The federal government isn't saying whether it will announce the successful bidder for the construction of Australia's new submarine fleet before a likely July election.
Japan, Germany and France are all involved in what is being described as a competitive evaluation process.
The Department of Defence is due to complete a final report on the tender, ahead of a decision on where the submarines will be built by the National Security Committee.
The federal Defence Minister says the announcement of where the 12 new submarines will be built will be made sometime this year.
The fleet replaces the ageing Collins class of vessels, and Marise Payne says it will be the biggest defence procurement in Australian history.
Ms Payne says the government is pursuing an outcome that will benefit Australians.
She highlights South Australia, where a dying manufacturing industry is just one of the contributors to the state retaining the country's highest unemployment rate.
"We are, in fact, across a number of areas working very hard for the voters of the entire country and particularly South Australia, of course, in the interests of my colleagues from South Australia."
Defence industry sources have told SBS, the Department's task of carrying out the evaluation process is nearly complete and the next step is for the National Security Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, to approve the decision.
Dr Andrew Davies is from the Canberra-based research and advocacy group, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Dr Davies believes it's in the government's interest to make a decision soon.
"I think there's no surprise a decision will be made sooner rather than later, because I think even if the government had preferred to do it later, the politics of an impending election, and South Australia in particular, was going to drive an early announcement."
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott made a pre-election commitment in 2013 to build the submarines in Adelaide.
It's a promise which was re-thought after manufacturers in Japan, France and Germany said they all preferred a domestic build.
The federal opposition's defence spokesman Stephen Conroy says the coalition is taking too long.
"Valuable time has been lost as the Abbott-Turnbull Government has lurched from broken promises to bad decisions."
The new line of submarines was first flagged in the 2009 Defence White Paper, while Labor was in power.
Defence Minister Marise Payne says the process it taking as long as necessary.
"The most important thing that I am able to do and in working with my colleagues is to deliver the best possible capability outcome for Australia in relation to the future submarines."
The coalition government's strategy outlined in the Defence White Paper released just over a month ago has industry interested.
Not least because of the $190 billion in federal funding committed to defence spending over the next ten years.
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