FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Is there a fee/cost for my organisation to use the DBRT?
Use of the DBRT is free.
Should your business choose to connect with a DBRT Mentor, connection through the DBRT will be free. However, depending on your requirements and the level of engagement with the DBRT Mentor, they may or may not negotiate charging your business a fee for their further in-depth services outside of the DBRT. This will be a private arrangement between you and your DBRT Mentor, entirely independent of the DBRT. We suggest you clarify this with your elected DBRT Mentor/s after your initial engagement as these arrangements may vary between DBRT Mentors.
DBRT users are not bound to undertake or pay for any activities or services outside of the DRBT. They arrangements may be entered into outside of the DBRT if wanted.
Can I complete an assessment anonymously?
Yes, you can complete an anonymous DBRT assessment by electing not to create a DBRT account. It is only when you create a DBRT account for your business by signing up, with a username and password, that your details and your assessments are saved.
Once you have a DBRT account you are still able to decide which other entities you share your assessment information with. Having a DBRT account does not automatically allow access to your assessments by Defence or other parties.
There are limitations to completing an anonymous DBRT self-assessment. Your data will not be stored or saved in the DBRT, and you will not be able to resume work on your DBRT assessment once your browser is closed or your session times out. You will also be limited to receiving only a high-level provisional readiness report and you will not be able to access assistance from a DBRT Mentor.
If I complete my assessment anonymously will I be able to access it at a later time?
No, if you complete your DBRT self-assessment anonymously it will not be saved. Your data will be lost once you close your browser tab or if the session times out.
If you wish to access your data in future sessions you will need to create a DBRT account for your business and save your DBRT assessment. You can create a account at any time by selecting the “Sign up” button from the DBRT Homepage or the “Get Assistance” from any subsequent pages.
If I complete my DBRT assessment anonymously will I be able to print my reports?
An anonymous DBRT self-assessment gives you access to a high-level provisional readiness report which you can view and print, as long as your session remains active and your browser remains open.
How long will I have to complete my DBRT assessment?
If you have created a DBRT account, your assessments will automatically save and you can come back to your responses at any time.
If you are completing a DBRT assessment without having created an account, your assessment will stay live while you continue to work through it and for so long as your browser remains open.
If your assessment times out without you having created an account, you will need to start the assessment again. If you would like to save your answers you will need to sign up which will allow you to save the information you have already provided and then continue your secure assessment.
Does my business need to be Australian owned in order to participate in the DBRT?
No. Your business does not need to be Australian owned, however, you will be asked to identify the country/countries of residency of each of equity holder or shareholder.
Do I have to connect with a DBRT Mentor to receive support?
No, the DBRT offers you insights into the defence readiness of your business once you complete the secure assessment.
Can I connect with more than one DBRT Mentor?
Yes. DBRT Mentors may offer different services and support, so you may consider connecting with more than one DBRT Mentor.
If I am connected to more than one DBRT Mentor, can they see all of my communications with the others?
No. Your information and communications will only be shared with those you choose. Choosing to share with one DBRT Mentor organisation does not automatically allow other Mentor organisations you are communicating with to see this communication or information.
It should be noted that your business can only share one DBRT assessment with one DBRT Mentor at a time. However, you can have multiple assessments shared with different DBRT Mentors at the same time. You can clone your DBRT assessment to share with a DBRT Mentor of your choice.
Once I complete my DBRT assessment, does that ‘register’ or ‘pre-qualify’ me for Defence tenders and opportunities?
No. The DBRT is service provided by Defence to assist you to understand what it means to be ‘Defence Ready’, and assess your business against best practices benchmarked for defence suppliers. Therefore, responding to a tender, either directly to Defence or through a Defence Prime contractor, is a separate process. The DBRT assessment will provide you with useful information in terms of your business’ readiness to work with Defence (directly or indirectly).
What is the difference between a DBRT self-assessment, an anonymous DBRT assessment and a verified DBRT assessment?
A DBRT self-assessment is your business’ own assessment to determine your level of Defence readiness. It is a view of your business’ readiness at a point in time, based on the responses to the assessment that you have entered for your business.
If you have not yet signed up and created a DBRT account, your self-assessment is anonymous. Your responses will not be saved and you will not be able to view or recover the information once your browser is closed or your session times out.
An assessment you have created can be reviewed and verified by a DBRT Mentor. However, you must create a DBRT account and share your assessment with your DBRT Mentor to have it verified.
Alternatively, a DBRT Mentor that you have connected with may create a verified, independent third-party assessment for your business outside of the DBRT.
Will there be a cost to having my assessment verified by a DBRT Mentor?
There is no charge if you choose to connect with a DBRT Mentor through the DBRT. A Mentor will not charge you to review and verify your assessment.
However, depending on your requirements and the level of engagement with the DBRT Mentor, they may or may not negotiate charging your business a fee for their further in-depth services outside of the DBRT. This will be a private arrangement between you and your DBRT Mentor, entirely independent of the DBRT. We suggest you clarify this with your elected DBRT Mentor/s after your initial engagement as these arrangements may vary between DBRT Mentors.
DBRT users are not bound to undertake or pay for any activities or services outside of the DRBT. Arrangements may be entered into outside of the DBRT if wanted.
Can I edit my DBRT assessment?
If you create a DBRT account for your business, your DBRT self-assessment will be saved and you can continue to access and update your responses until you “submit” your assessment. If you “finish” your assessment, you will still have edit capabilities and limited reporting functionality. Once you choose to “submit”, this will generate full reporting capability and can no longer be edited.
If you have not created an account for your business, your DBRT assessment is anonymous and you can still continue to edit it until your session is closed, or times out. It will not be saved. You can create a DBRT account at any time by clicking on the “Signup” button to save your work.
Is there somewhere I can get technical help or advice?
The Feedback button within the DBRT (found on the DBRT Homepage right hand side, mid screen) allows you to ask questions of a technical nature or report issues. If you are seeking help completing your assessment, you may wish to consider registering for a DBRT account and connecting with a DBRT Mentor to advise you.
I want to complete an initial anonymous self-assessment but am having trouble. Can I get assistance from a DBRT Mentor?
No. You can only connect with a DBRT Mentor for assistance if you have registered for a DBRT account and created your business account. You can create an account at any time by clicking on the “Signup” button.
Do I have to use the DBRT to get support or advice from Defence?
No. The DBRT will assist you to understand what it means to be ‘Defence Ready’, and assess your business against best practices benchmarked for defence suppliers. Other forms of assistance are available to industry via the Office of Defence Industry Support (ODIS):www1.defence.gov.au/odis.
ODIS industry advisors may refer businesses to the DBRT as an aid to assist in understanding business readiness.
ODIS industry advisors may also be engaged through the DBRT Mentor process should you wish to interact with them in this way.
When I was completing my DBRT assessment I noticed that not all numbers were sequential. Have I missed some questions?
No. The assessment includes conditional questions that may or may not be relevant to your business. The selection order of the DBRT questions is dependent on your response to a previous question. Not all questions within the DBRT need be answered by all users.
Can I delete my business account?
You can choose to delete your DBRT account at any time. This will sever your connection with all DBRT Mentors that you may have chosen to engaged with, and remove your access and ongoing account. To delete your business’ account, go to your User account and select the option to delete.
Can I cease a connection with a DBRT Mentor and how do I remove their access to my assessment?
Yes. You can disconnect from a DBRT Mentor at any time. To cease your business’ connection with a DBRT Mentor go to where your assessment is listed and select the “Get Assistance” button. From here you will be able to remove the connection with the DBRT Mentor.
Can I share business’ readiness reports with external parties, such as my accountant?
Yes. If you have a DBRT account, your reports can be downloaded as a CSV file or you can print your DBRT assessment. You are able to share this information with any external party of your choice.
I’ve completed all questions for my business but I can’t access any reports?
Your readiness reports will be available to you once you have submitted your DBRT assessment. If you have completed your assessment and hit the “Finish” button you will have access only to a limited provisional report, while you can still edit your responses. To submit your assessment select the “Submit” button at the end of the assessment, this will open up a full DBRT reporting suite to you.
What is the “Clone Assessment” function?
The Clone Assessment function can be selected against your list of assessments. This function allows you to duplicate any DBRT assessment at any point during the assessment process, including once you have chosen to “finish” or “submit”.
There are a number of reasons you may wish to clone an assessment.
Cloning an assessment can be helpful if you wish to engage more than one DBRT Mentor. Working with a DBRT Mentor can help you understand the assessment and how you might best respond.
You may also choose to clone a verified assessment, perhaps allowing you to use it as your baseline when re-doing the assessment at a time in the future. This enables you to update your readiness assessment to reflect changes and improvements your business makes over time, enhancing your assessed and reported overall ‘business readiness’.
How long should I allow to complete the DBRT assessment and assessment?
The time needed to complete an assessment is dependent upon may vary between businesses. As a minimum we suggest you allow approximately one hour of your time.
We also suggest you gather certain key information and have it on hand before you begin completing the assessment, as a minimum this should include:
- Details of your business structure;
- ABN (DBRT will automatically verify this once it is entered);
- registered physical address;
- details of the past three years’ financial statements;
- confirmation of memberships held;
- details of the products, systems and services you intend to provide to Defence; and
- a copy of key corporate documents including your strategic plan, operating plan, HR strategy and corporate policies where these exist.
If you have created a DBRT account your assessment will automatically be saved and you will be able to return to it at any time.
However, if you are completing an assessment without having created an account, your DBRT assessment will stay live while you continue to work through it and for so long as your browser remains open. If your assessment has not been worked on in 30 minutes you will receive a notice that your session will end in 10 minutes without further activity. If your assessment times out without you having created an account, you will need to start the assessment again.
What if I run out of time to complete my DBRT assessment? How do I recommence it?
If you have created a DBRT account your self-assessment will be automatically saved and you can continue to access and update your responses until you “submit” your assessment.
If you elect not to create an account, your DBRT assessment is only accessible for as long as your browser remains open and your session is active. If your browser is closed or your session times out your data will be lost and will need to be re-entered.
We suggest you create an account to allow your DBRT data to be saved. You can create an account at any time by clicking on the “Signup” button.
I’m working with more than one DBRT Mentor and have ended up with a few DBRT assessments. Is this a problem?
No. DBRT Mentors can offer different areas of expertise and support services, which is most likely the reason you connected with more than one mentor. Your DBRT Mentor will have assessed and compared your readiness based on criteria and comparisons specifically available to them and most relevant to them and their specialist offering.
Remember that your reported level of readiness is not an absolute. Your individual DBRT reports, as well as a collective consideration, are intended to provide you with a better understanding of your business’ readiness to enter the defence industry and grow your defence business capability.
I completed an anonymous DBRT self-assessment and received only a high level provisional report. How can I get more detail in my report?
If you’ve completed an anonymous DBRT self-assessment only, you will receive a high level provisional readiness report.
If you’re seeking a deeper level of reporting and a greater level of access, you will need to create a DBRT account and submit your DBRT assessment.
