The process of evaluation is currently well underway – those involved in evaluating are planning to moderate and make recommendations by the end of the first week in August.

We envisage that we will be contacting tenderers to discuss their proposals from mid-August.

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 a Request for Tender process.

Tender timeframe:

Request for Tender released:
Saturday 25 April 2009

Tender closing time:                  
5.00pm, Friday 12 June 2009

If there are any corrections or addendum to the tender, they will be posted to this website.  It is in your interest to check back regularly.

Please read the following three documents carefully before proceeding to the application form.

Part 1 – Request for Tender documentation

Part 2 – Draft Deed of Standing Offer

Part 3 – Tender Response Form explanation

Addendum to Tender Documentation

Tender Response Forms
Tender Response Form (MS Word file)
Attachment 1 - Tender Price (MS Excel file)

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: 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 4: 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.

Professional support is offered on a user-pays basis and depending on identified need. It is not possible to state how many of these directors and coordinators might wish access professional support.

Question 5: 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 6: Please advise whether your reference to “a maximum of 4 pages” refers to a maximum of 4 pages per each of the 7 criteria or whether you mean a maximum of 4 pages in total for the whole 7 criteria.

Answer: The maximum of four pages refers to each of the seven Requirements, to a total of 28 pages to address Evaluation Criteria 1.

Question 7: 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. If you can submit your questions by email, a response can be provided via email.

Question 8: 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 9: 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 10: In addition, can you please provide clarification on "any aspect of the statement of requirement which is not met by he tenderers proposed service" Part 2, Page 10 of 17. Can you please advise on what this actually means?

Answer: The requirement to provide details on “any aspect of the statement of requirement which is not met by the Tenderer’s proposed service” means that you must clearly state, against the list of requirements, any component or subcomponent that you will not be tendering for.

Question 11: 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 fit under the general headings of the statement of requirements, and the Workforce Council would expect that this link would be made clear.

Question 12: Does 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 the action research projects. 

Question 13: 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 14: 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 for a panel of providers is because the PSCQ project has no scope to deliver professional support internally. All professional support is subcontracted.

Continued use of a subcontractor’s services is predicated solely on high quality outcomes, expressed regional demand priorities and budget. 

Question 15: 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 16: 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 17: 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 18: 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 19: What is the Registered Business Number referred to in the Tender Response Form (Section A)?

Answer: Registered Business Number or Australian Registered Business Number (ARBN) – if you do not have an ARBN, please leave blank or mark “N/A”.

Question 20: While understanding that the stated acceptable formats for the tender submissions are word and excel – 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 and Excel documents to facilitate inclusion of information in preparing a Deed of Standing Offer.

Question 21: 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 22: 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 23: 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 24: 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 25: 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, or do I just indicate the workshops under the relevant service requirement?

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 listed against each of the service requirements. If a tenderer is not offering against a service requirement, they are required to show this clearly in their tender.

Question 26: The subcomponents for Criterion 1 appear to relate to actual service delivery activities, i.e. programs delivered, style, outcomes etc., while the service requirements for Attachment A relate to internal systems, processes and service methodology. Can you please clarify actual response requirements for Criterion 1 – is a separate response required for the subcomponents of Criterion 1 and then a response required for the Service Requirements i.e. Attachment A, or are the subcomponents of Criteria 1 merely a guide that need to be reflected somewhere in the response that incorporates a sequential response to Attachment A? Is there a separate page limit/guideline for the provision of information required in Criterion 1 but not reflected in Attachment A such as referees, ability to provide services at short notice, details on proposed service etc?

Answer: Part 1 (Request for tender – panel of providers, page 19) and Part 3 (Tender response form explanation, page 14) state that the response to Criterion 1 requires the tenderer to provide information (the subcomponents of Criterion 1) for each Requirement 1 to 7, identified by subcomponent (as set out in Attachment A of Part 1) for which a Service is tendered. The response therefore is a sequential response to Attachment A, addressing the subcomponents of Criterion 1. Where information relating to a particular subcomponent of Criterion 1 applies across all Requirements, this can be shown separately at either the beginning or end of the response. There is no additional page limit or guideline for this information – the Workforce Council believes it should fit within the stated four pages per requirement.

Question 27: 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: Part 3, Tender Response Form explanation – Section H of the Tender Response Form deals with financial capacity and price. In addition to completing the spreadsheet detailing the price of service offerings, additional information is provided with respect to pricing, to which the tenderer is expected to respond, indicating their agreement and understanding. 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.” (page 21)  Tenderers are free to propose an alternative method of reviewing prices, which the Workforce Council may then negotiate.

Question 28: 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 relevant section of the spreadsheet (where the topic fits in the requirements), and insert a new column at the end of the spreadsheet to indicate the basis on which you would charge for this delivery – participant cost, any additional costs for administration, etc.

Question 29: Are tenderers required to provide a price for each service requirement as set out in the documentation, or only for those offered or simply supply a price for that which is stated and described elsewhere in the document in the categories provided?  If it is going to be the same costing for everything offered, can we simply note that in the appropriate category?

Answer: Tenderers are required to indicate on the pricing spreadsheet whether or not they are offering against each requirement.  For a requirement where they are offering a service, a line to describe each offering should be inserted in the spreadsheet, as in the example below:

Even if all services being tendered are costed the same, these costs should be inserted on the appropriate line of the spreadsheet. 

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 1 – Request for Tender – panel of providers (page 15) 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.

Part 3 – Tender Response Form explanation (page 15) includes: Please also indicate in the following table, for each Requirement, identified as for your response above, in which regions of Queensland you are prepared to deliver these Services, bearing in mind the information provided under Section H, Part 2 – Other Pricing Requirements. The list of regions can be found in Part 1, Attachment B.

Question 31: 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.

However, you may choose to submit a tender explaining your insurance situation while you continue to seek coverage. The Workforce Council can then take this into account when assessing your tender.

Question 32: 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 four pages maximum allowed for a response to a Requirement, then you may do so. Please note, no additional documents other than the Tender Response Form will be accepted or considered in assessing a tender.

Question 33: 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 34: 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 35: Evaluation criterion 1 has a subcomponent: "details of any products or predefined service offering, with relevant specifications, that the Tenderer would deliver or use in satisfying the requirement". 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 requirements.

Question 36: 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 Attachment I – Tender Price.

Question 37: 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 38: Is there consideration for preparation time and costing for this?

Answer: The instructions included in the spreadsheet (Attachment 1 – tender price) state: "Face to face service provision is assumed to include negotiations with the relevant project officer on the content and particular needs of the target audience and any reasonable customisation of learning materials to meet these needs.  It also includes the evaluation of the service provision - generally, collection and collation of evaluation sheets from participants and preparation of a report."

The Workforce Council assumes that the price quoted for delivery of face to face service provision will therefore cover preparation time.

Question 39: Our experience has shown that there is time spent after workshops answering questions from participants – how is this to be costed?

Answer: The instructions included in the spreadsheet (Attachment 1 – tender price) state: "Face to face service provision is assumed to include negotiations with the relevant project officer on the content and particular needs of the target audience and any reasonable customisation of learning materials to meet these needs. It also includes the evaluation of the service provision - generally, collection and collation of evaluation sheets from participants and preparation of a report."

The Workforce Council believes it is reasonable to also include some time to provide follow up for participants in this pricing. This should be noted in the pricing spreadsheet.

Question 40: 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 Requirement 1.1: 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 41: What provisions are there for equipment depreciation?

Answer: Tenderers are free to incorporate into their costings for face to face service delivery an amount which would cover depreciation of equipment.

Question 42: 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 43: Why is there is no provision to pay a kilometric vehicle allowance (ATO rate) for travel costs?

Answer: This is an error – an addendum has been issued to include this as an option for travel costs.

Question 44: 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 45: Page 6 of Part 1 – Request for tender – panel of providers states there are 14 regional PSNs, but the maps at attachment B 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 46: In relation to 15.3 of the Deed, responses to questions 2 and 9 on your web-site appear contradictory. Question 2 indicates the Workforce Council is granted the license to use material when presented by the contractor. The response to Question 9 however reads that the Workforce Council is granted rights to use the contractor’s material (including pre-existing) in the delivery of services for the PSCQ. This does not specify the context and infers the use of these materials by someone other than the contractor. Could you please clarify this?

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 (Question 15 refers). The answer to Question 9 has been revised to make clear that the licence is granted so that the Workforce Council can present the professional support you are delivering.

Question 47: 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 closes. 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 has closed. 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 27 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 48: 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.

If, during the course of the Deed, a contractor wishes to vary the completion date to an earlier date, this can be negotiated and effected by a Variation in writing (Clause 21.2 refers).

Question 49: 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 50: 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 51: 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: Section H of the Tender Response Form – financial capacity and price contains 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 (this last was an addendum issued on 26 May 2009)

The instructions included in the spreadsheet (Attachment 1 – tender price) state: An hourly rate for travel time is required - generally, travel time will only be paid for journeys over 200km, and will be negotiated at the time of contracting any service provision (italics added). 

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 52: 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 inclusive. For the purposes of the tender, tenderers should show prices as inclusive of GST, and ensure that Section A of the Tender Response Form clearly states whether or not they are registered for GST.

Question 53: Can you please advise the process/format for submitting a non-conforming tender?

Answer: Please use the Tender Response Form and Attachment 1 – tender price documents.  Note in the executive summary and clearly within the Tender Response Form where the tender is non-conforming.

Question 54: Further to Question 50, 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 55: With respect to the Service Requirements, 1.2 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 56: Should the instruction sections in the Tender Response Form (text in red and blue on pages 11 and 12) be left in the submitted document or removed before submitting?

Answer: The tender instructions may be left in place.

Question 57: In Section H of the Tender Response Form, what is required for the table “Other Pricing Requirements” (pages 32-33)? Is this required to be completed?

Answer: This column is required to be completed by the tenderer, either by indicating understanding of and agreement to the requirement, or to include additional information that is not otherwise shown in Attachment 1 – tender price.