The head of construction at NBN Co, Patrick Flannigan, says the timetable for the roll-out of the fibre-optic network would not be affected by the federal election or the possibility of the Coalition winning and cancelling the entire project.
Speaking at a business lunch in Melbourne, he said a formal request for tenders on construction work worth millions of dollars would be sent out before the election of August 21.
"Elections will come and go, as we know, and we have a job to do for our shareholder," he said, referring to the federal government. "We have a reasonably significant RFP (request for proposal) coming out in the newt few weeks on construction.
"This is not awarding contracts, we are going to request for proposals of pricing for the main construction."
He said 21 companies had been shortlisted for work with NBN Co's mainland roll out, with contracts lasting three to five years.
Mr Flannigan said 60 per cent of households had signed up for the NBN in the three Tasmanian towns where it was rolled out.
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