The boss of a Kimberley native title body is urging Defence Force executives to come to the table amid claims they have failed to negotiate with Traditional Owners of land where a key military base sits.

Among key concerns is a failure to implement a heritage protection agreement for RAAF Base Curtin with Nyikina Mangala people and a failure to include their representative body, Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation, in discussions about major developments at the site.

The base, 30km south of Derby, was built in the 1950s, about 60 years before Nyikina Mangala people were recognised under western law as rightful custodians of the land in 2014.

Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation executive chairman Robert Watson said the organisation had for years attempted to enact a heritage deal with RAAF to no avail.

"We have asked (for) a heritage protection agreement - a symbolic agreement where it allows us to look at... Curtin Airbase and identify anything of historical value and significance ranging from trees to materials that pertain to what is valuable to us from a cultural perspective," he said.

"What it does is symbolises that relationship... and also acknowledges Traditional Owners as rightful people to engage with... and promotes a respectful platform for relationships going forward.

"There are registered Traditional Owners for that country that are not being consulted in a meaningful way and its quite disrespectful given we have come down a long path of trying to prove we are the first inhabitants of this country."

The Department of Defence was in June was named Supply Nation's government member of the year for its leadership in supplier diversity and driving Indigenous business growth.

Mr Watson said Nyikina Mangala people had not benefitted from the same engagement seen elsewhere in Australia.

"We have been talking with the Department of Defence for four or five years now," he said.

"It has been great I have to say, but it hasn't evolved into anything meaningful.

"What we are experiencing is other organisations and individuals have more influence about what is going on at Curtin airbase and some of the opportunities than the Traditional Owner group.

"We understand there is a huge project out there about to be rolled out in the coming years and the registered native title body representing Traditional Owners hasnt been part of that conversation."

Mr Watson said the Department's contracted Indigenous procurement consultancy Red Ochre had done "nothing meaningful" since being enlisted.

A Defence spokesperson said a tender for cultural heritage surveys of the base would likely be released by the end of September.

"Since engaging with WAC and other local stakeholders in April 2022, Defence is developing an Indigenous engagement strategy for the RAAF Base Curtin re-development project," they said.

"This strategy will be implemented by Defence's managing contractor (Red Ochre) following their engagement in the coming months.

"The managing contractor will be responsible for engaging with local Indigenous stakeholders, including WAC, to identify potential opportunities for Indigenous-owned businesses to tender for works packages on the project."

The spokesperson said Red Ochre's work had informed the department's approach to local Indigenous opportunities on the project.

NIT executive chairman Wayne Bergmann is a director of Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation