To get work on NSW renewable energy zone projects, start by registering your business on the Gateway by ICN platform. Then do the part most suppliers skip. Pick one zone, find the people who control the package you can deliver, and start talking to them before that package is released.
EnergyCo plans the zones. It is usually not the company buying your earthworks, cabling, traffic management, fencing or camp services. Those packages sit with the network operator in each zone, the firms delivering for it, and the private developers building wind, solar and battery projects that connect to the new lines.
That buyer set is small enough to list on one page. In Central-West Orana, EnergyCo lists ACEREZ as the network operator to contact about construction. In New England, the network operator is still being chosen. In South West, EnergyCo sends local suppliers to the Industry Capability Network to find and bid on project work.
When a founder asks me how to break into a new market, I start with one question: on the last job like the one you want, who actually approved the spend?
A capability statement sent to a government inbox rarely reaches the person choosing subcontractors. A short message to the right package owner, from a firm that already works in the region, starts a conversation.
Who actually buys REZ work in NSW?
Four kinds of organization sit in the buyer chain. Most suppliers write first to the one that buys the least construction.
EnergyCo describes itself as the infrastructure planner for the zones on its industry page. Its role is to plan the zones, run approvals and procure network operators. The operator then builds, owns and maintains the transmission over its lifetime. EnergyCo also leads community consultation and community benefit work in each zone.
NSW has declared five zones, with Hunter-Central Coast and Illawarra alongside the three covered here, according to EnergyCo's explainer on renewable energy zones.
| Organization | Its role in a REZ | Who to reach there as a supplier |
|---|---|---|
| EnergyCo | Plans the zone, runs approvals and consultation, procures the network operator | Its industry and supplier pages, for routes and programs |
| Network operator | Designs, builds, owns and maintains the transmission | Procurement and industry participation leads |
| Delivery partners and EPC contractors | Build the packages for the operator | Package managers, construction managers, procurement |
| Generation and storage developers | Build wind, solar and battery projects after winning access | Project directors and their own contractors |
The developers matter more than most suppliers think. They compete for access rights to the new transmission, and EnergyCo says projects that can show local employment opportunities are likely to do better in that competition. AEMO Services runs the tenders for those access rights, and for long-term energy service agreements, as part of the state's Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap. A developer with a local supplier already named has something concrete to put in front of the assessors.
The Roadmap is a 20-year plan. It backs a minimum of 12 gigawatts of fresh renewable generation and 2 gigawatts of long-duration storage, and the state expects more than AUD 77 billion of private investment by 2035. EnergyCo's explainer forecasts that the zones will create 6,970 direct jobs at peak construction, plus 4,450 ongoing direct jobs (Roadmap page and explainer).
Each zone ends up with one transmission operator, a limited set of firms delivering for it, and the developers that won access there. Map it account by account before you write to anyone.
Which zone should you target first?
Run one outreach track per zone. A statewide list mixes people at different stages, working for different operators, who need different proof from you.
| Zone | Transmission stage | Accounts to map first | First entry route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central-West Orana | EnergyCo lists ACEREZ as the network operator for construction enquiries; access scheme declared | ACEREZ and its delivery partners, then developers connecting in the zone | ACEREZ construction contact and the REZ page on Gateway by ICN |
| New England | Network operator under competitive procurement; three operators shortlisted in November 2025 and moved to request for proposal, scheduled to run to October 2026; preferred operator expected late 2027; access scheme being developed | Procurement and industry participation leads in each of the 3 bid teams | Direct conversations with each bid team |
| South West | Access scheme declared; EnergyCo's supplier page names no operator contact and points local suppliers to ICN to find project work to bid on | Project teams seeking suppliers, developers building in the zone | ICN registration and expressions of interest |
The stages come from EnergyCo's pages on the Central-West Orana transmission project, the New England network operator process and South West supplier opportunities. The access scheme status is from the EnergyCo industry page.
Four rules decide the order:
- If your depot sits inside or next to a zone, start there. I target a local audience when I can, because a prospect who knows you are down the road replies more readily than one who sees a firm from somewhere else.
- If you have crews free soon, go where buying is visible now. That means Central-West Orana, where ACEREZ handles construction enquiries, or South West, where packages appear on ICN.
- If you are building pipeline for later years, open New England now, with honest expectations. Its request for proposal stage is scheduled to close in October 2026, so ask each bid team whether its supplier list is still open, and treat the contact as groundwork for delivery once EnergyCo picks its operator.
- Two zones need two owners. Give each of your senders one zone, so two people from your firm never message the same contact.
A worked example: one civils firm, three zones
Here is a made-up illustration. A civil contractor based in the Central West has an owner, a business development lead and crews that have done access roads and hardstands for mines and solar farms.
| Month | Zone | Who owns it | First contacts | Opening angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central-West Orana | Owner | Procurement and package managers at ACEREZ and its delivery partners | Local crews and plant, close to the work |
| 2 | New England | BD lead | Industry participation leads in the 3 bid teams | Package experience from nearby infrastructure jobs, plus a plan to staff locally |
| 3 | South West | Owner | Project teams behind ICN packages that match civils scope | A tight match to the posted scope |
The owner never messages the New England bid teams. The BD lead never touches Central-West Orana. In New England the firm is not local, so it leads with experience instead of proximity, and that changes the message.
Where do REZ packages show up?
Gateway by ICN is the first public place to look. EnergyCo launched a dedicated renewable energy zones topic page on this free platform, where businesses register, show their capabilities and connect with projects, according to an EnergyCo announcement. EnergyCo reported that close to 500 supplier profiles got updates so they show up better in searches on that page.
The South West page puts it plainly: "ICN is where major projects seek suppliers for work packages" (page updated 23 July 2026). ICN, quoted in the same announcement, tells REZ businesses to keep their capability profile up to date and submit expressions of interest for the work packages they want.
Treat ICN as discovery. An expression of interest puts you on a list. The package manager reading that list still decides who gets a call, and a name they have already spoken to stands out from one they have only seen in a portal.
Before a package is released, do three things:
- Fill in the profile for the buyer who will search it. Name the zone, the package types, plant and crew numbers, distance to the work and two or three comparable projects.
- Submit expressions of interest per package, per zone. A generic "interested in REZ work" helps nobody.
- Find the person behind each package you register for. That person becomes your first conversation.
Who decides inside the consortium and EPC chain?
The person who answers the phone at a contractor's office is rarely the person who picks subcontractors. Start from your own records. Look at your past projects and ask who the actual decision-maker was: who issued the order and who chose your firm over the next quote. That tells you which title actually holds the decision in this kind of work.
Then target the titles that usually hold these decisions on large infrastructure projects, and check each one against real people at the operator and its contractors, because a generic title search pulls in hundreds of people who cannot buy.
| Title | Usually sits in | What they control | Most useful when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Procurement manager | Network operator or head contractor | Supplier panels, quotes, commercial terms | Before a package goes to market |
| Package manager | Head contractor | Scope and shortlist for one package | While the package is being scoped |
| Industry participation manager | Network operator or bid team | Local supplier commitments and reporting | During bids and early delivery |
| Construction manager | Head contractor site team | Which subcontractors mobilize, and when | Once delivery is underway |
| Project director | Generation or storage developer | Main contractor choice and local content plans | Around access rights and financial close |
The right title moves with the stage. While New England's operator is still being chosen, the bid teams and their industry participation people matter most. In a zone where delivery is running, package and construction managers carry more weight.
Before a list reaches a sequence, I remove anyone whose title is just "Manager", "Associate" or "Assistant" with no function attached, because those people sit next to the decision without making it.
I build these lists from tools like Sales Navigator and Apollo rather than scraping a directory. The wider method is in how to build a B2B lead list worth sending to.
When the buyer set is this small, weigh hand-picked accounts against a wide list with account-based or volume outbound for a small B2B team.
How should a supplier approach them without wasting the window?
The order is simple: talk first, book the call second, sign the client third.
So set the goal at conversations. A package manager who has swapped three messages with you about access tracks is far more likely to take your call later than one who only received a cold request for a meeting.
Open on LinkedIn and follow with email, so the first email lands as a warm one. For what to send once a contact engages, read warm outbound on LinkedIn without pitching too soon.
If a zone has only a small number of people worth knowing, a clumsy first message burns one of very few chances. Write each one as if it is the only message that person will see from you this year.
Do not wait for a formal call for submissions either. Start while the package is still being scoped, so your name is already familiar when it goes to market.
What should a regional NSW supplier say in the first message?
Lead with three facts in the first two lines: the zone, the package type, and why your firm can deliver it. Then ask for something small.
Put one past project in the message, because a buyer who sees a job like theirs has a reason to reply.
A made-up example for a civils firm writing to a package manager in Central-West Orana:
Hi Sarah, we are a civil contractor based in the Central West with our own crews and plant. We built access roads and hardstands for two solar farms in the region last year. Are you the right person for civil packages on the transmission work, or is that someone else on your team?
That message is under 60 words, specific and easy to answer. An electrical or services firm swaps the package and the proof line. Keep it plain, the way you would say it on the phone, since short human messages beat templates that sound machine-made.
Watch for one trap with a small buyer set. Someone asks for a detailed method statement or a priced scope before any package exists, and you spend a week on it for free. Build your proof once, as case studies, so it works on every prospect instead of one. Answer questions freely on a call. Save the full custom work for a real request.
How do the zones differ in timing and opportunity?
These zones are built over years, so the right moment to call depends on where each zone sits.
New England shows the earlier sequence. In March 2025, EnergyCo opened the process with a call for registrations of interest and an industry briefing. Six submissions came in at expression of interest. Three network operators were shortlisted in November 2025 and moved to request for proposal. EnergyCo's timeline runs that stage to October 2026 and expects the preferred operator to sign a commitment deed by late 2027.
At that stage, the bidders must explain how they will create regional jobs and support local supply chains. A bid team writing about local supply chains needs local suppliers it can name before the proposal is submitted. Check EnergyCo's New England page for the current stage before you write.
Central-West Orana and South West sit further along, with declared access schemes and clearer supplier routes. Work there is closer to purchase orders, and the competition for it is more visible.
Some markets simply move slowly, so judge a new zone's pipeline over months, never on month one. Split your effort the same way: near-term revenue from the zones already buying, and relationship work in New England that pays off later.
What does a good NSW REZ entry plan look like?
Start with one decision rule. If the buyer set is small, skip heavy intent tooling and do account work by hand.
Intent data is a tool, not the name of the game. If a market holds about 2,000 target companies and only around 10 show intent signals, I skip intent data and build an offer the whole market can use. A REZ zone is far smaller than that, so the work is mapping named people.
Before any outreach, check you are ready:
- Gateway by ICN profile complete, with zone, package types, plant, crew numbers and comparable projects.
- 2 or 3 case studies written for the packages you want, each with a number and a timeframe.
- Contacts verified. Check every address before sending.
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up on any domain you send from.
- Someone free to take the calls. Outbound only pays when someone has hours to sit on the calls.
Then run 30 days:
- Days 1 to 3: pick one zone and list every account in its chain: operator, delivery partners, developers.
- Days 4 to 8: map the titles from the table above to named people, 20 to 50 in total.
- Days 9 to 12: verify contacts, split territories if two people are sending, register expressions of interest on ICN.
- Days 13 to 20: open conversations on LinkedIn with a question about the package, without asking for a meeting yet.
- Days 21 to 26: follow up, then send warm emails to those who engaged.
- Days 27 to 30: invite the people already talking to you onto a short call about the package.
Whoever runs your plan, judge it on conversations in month one, not on signed packages.
Choosing the first REZ zone and the people to write to inside it is something I can help with. Book a time and we will look at yours.
Questions suppliers ask about REZ work
How long before REZ outreach turns into signed work?
Expect a gap. In the campaigns my team runs, calls can arrive in the first 30 days while the deals from them close 4 or more months later, and B2B sales cycles of 6, 9 or 12 months are normal. Give it at least 3 months to get feedback and adjust; across the industry, outbound takes about 6 months to work fully.
Should I talk to all three New England bidders?
Yes, and keep the conversations separate. You cannot know which bidder will win, and each one needs local suppliers it can name in its proposal. Offer the same capability to all three. Never share one team's plans with another, and never criticize a rival bidder in your messages.
What if my business is outside all three zones?
Lead with package experience instead of proximity. A firm from outside a zone has to show it has done the same kind of work and can staff it in the region. Pick the zone where your past projects look most like the packages, and name the crew or partner you would base there.