Queries relating to the DES-DMS 2015 RFT
The Government is releasing a Request for Tender for the DES-DMS business previously contracted to
CRS Australia. The following questions and answers are provided for information.
1. Question – Why is the business going to Tender?
Answer - The Government has made a decision to expand the number of non-government service
providers delivering DES-DMS. Therefore, business previously contracted to CRS Australia is being
put to tender.
2. Question - How much business is going tender?
Answer - There is approximately 47 per cent of the DES-DMS business available.
3. Question - Where is business available?
Answer - Business is available in 97 of the 110 Employment Service Areas (ESAs) across Australia.
4. Question - How much business is available in each ESA?
Answer - Business levels vary from 25 per cent to 100 per cent.
5. Question - Will there be an Invitation to Treat process?
Answer - No, all available business will be put to tender.
6. Question - Is CRS Australia eligible to tender?
Answer - No.
7. Question - Are there any significant changes to the DES-DMS programme?
Answer - No.
8. Question - Will there be information sessions on the RFT?
Answer - There will be a mix of information sessions and webinars once the RFT is released.
9. Question - How long will the RFT be open for?
Answer - The RFT will be open from 1 July to 2:00 pm 4th August 2014
10. Question - How will the transition of participants be conducted?
Answer - The department will work with CRS Australia and providers to ensure a smooth transition.
11. Question - Will the Government provide advice/direction on where Specialist services are required?
Answer - This is still under consideration but will be determined before the RFT is released.
12. Question - Why are 1 and 2 star providers being extended?
Answer - The Government has chosen to not unnecessarily disrupt the entire market, but rather it
will use existing mechanisms within the DES deed to encourage high performance by providers.
The department recently completed a business reallocation process as part of its ongoing
programme of encouraging high performance with DES. The business of 1 and 2 star DES-DMS
providers was in scope for reallocation through this process and, as a result, a number of sites and
contracts ceased operating in March 2014. The department will maintain its scheduled contract
management and programme assurance activities including future business reallocation.
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13. Question - Are staff members of CRS Australia eligible to tender?
Answer - This is currently being considered and advice will be provided in the RFT.
14. Question - When is the transition period?
Answer - The transition period will run from mid-November 2014 to early March 2015.
15. Question - Where can I get a printed copy of the RFT?
Answer - The department is not printing this RFT. You may download and print a copy from
AusTender.
16. Question - Are DES-ESS providers eligible to tender?
Answer - Yes.
17. Question - Are Job Services Australia (JSA) providers eligible to tender?
Answer - Yes.
18. Question – When will the probity arrangements commence?
Answer - Probity arrangements have already begun.
19. Question - Is CRS business in the Grampians ESA up for tender? The DES-DMS Outcome for
March 2014 period did not detail CRS Grampians region and the current DMS Tender Industry
Information paper does not contain information on the Grampians ESA. Can we please seek
clarification on CRS business in the Grampians ESA?
Answer - There is no business in the Grampians ESA up for tender. The small amount of business
that CRS held in the Grampians ESA was handed back to the Department and reallocated to
another Provider using the established Business Reallocation Principles.
20. Question - Will there be more than one provider awarded business per ESA?
Answer - This depends on the number of bids assessed as suitable and the amount of business
available in each ESA. The department prefers to have more than one provider in each ESA but
only where it is warranted.
21. Question - Under Criterion 2, there are different requirements depending on which programs are
currently delivered by the tenderer. What if providers are tendering in a consortium or some other
joint arrangement, which requirement would apply?
Answer - DSS may use any and all information available to it in assessing Tenders, including
information regarding past performance of consortium members or members of other joint
arrangements. Tenderers should refer to the RFT documentation for the final arrangements.
22. Question - Can attachments be lodged with a tenderer's RFT response?
Answer - The proposal outlined in the Industry Information Paper is that tenderers will not be able to
submit attachments with their tender response. The character limits assigned to each selection
criterion are generous and have been designed to strike a balance that allows tenderers to provide
a fulsome response while allowing tender assessment to be finalised within a reasonable time
period. Tenderers should refer to the RFT documentation that will be released on AusTender for the
final arrangements.
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23. Question - Can attachments be lodged with a tenderer's RFT response?
Answer - The proposal outlined in the Industry Information Paper is that tenderers will not be able to
submit attachments with their tender response. The character limits assigned to each selection
criterion are generous and have been designed to strike a balance that allows tenderers to provide
a fulsome response while allowing tender assessment to be finalised within a reasonable time
period. Tenderers should refer to the RFT documentation that will be released on AusTender for the
final arrangements.
24. Question - Do the Character limits include spaces?
Answer - Yes.
25. Question - Will the RFT Format of the document be prescribed by the department as part of the
criteria for submission?
Answer - Yes. This will be specified in the RFT.
26. Question - What are the conditions for submitting a tender by organisations as a consortium? Does
it need to be a prime and sub provider arrangement?
Answer - The arrangements for group tendering, including consortia, will be outlined in the RFT
documentation. Our intention is that each tenderer will be able determine the structure of its
tendering group and there will be no requirement to have a prime/sub-provider arrangement in
place. However, if a tendering group is a consortium, the department's intention is that the RFT will
require the consortium members to appoint a lead member to act as agent for the other consortium
members. Tenderers should refer to the RFT documentation for the final arrangements.
27. Question - In selection criterion 2 it speaks of current star ratings being "the basis of your score"
what does basis mean? Is it the only factor taken into account?
Answer - This relates to current providers of employment services (ie Disability Employment
Services and Job Services Australia) who receive a star rating for their performance. The
Department of Social Services may use any performance information it has available to assist in
assessing tenders. For those tenderers who have a current DES or JSA star rating, this will form the
basis of the score for selection criterion 2. In addition, these tenderers will be able to provide a
written response to selection criterion 2, which will be assessed. Tenderers who do not have a
current DES or JSA star rating will be required to provide a written response to selection criterion 2.
Tenderers should refer to the RFT for the final requirements and arrangements for selection
criterion 2.
28. Question - Will the current DMS deed stand for 2015-18?
Answer - It is the Department’s intention that the deed offered to successful tenderers will be
substantially in the same form as the current DMS Deed. However, the Department reserves the
right to amend the deed, for example, to incorporate new initiatives or Government policy that is
announced between the release of the RFT and undertaking contracting with successful tenderers.
29. Question - Does criterion 2 preclude organisations without DES experience from tendering?
Answer - No. Selection criterion 2 asks tenderers to outline their past performance in delivering the
same or similar services to those being tendered. This allows for organisations who have not had
experience in delivering DES to tender and demonstrate their capacity to deliver the services.
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30. Question - Will the RFT use the APET response software?
Answer - APET response software will not be used for the DES-DMS Request for Tender.
Prospective Tenderers will download a pack from AusTender, which will include a number of smart
forms through which Tenderers will submit their responses to the Request for Tender.
31. Question - Are tenderers allowed to submit a conditional tender with a minimum and maximum
caseload number?
Answer - Tenderers will be required to submit a minimum and maximum bid range for each
Employment Services Area (ESA) they are tendering for. In addition, it is intended that tenderers will
be able to outline certain conditions on their bids – for example, a tenderer may state that its bid for
business in a particular ESA is conditional on winning business in a different ESA. Tenderers
should refer to the final RFT for details on how to bid for business, including conditionality and the
restrictions on making conditional bids, which will be outlined in the final RFT.
32. Question - Can an organisation submit more than one tender response, for example in its own right
and as a member of a consortium?
Answer - This will be specified in the RFT.
33. Question - Will the June star ratings be released prior to closure of the RFT?
Answer - It is anticipated that the June 2014 DES Star Ratings will be published on Friday
1 August 2014.
34. Question - What is the classification to determine Metro, regional and remote areas?
Answer - There is no business in remote Australia available in this tender – employment services in
designated remote areas are delivered by the Remote Jobs and Communities Programme. DES
business is awarded at the Employment Service Area (ESA) level which may cover both metro and
regional areas. Further information about ESAs is available at www.employment.gov.au/lmip
35. Question - Will referee reports be allowed or required as part of the RFT?
Answer - No. The department intends to seek the contact details of two (2) referees from tenderers
that are not current DES or JSA providers. Tenderers will not be able to submit written references.
Tenderers should refer to the final RFT for details on providing referees.
36. Question - Is there a breakdown available at ESA level for specialist cohort of DES DMS
participants? Is the statistics provided current including CRS caseload and other specific information
including type of disabilities and specialist groups?
Answer - The department is still considering the data to be made available. More detail will be
provided at the time the RFT is released.
37. Question - Do tenderers bid for business by ESA or site?
Answer - Bids for business are made at the ESA level. Tenderers will be asked to nominate site
locations and hours of business within an ESA. More detail will be provided in the RFT.
38. Question - Can you deliver generalist and specialist business from the same site or must they be
separate sites?
Answer - Generalist and specialist business can be delivered from the same site.
39. Question - Has there been any change to the department’s assessment process based on the
outcomes of the ESS Tender and subsequent star rating results of new providers?
Answer - The department is in the process of finalising the assessment process. More detail will be
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provided in the RFT.
40. Question - Between now and tender release time does the department expect the low performing
DES DMS providers' caseloads will be added to the available business share if they are sanctioned
by DSS?
Answer - No. This RFT is for the CRS Australia business available. Business as usual practices will
be applied in the event of gap filling requirements.
41. Question - Is the indicative caseload in the information paper the total DMS caseload overall or
CRS's caseload?
Answer - The indicative caseload is the current CRS caseload.
42. Question - Does the department have a preference for 100% coverage of an ESA? Is there a sub
weighting for the geographic coverage offered by each tenderer? Would you prefer a larger provider
with a broader geographic coverage against a smaller provider specialising in part of a larger ESA?
Answer - Geographical coverage is just one of a range of factors that will be considered in
assessing tenders and allocating business. In some cases it may be that tenderers bidding to
deliver services to an entire ESA will be given preference over those that do not, although this will
vary depending on the circumstances of each ESA. Further, in some circumstances (particularly in
the case of specialists), delivering services in a more restricted geographical area may be
warranted. Tenderers should refer to the final RFT for details on geographical coverage
requirements, and how geographical coverage will be considered in tender assessment.
43. Question - When will the presentation of the Webinar PowerPoint be available?
Answer - The presentation is now available on the Disability Management Service Tender website.
44. Question - Will the webinar be captioned, or if not, is it possible to have a text copy of the
presentation?
Answer - Unfortunately the Webinars are not able to be captioned. However, a copy of the Webinar
PowerPoint is available on the Disability Management Service Tender website.
45. Question - Are current DES-DMS providers able to bid for business to expand their existing market
share in ESAs in which they are already delivering DES-DMS services?
Answer - Current DES-DMS providers are able to tender for available business in any ESA.
46. Question - I was looking for “item 12 in the Industry Information paper” as detailed in this tender
document which was not attached to the Addenda. Can you please provide me with the link to
locate this paper?
Answer - The paper that the addendum is referring to is the Industry Information paper. Information
on how to contact the Department can be found in item 11 and 12 of the Industry Information Paper.
Item 11 quotes ‘The Department of Employment’s Employment Services Purchasing Hotline (the
Hotline) is the primary means of contact during the tender process, and can be contacted on
1300 733 514 (Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Canberra time, excluding ACT and national
public holidays) or via email at espurchasing@employment.gov.au
47. Question - What is the approximate dollar value of the 47 per cent of business being tendered?
Answer - DES DMS is an uncapped demand-driven programme which means that support will be
funded for all eligible participants who choose to access the programme. Successful tenderers will
be allocated business within the range available in each ESA, however there is no guarantee of
business. Providers’ actual revenue will be dependent on participants choosing to use their service,
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and on outcomes achieved.
48. Question - Please send information with respect to the Industry Briefing. The Addenda appears not
to provide any detail?
Answer - The 2015 Disability Employment Services – Disability Management Services (DES-DMS)
Tender – Industry Information Paper was released on AusTender on Tuesday 27 May 2014. If you
are already registered on AusTender you can locate the paper by searching DES-DMS in the
‘Keyword’ field in the ‘Current ATM’s’ section of AusTender
o Follow the link to the ‘DSSIndustryBriefing1 hyperlink, and
o Follow the link to ‘Go to ATM Documents’
The Industry Information Paper is titled ‘DSSIndustryBriefing1.DOCX’. Any addenda will also be
found in this location.
If you are not registered you will need to register with AusTender
The Department of Social Services recently conducted two webinar sessions on the 2015 Disability
Employment Services - DMS Industry Information Paper. A copy of the presentation is available on
the Disability Service Management Tender page on the DSS Website.
49. Question - To enable us to sufficiently demonstrate the organisation’s strategies to deliver the
programme the following are the comments on the draft Selection Criteria:
o Please permit at least 2 pages per ESA of attachments that include graphs, tables to support
the claim.
o For Tenderers who currently deliver DES–ESS, we request the flexibility of not having to
respond to Criterion 2.
o Please allow more characters in criterion 1 – this is a combination of C1 and C2 from ESS
RFT but 5,000 characters less.
This being a disability related tender – can we request for a longer timeframe for RFT submission
Answer - Thank you for your feedback on the draft Selection Criteria for the forthcoming DES-DMS
Tender. The Department will consider this information in finalising the Request for Tender
documentation.
50. Question - Are tenderers who currently provide DES ESS in an ESA required to respond to Criterion
2 when bidding for DES-DMS in that ESA?
Are tenderers who currently provide DES-ESS in other ESA’s required to respond to Criterion 2
when bidding for business in another ESA?
While the industry information paper quoted below appears clear, information provided in the recent
Industry Information Paper Webinar on 28th May was contradictory, stating that current DES ESS
providers would not need to respond to Criterion 2.
Criterion 2 Past Performance
Tenderers who do not currently provide DES–DMS are required to respond to Criterion 2. This
includes tenderers who deliver DES–ESS.
If you currently have a DES–ESS star percentage in the ESA, this will be the basis for your score
against this Criterion. If you are not delivering DES–ESS in the tendered ESA then your
performance in all DES–ESS contracts in the same locality type (metro, regional or remote) will be
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considered for the purposes of determining the basis for your evaluation score. Otherwise,
performance in all DES–ESS contracts nationally will be used for the purposes of determining the
basis for your evaluation score.
Answer - The information in the Industry Information Paper is correct. Information provided in the
Webinar was inaccurate. We apologise for any inconvenience. Refer to the published RFT for the
requirements in addressing this Criterion.
51. Question - My understanding was that all procurement contracts over a particular price must be
included in AusTender. Is that the case for the CRS contract to deliver DMS? There are other CRS
contracts listed but I can't find the DMS one. The contract id code might help I am trying to
determine to overall contract value.
Answer - CRS Australia’s DES-DMS contract ID on AusTender is CN274637-A3.
DES DMS is an uncapped demand-driven programme which means that support will be funded for
all eligible participants who choose to access the programme. Successful tenderers will be allocated
business within the range available in each ESA, however there is no guarantee of business.
Providers’ actual revenue will be dependent on participants choosing to use their service, and on
outcomes achieved.
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