The Health and Community Services Workforce Council Inc. is seeking applications from appropriately qualified individuals and organisations interested in providing professional development and support to the child care sector in Queensland as part of the Professional Support Coordinator Queensland (PSCQ) project, for the period to 30 June 2012.

This will be managed as an ongoing tender process. Organisations can tender to become part of the Panel of Providers for the PSCQ project at any time.

The following documents explain the process:

Part 1: Who are we and what do we want
Part 2: How this tender process works
Part 3: Terms and conditions of the tender
Part 4: Draft Deed of Standing Offer

Please read these documents before proceeding to the application forms.

Applying

There are two forms to be completed:

1. Tender Response Form
2. Template for Tender offerings

To apply, please fill out both of the above forms, save them to your hard drive, and return as attachments to the email address below.

Applications will only be accepted electronically – please do not send hard copies.

Email address:
pscqtender@workforce.org.au

If you have any questions regarding the tender process, please address them in writing to this email address:
pscqtender@workforce.org.au

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The following questions have been asked by prospective tenderers. The answers given to these questions are supplied below in the interest of fairness and transparency.

Question 1: Does each successive workshop have to be individually tendered for?

Answer: When you submit your tender, you will be outlining what workshops you can offer. If you are selected as a panelist, your Deed of Standing Offer will list those workshops and the negotiated standard price for these. There is no guarantee of work under the Deed – it serves only to establish what you can offer to PSCQ and the agreed prices for this.

Should PSCQ wish to book you to present a workshop, the project officer for the region concerned will negotiate with you the date and location, and once this is agreed, an Official Order will be issued under your Deed. This will form a separate contract for the workshop delivery.

Question 2:If I have developed my own workshops and deliver them on your behalf, do I retain ownership of my material or does the Workforce council assume that ownership? This relates to my ability to deliver my material in a range of different locations outside of any work for PSCQ.

Answer: You retain all ownership of your material, whether pre-existing or developed for work with the Workforce Council. It is assumed that you will grant the Workforce Council licence to use this material when you are presenting it. Clause 15 of the Draft Deed of Standing Offer refers.

Question 3: Can you please provide clarification on clause 15.3? Are we correct in understanding Clause 15.3 in that PSCQ has the rights to use any materials which we develop and may use in the delivery of services for the PSCQ?

Answer: I can clarify that Clause 15.3 states that you will grant the Workforce Council the rights to use any materials that you develop or you use in delivering services for the PSCQ project. These rights are solely for the purpose of presenting the professional support services which you deliver. However, you retain all ownership of this material.

Question 4: If a tenderer objects to clause 15.3 of the Draft Deed of Standing Offer (relating to licencing of Intellectual Property Rights of material), is it likely that their submission will become non-compliant?

Answer: If a tenderer cannot agree to the terms and conditions of the Deed of Standing Offer, then their submission will be non-compliant. The Workforce Council may choose not to negotiate with tenderers whose submissions are non-compliant.

Question 5: What guarantee is there for a tenderer that once they have delivered a training program that PSCQ will continue to use their services as opposed to delivering the program themselves using the materials developed by the contractor?

Answer: The reason that the Workforce Council is going out to tender to establish a panel of providers is because the PSCQ project has no scope to deliver professional support internally. All professional support is subcontracted.

Question 6: How does PSCQ resolve the issue of ethics regarding the inclusion of research data, children's pictures, teachers’ curriculum work etc. in presentations, which prohibits non authorised researchers from using the materials as outlined in any university ethics which may have been applied to collect the data?

Answer: It is not the intention of the Workforce Council to provide one subcontractor’s presentations or materials to another subcontractor or person to be delivered. It is assumed that the subcontractor will be using appropriately authorised persons to deliver their material at all times.

Question 7:I do not hold professional indemnity or public liability insurance. What can I do?

Answer: The requirement for tenderers to hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance is not negotiable. The funding agreement with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations which governs the Workforce Council’s conduct of the PSCQ project requires that anyone subcontracted to provide professional development and support hold appropriate insurance.

The Workforce Council is aware that this insurance can be expensive for small providers. While we are not in a position to offer individual insurance advice, you may like to investigate the option of securing insurance on an event by event basis, which may prove less expensive.

Another possible solution is seeking cover through a professional organisation’s auspices, or to seek to submit a tender via an organisation which does hold appropriate insurance, with you as their identified subcontractor.

Question 8: In relation to the requirement for Workers Compensation insurance, I do not employ people and so there are no workers who require insuring against accidents at work. I carry my own Professional Indemnity and Public liability insurance through my professional organisation of which I am a member, but no workers compensation insurance. Is there a requirement for workers compensation insurance in order to meet the requirements of the tender?

Answer: Workers compensation insurance is not required for sole traders.

Question 9: What details are required for workers compensation insurance?

Answer: Please complete insurance company, policy number and expiry date for Workers Compensation insurance. Extent of cover per incident and in aggregate refer only to Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance policies.

Question 10: I am interested in tendering to provide (professional support) to the Directors and Coordinators of Children’s Services. I would like to clarify approximately how many people this involves and just where they are located geographically.

Answer: Directors and coordinators are found in most, if not all, child care services throughout the State. Currently, we have approximately 2000 services listed within Queensland, located in probably every city and town.

Question 11: I have had a look through all the documentation for the PSCQ Tender and I can not see anywhere where it says organisations need to register their intention to tender. Is this a requirement?

Answer: There is no requirement to register an intent to tender.

Question 12: I would appreciate if an officer could give me a call to discuss.

Answer: It is not possible to phone you regarding the tender.

In order to keep the tender process as fair and equitable as possible, questions need to be submitted in writing, so that the same answers can be provided to everyone.

Question 13: I am currently composing a cost benefit analysis of tender and would like clarification as to the face to face provision costing. Is this rate indeed per hour for the service or per hour per participant?

Answer: The rate is per hour for service delivery. If your rates vary depending on the number of participants, please reflect this in notes on your costing.

Question 14: In regard to the tender in general - Can an organisation propose a learning event or learning process that may not be specified on the tender?

Answer: It is possible to propose a learning event or learning process that is not specified on the tender, however, it would need to link to the priority areas in general, and the Workforce Council would expect that this link would be clearly explained in the proposal.

Question 15: In regard to the action research projects -- is there a specific amount being paid for these events or do they require quotations?

Answer: The Workforce Council is currently running a pilot program of action research projects across the state, which are being contracted separately. For the purposes of this tender, we will assume that prices for professional development service provision will apply for future action research project delivery.

Question 16: For action research projects, do the facilitator and the mentor need to be two separate people or can an organisation provide the facilitation and mentoring, with perhaps two individuals working alongside one another to support learners in both the facilitation and mentoring phases as a means of seamless learning over time?

Answer: The Workforce Council welcomes any approach that can be proposed for action research projects as part of this tender.

Question 17: Is there a view within PSCQ that different organisations will handle each of the action research projects in each region, or is it possible for an organisation to tender for more than one region?

Answer: If an organisation has the capacity to support action research in more than one region, the Workforce Council welcomes a tender to do so. The only barrier to this occurring may be that the dates which regions may propose may coincide.

Question 18: What provisions are made for tenderers who do not have access to the internet?

Answer: The Workforce Council has chosen to use the internet to advertise and receive tenders for this process. Given that electronic communication is a key business tool, it is expected tenderers will have access to the internet. There are no special provisions made for tenderers without internet access. Public internet access is readily available at public libraries in the event of short term internet outages.

Question 19: While understanding that the stated acceptable format for the tender submissions is Microsoft Word – can documents be presented in PDF to help reduce file size?

Answer: It is possible to submit documents in PDF format if file size in an issue. Please be aware that the Workforce Council may contact a successful tenderer to request the original Word documents to facilitate inclusion of information in preparing a Deed of Standing Offer.

Question 20: In our current model, we subcontract a number of qualified people from many areas of the State so that we can conduct training statewide in a cost-efficient way. The subcontractors may change quite often, depending on their availability. How should this be presented in tender documents, and managed as an ongoing requirement?

Answer: For purposes of preparing a tender, organisations should submit their current list of subcontractors and outline the qualifications these people are required to hold in order to become subcontractors for the organisation. In terms of ongoing requirements, should the tenderer be successful, this will be determined in negotiation with the Workforce Council.

Question 21: Is there any proposed budget for the tender?

Answer: There is no proposed budget for this tender, and there is no guarantee or assurance of any particular volume or value of services under any Deed of Standing Offer which may be offered.

Question 22: How often would PSCQ like reporting to occur?

Answer: As a minimum, reporting will take place after delivery of each contracted service/set of services. This reporting will consist primarily of an evaluation of the services delivered, in a format to be determined with the Workforce Council and will be set out in the Official Order which covers the delivery.

Question 23: Could you please clarify if clause 20, Negation of Employment, Partnership and Agency (page 12 of the Draft Deed of Standing Offer) would proclude an organisation listing PSCQ as an agency that we work with in the community e.g. on a website or in other grant applications? Would it be possible to seek approval for any such statement?

Answer: Any statements would need to make clear that the organisation is subcontracted by the Workforce Council to deliver services for the PSCQ project. Approval should be sought from the Workforce Council for anything that is proposed.

Question 24: In the tender response should I specifically list the workshops and titles that I currently deliver with the option of developing further ones pending a region’s needs?

Answer: A tenderer should list both existing service offerings (workshops, titles, resources etc.) and also indicate the areas where they hold expertise and would be able to develop new service offerings in response to the needs of a particular region. These should be stated in terms of which content/topic for professional support delivery this would fulfil.

Question 25: Given the length of the proposed 'contract period', what are your expectations with regard to the inclusion of price changes for years to come?

Answer: This is dealt with under Pricing Conditions in the Tender Response Form. In addition to completing the price of service offerings, additional conditions are provided with respect to pricing, to which the tenderer must agree. The following is part of that information: “The Workforce Council will review pricing on a yearly basis, to take into account QLD CPI increases. Prices in the tender are for a period of twelve months and can be reviewed and new prices negotiated after that period.” Tenderers are free to propose an alternative method of reviewing prices, which the Workforce Council may then negotiate.

Question 26: The tender is linked to adjustment in CPI – if the CPI goes into negative, will we have to reduce our price?

Answer: The Workforce Council seeks to give tenderers the option to review their pricing on a yearly basis. A CPI increase is suggested as one possible mechanism for this.

Question 27: With reference to the Draft Deed of Standing Offer, Clauses 2.1 and 2.3: Given that the Deed represents no guarantee of any volume or value of service, once a period of offer is nominated by the contractor (minimum specified 180 days), is this legally binding e.g. contractor must accept all ‘Official Orders’? Or does it become legally binding once an ‘Official Order’ is negotiated and the associated contract signed?

Answer: The period of offer is the length of time that the tenderer’s offered services and prices remain valid once the tender is submitted. This ensures that the Workforce Council cannot, for example, attempt to use a tenderer’s offered prices to negotiate a Deed six months after the tender was submitted, without giving the tenderer the opportunity to revisit those prices should their circumstances have changed. This period of offer becomes void once a Deed of Standing Offer is negotiated, as the terms of the Deed will formalise the services and prices for the life of the Deed.

Please see the response to Question 25 and Question 26 in relation to changes to prices over the life of the Deed.

With respect to Official Orders, the Draft Deed states in Clause 2.2 that an Official Order will be placed after consultations with the contractor. If the contractor feels they are unable to deliver the services as required, they are free to indicate this during such consultations, which would lead to no Official Order being issued.

Once an Official Order is issued, it becomes binding once it is signed by both parties, as a separate contract covering the negotiated service delivery.

Question 28: Can a nominated timeframe for the Deed of Offer be extended or reduced in negotiation with an appropriate person due to change in circumstances?

Answer: The Deed of Standing Offer will not be extended past the indicated completion date of 30 June 2012, as this is the end date of the Workforce Council’s funding agreement with the Commonwealth to deliver the PSCQ project.

It may be possible to negotiate a Deed of Standing Offer with an earlier completion date. The reasons for this should be outlined in the tender, and the Workforce Council will consider it.

Question 29: We offer self paced learning (by correspondence) and online, which section are the costings completed in?

Answer: For self-paced learning by correspondence and online offerings, please insert a line in the pricing table in the Tender Response Form to indicate the basis on which you would charge for this delivery – participant cost, any additional costs for administration, etc.

Question 30: Is it possible to only apply for one or two regions or is the tender for all regions in QLD?

Answer: It is possible for a tenderer to submit a tender for only certain regions in Queensland. Part 2 – How this tender process works (page 2) states: The Services will be performed at venues around Queensland, arranged by the Workforce Council. Tenderers will be asked to indicate in which regions they can provide their service offerings. This will be used by the PSCQ project solely to assess state coverage and is not part of the evaluation criteria.

The Tender Offerings template asks you to indicate in which regions you can deliver

Question 31: Am I able to put in my previous work for PSCQ and the feedback reports about them?

Answer: If this can be accommodated within the template, then you may do so. Please note, no additional documents other than the Tender Response Form and Tender Offerings template will be accepted or considered in assessing a tender.

Question 32: Can I use PSCQ staff as referees of my work?

Answer: You may. If you have independent referees, then please list them also, to allow the Workforce Council the opportunity to seek an external perspective on your services if required.

Question 33: Can I send you an example of one of my responses to see if I am on the right track?

Answer: This is not possible. When assessing your final tender submission, the Workforce Council are able to contact you to clarify anything which is not clear, or to seek further information if required.

Question 34: The evaluation criteria states "details of any products or predefined service offering, with relevant specifications, that the Tenderer would deliver or use in satisfying the service delivery requirements". Does this refer to the content of a workshop?

Answer: This can refer to the content of a workshop or a resource – anything which the tenderer proposes as a means of providing professional support to meet the Workforce Council’s service delivery requirements.

Question 35:We need to complete the Deed of Standing Offer but it is a PDF document and we are unable to “click and insert” as per your instructions.

Answer: There is no requirement to complete the Deed of Standing Offer. This is presented as a draft for information only. The only forms required to be completed are the Tender Response Form and Tender Offering template.

Question 36: Is there consideration for preparation time and costing for this?

Answer: The Pricing Conditions in the Tender Response Form state:

Professional development service provision charges will need to include:

• time taken to negotiate with the Project Officer on the delivery requirements and the needs of the target audience;
• reasonable customisation of learning materials to meet these needs; and
• evaluation of the service provision – distribution of a feedback sheet to participants, collection and collation of completed sheets and preparation of a report summarising the results.

Question 37:Our experience has shown that there is time spent after workshops answering questions from participants – how is this to be costed?

Answer: The Pricing Conditions in the Tender Response Form state:

Professional development service provision charges will need to include:

• time taken to negotiate with the Project Officer on the delivery requirements and the needs of the target audience;
• reasonable customisation of learning materials to meet these needs; and
• evaluation of the service provision – distribution of a feedback sheet to participants, collection and collation of completed sheets and preparation of a report summarising the results.

Question 38: Is professional support for Management Committees covered by the tender?

Answer: While not mentioned specifically, professional development and support for Management Committees would be covered under content/topic 2.1: Support the development of organisational systems that support service governance, commitment to continuous improvement, planning and evaluation, and business management (finance, human resources and organisational arrangements).

Question 39: What provisions are there for equipment depreciation?

Answer: Tenderers are free to set their prices for professional development service provision at a level which would cover depreciation costs of their equipment.

Question 40: How can we tender for development of written resources or provision of crisis support without knowing how long this may take?

Answer: The Workforce Council seeks an hourly rate for this type of service provision – the length of time for any particular service would be negotiated at the time such need arises. With the development of written resources, if the tenderer can provide an example of how long a similar project has taken in the past, this would help inform negotiations.

Question 41: Is there a particular font and font size that must be used to complete the tender documents?

Answer: There is no specific font style or size, but please ensure that font size is no smaller than Times New Roman 10 for the sake of readability.

Question 42: Part 1 – Who are we and what are we looking for? states there are 14 regional PSNs, but the maps at attachment A identify 13. Which is correct?

Answer: The documentation is correct – PSCQ has divided the Brisbane region shown on the maps at Attachment B into two regions, north and south of the Brisbane River, making a 14th region.

Question 43: Clauses 25 and 26 of the Deed of Standing Offer specify details relating to termination by the Workforce Council, however there is nothing relating to termination by the contractor. Why is this?

Answer: The Draft Deed of Standing Offer mirrors the terms and conditions of the Workforce Council’s funding agreement with the Commonwealth for delivery of the PSCQ project, which is a requirement for subcontracting.

Question 44: Clause 5 of the Deed of Standing Offer states the contractor’s responsibilities and obligations, however there does not appear to be any for the Workforce Council in regards to timeframe in which payments will be made, registration numbers for participants advised etc. Could you please advise if I have missed this somewhere or if not why the Workforce Council has no responsibilities or obligations to contractors?

Answer: The Workforce Council’s obligations under the Deed of Standing Offer will be contained in Schedule 4 of the Draft Deed of Standing Offer, and also in any Official Order, the format of which is found at Schedule 5 of the Draft Deed of Standing Offer.

Question 45: Further to Question 44, will the Deed of Standing Offer or Official Order include administrative details e.g. timeframes for notifying booked numbers, cancelation timeframes, venue bookings, provision of attendance sheets and feedback forms etc. as well as payment timeframe?

Answer: It is not envisaged that the Deed of Standing Offer or Official Orders would necessarily go into that level of detail. Administrative matters such as these would more likely be discussed generally at the time of negotiating an Official Order. Payment timeframes are set in Schedule 4 of the Deed of Standing Offer.

Question 46: Can you please confirm that it is the expectation of the Workforce Council that contractors travel up to 200km without any compensation for either travel cost or time associated with travel?

Answer: The Pricing Conditions in the Tender Response Form include the following information:

Where travel is required for the purposes of delivering professional support, the Workforce Council will pay the following travel costs as standard:

• Economy class airfare (best fare of the day) and/OR
• Rental car hire (mid size car unless specifically agreed otherwise due to expected driving conditions) and associated fuel expenses OR
• Mileage allowance for use of a private car, paid at the standard ATO rate per kilometre

Generally, travel time will only be paid for journeys over 200km, and will be negotiated at the time of contracting any service provision.

If a contractor feels that a shorter journey will take excessive time due to traffic, they are able to negotiate this at the time of contracting the service delivery.

Question 47: Could you please confirm that Deed of Standing Offer requires all costs to be GST inclusive?

Answer: When a Deed of Standing Offer is negotiated, it will show fees, rates and charges as GST exclusive. For the purposes of the tender, tenderers should show prices as exclusive of GST, and ensure that their details in the Tender Response Form clearly state whether or not they are registered for GST.

Question 48: Can you please advise the process/format for submitting a non-conforming tender?

Answer: Please use the Tender Response Form and Tender Offerings template. Note in the executive summary and clearly within the Tender Response Form where the tender is non-conforming.

Question 49: With respect to the content/topics for professional support delivery, 1.1: Support children’s services directors and coordinators in their role as leaders, particularly those who are new to their position, does this mean training in both leadership and team building?

Answer: If a tenderer feels that professional support and development in leadership and team building would fulfill this requirement, they are free to include these in their tender.

Question 50: I will require time to set up my laptop before a session, and to pack away afterwards. What rate is this charged at?

Answer: The tender response form pricing conditions make clear that the price for a three hour session, for example, should include set up and packing time. The price for provision of professional support, no matter the session length, is deemed to include:

• time taken to negotiate with the Project Officer on the delivery requirements and the needs of the target audience;
• reasonable customisation of learning materials to meet these needs, including preparation of handouts or resources;
• time before and after the session to set up and pack up; and
• evaluation of the service provision – distribution of a feedback sheet to participants, collection and collation of completed sheets and preparation of a report summarising the results.

Therefore, no additional charges for preparation, set up or evaluation will be paid.