Northern Territory Procurement Reform Communications
Making complex government change clear for suppliers and staff
This strategic communications project supported the rollout of major Northern Territory Government procurement reforms across public-facing and internal channels.
The project brought together communications strategy, content development, graphic design, web updates and project coordination to explain complex changes clearly and consistently to government staff, suppliers and businesses.
Important: the current page says “Shout by Design delivered…” Confirm that this project was contracted directly to Shout. If it was completed by current team members during previous employment, use the attribution wording provided below instead.
The Challenge
The 2025 procurement reforms represented a significant change in how the Northern Territory Government purchased goods, services and works.
The communications needed to support two distinct audiences:
- suppliers and businesses seeking to understand government procurement requirements
- government employees responsible for applying the new processes internally
Both audiences needed accurate, practical and audience-specific information.
The project also required content to be coordinated across public websites, internal platforms and printed materials while meeting government style, accessibility and web-content standards.
Strategy and Creative Approach
Research and Content Audit
Existing procurement information across print and digital channels was reviewed to identify:
- outdated or duplicated information
- gaps in the content
- inconsistent terminology and messaging
- areas where users may have difficulty finding or understanding information
Website analytics and existing content structures were also assessed to help establish priorities for the redevelopment.
Audience and Message Strategy
A communications approach was developed to separate external supplier information from internal staff guidance.
The strategy focused on:
- identifying what each audience needed to know
- establishing clear and consistent terminology
- simplifying complex policy and procurement information
- creating logical pathways through the content
- maintaining compliance with government writing, accessibility and style requirements
Creative and Content Direction
A clear and professional visual language was established for the project across web, print and internal communication materials.
Layout, typography, colour, iconography and content hierarchy were used to make complex information easier to navigate and understand while remaining consistent with Northern Territory Government branding.
Communication Delivery
The project brought together public-facing content, internal guidance and supporting visual materials.
Delivery included:
- redevelopment of the Doing business with government area on the Northern Territory Government website
- clearer explanations of procurement processes, purchasing tiers and supplier requirements
- restructuring of internal intranet content for government employees
- preparation of staff guidance, notifications and implementation information
- development of coordinated print and digital communication materials
- creation of diagrams and supporting graphics to simplify complex processes
- management of content reviews and approvals across several departments
- coordination of final materials for the October 2025 launch
This section replaces the current:
- Design and Execution
- Collaboration and Delivery
- The Solution
Those three areas are all describing implementation and can be presented more clearly together.
The Outcome
The procurement reform communications were launched on 1 October 2025 with a coordinated suite of public, internal, print and digital information.
The completed project:
- created clearer pathways for suppliers seeking procurement information
- improved the structure and usability of public website content
- provided government staff with consistent internal guidance
- strengthened consistency across written and visual communication materials
- supported the rollout of major procurement changes across multiple departments
- received positive feedback from stakeholders and project teams
The result was a clearer and more accessible communication system that helped different audiences understand how the reforms affected them and what action they needed to take.
Services Delivered:
- Communications Strategy
- Content Development
- Graphic Design, Web & Digital Delivery
- Project Coordination
Project Type:
Government Change Communications
Client:
Northern Territory Government – Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations
Client type:
Government Department
Date:
2025
Attribution where required
Delivered by current Shout by Design team members while working within the Northern Territory Government.