You won the work. Now you need the machine, the plant and the wages before the prime pays you. The bank sees one big new customer and gets nervous. We see a contract worth funding.
Novara arranges equipment finance, working capital and cash-flow facilities for the fabricators, contractors and operators supplying and supporting Australia's defence build, from Henderson and Osborne to the bases in between. 60+ lenders. One application. An answer in days, not months.
Subject to lender criteria and approval.
Defence and prime contracts pay on milestones. You carry the cost first: the machine, the fit-out, the extra crew, months before the money lands.
A bank reads that as risk. One large government-linked customer on a new contract looks like concentration risk to a credit committee, so they decline, ask for security you can't spare, or drag the decision out until the opportunity is gone.
That gap between winning the work and getting paid is the single biggest reason good suppliers stall. It is also the exact thing specialist lenders are built to fund.
Stephen Harvey, CEO and Head Broker, 45 years in commercial lending: “A bank assesses your balance sheet and gets spooked by one big customer. A specialist lender assesses the contract behind the deal. That difference is often the line between a decline and a fast approval, and it's the whole reason a shop that just won defence work should never walk into its own bank first.”
You are not financing a warship. You are financing the capacity to deliver your slice of the work. Here is how it maps.
| What you need to do | The facility | What it solves |
|---|---|---|
| Buy plant or machinery to hit the spec or scale output | Equipment finance | Fund the asset without draining cash |
| Bridge the wait between spend and milestone payment | Invoice finance / working capital and business loans | Close the cash-flow gap |
| Grow a fleet ahead of contracted freight volume | Truck and fleet finance | Move goods before the money arrives |
| Free up capital locked in gear you already own | Sale and leaseback | Turn owned plant into bid capacity |
Rates for established operators currently range from around 7.5% to 12% p.a. depending on asset class and term. Newer businesses (under two years trading) typically see 11% to 16%. Rates current as of July 2026. Individual circumstances vary. Subject to lender criteria and approval.
Go direct and each knock-back is a separate credit enquiry chipping at your file. We pre-assess first, then match you to the lender most likely to say yes, so you get one clean application instead of a trail of rejections.
Novara runs deals from $50,000 to $120M+ across mining, construction, transport, manufacturing and marine — the same sectors now being pulled into defence work. We know which lenders assess a contract instead of just a balance sheet. There is no upfront fee to you; the broker is paid by the lender on settlement.
Illustrative example (not a real client). A precision-engineering shop wins a tier-3 subcontract fabricating components for a Henderson program. It needs a $1.4M five-axis machine to hit tolerance, and it won't see prime payment for four months. Its bank balks at the concentration on one new government-linked customer. A specialist lender funds the machine on equipment finance and adds an invoice facility to bridge the four-month gap. The shop takes the work and scales. Individual circumstances vary. Subject to lender criteria and approval.
This is a representative scenario. A real anonymised client case study will replace it once available.
Often yes. Specialist non-bank lenders assess the contract and the asset rather than balance sheet alone, so a business the bank sees as concentration risk can still be funded. A broker pre-assesses your file and matches you to the right lender with a single enquiry. Subject to lender criteria and approval.
Invoice finance and working-capital facilities are built for exactly this. They advance against your contract or invoices so you can cover plant, fit-out and wages before the prime pays. This is one of the most common needs for suppliers scaling into defence-linked work.
Interest and depreciation on business assets are commonly deductible, and some structures suit certain balance sheets better than others. The right structure depends on your circumstances. Consult your accountant for tax advice specific to your situation.
For established operators, rates currently range from around 7.5% to 12% p.a. depending on asset class and term. Newer businesses typically see 11% to 16%. There is no upfront fee to you; the broker is paid by the lender on settlement. Rates current as of July 2026. Individual circumstances vary. Subject to lender criteria and approval.
No. We work with the tier-2 and tier-3 suppliers, the civil and construction contractors, and the transport operators in and around the build, including businesses in the spillover economy near Henderson, Osborne and HMAS Stirling.
Typically 24 to 48 hours to an indicative position through a specialist lender, depending on how complete your information is. Subject to lender criteria and approval.
Tell us the contract and the gap. We'll tell you what's fundable, usually within 24 to 48 hours.
This page provides general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Consider your own circumstances and seek independent advice where appropriate. Consult your accountant for tax advice specific to your situation. Novara Finance Pty Ltd | AFSL 517192 | ABN 99 687 789 144. Subject to lender criteria and approval.