a portal by state and territory government agencies, including those which are not directly involved in emergency response and recovery.
Local Councils can also easily become Customers of the NEMS Panel and buy goods and services to help them prepare for crises and emergencies.
All levels of Australian government can use the NEMS Panel to buy things such as temporary flood barriers, non-medical biohazard kits, and temporary accommodation camps which will help prevent or minimise damage from emergencies and disasters.
They can also buy services like transport, warehousing and specialised engineering services which can be used to quickly assess damage to roads. Other services such as humanitarian aid, or specialist ‘build and take-down’ crews for temporary accommodation are also available.
Basic information about the Panel can be found on AusTender under SON4050420 and in the Resources list below.
The Panel is regularly opened for tender and looking for new suppliers to contribute to Australia’s emergency preparedness and response efforts. We are currently seeking suppliers (November and December 2025) to provide goods and/or services in the following categories:
• Sandbags
• Commercial Catering (and related equipment)
• Food Supply
• Catering Services
• Linen and Laundry Goods and Services
• Sanitation and Hygiene Goods and Services
If you are a supplier interested in supporting Australia's emergency preparedness and response efforts, you can apply through the AusTender website under D2025/82868. Tenders close Wednesday 10 December 2025.
The National Emergency Management Stockpile was established in 2023. The Stockpile is made up of re-deployable assets and single-use, seasonal consumables. This includes easy to deploy and set up off-grid emergency shelter camps. There are also water desalination and purification systems, high-output power generators and flood prevention gear. The Stockpile can be used when states and territories ask for non-financial help from the Australian Government.
NEMS has built relationships with other Australian Government humanitarian and crisis response capabilities. This helps make sure that governments can keep supporting Australian communities during and after disasters.