Regional key worker attraction & retention – Purchase of pilot service - P22-4448.

The NSW Government through the Department of Regional NSW (DRNSW), is funding a service designed to support the attraction and retention of key NSW public service staff to communities in regional NSW. The service was designed with the support of multiple NSW Government agencies (i.e. Health, Education, Police, Fire & Rescue, Communities & Justice) and incorporates the insights of community stakeholders from across regional NSW. 

To ensure it is successful and meets the needs of communities, a pilot phase will test the service in up to eight regional locations prior to a further roll out across regional NSW. Suitably capable organisations are invited to host and deliver the pilot service.

The pilot program provides planning resources, developed in partnership with local communities during the research phase, that inform organisations hosting the service about the kinds of support that new community members might benefit from when they first move to a regional location. 

The contract offered in this RFT proposes an initial 12-month pilot phase, that will be used to test the potential impacts on the program of the following variables: 

•host organisation type

•geographic location

•population of the local community.

An extension of up to 36 months will be considered at the conclusion of the 12-month pilot if agreed between all parties.

A close working relationship between DRNSW and host organisations during the pilot phase will help maximise opportunities to gain knowledge about best practice and to responsively adjust the program at the pilot locations in close to “real time”. 

Additionally, the host organisations will participate in the set-up and running of a Community of Practice, to facilitate knowledge sharing between pilot locations with the aim of achieving ongoing program improvement.

Regarding delivery of the pilot service, there are two main components of the contract: 

•Establishing and co-ordinating the service in your community.

•Providing insights and advice gained through establishing and coordinating the service in community and using those insights to improve the service.

This approach will help DRNSW to rollout the main program more effectively across the state at the end of the pilot phase.

Deliverables  

Delivery of the pilot services in line with requirements set out in the Pilot Program Guidelines. Activities include:

Supporting new workers to integrate into their new community

•Community building, welcoming and social linkage support for identified NSW public service workers relocating to a regional NSW location 

•Collaboration with local community members, groups and employers with the aim of fostering stronger social links between them and the defined NSW public service workers relocating to that region.

Participation in continuous improvement activities

As the pilot will inform the roll out of the service across regional NSW, a key element of service delivery includes regular reporting, contribution of insights and active participation in the improvement of service processes and outcomes. This includes the gathering of data and assessment of the perspectives of:

•NSW public service workers who use the service

•Communities in which the service operates, including employers

•Staff who run the service.

Locations

Respondents to this RFT will be considered on the basis that their service proposal includes local staff in one or more of the following regional NSW locations:

•Bega

•Broken Hill

•Coffs Harbour

•Corowa

•Goulburn

•Griffith

•Muswellbrook

•Walgett

Organisations based in other locations are also welcome to submit an expression of interest to DRNSW for consideration as part of the next phase of the program.

Eligible Applicants

Host organisations will need to demonstrate capacity and capability to provide support for at least one staff (or more depending upon the service proposal).

NSW Regions: Mid North Coast, Hunter, Orana/Far West, Riverina/Murray, Illawarra, Southern Highlands

Open Tenders - An invitation to tender by public advertisement with no restriction placed on who may tender. Tenderers will normally be required to demonstrate in their tender that they have the necessary skills, resources, experience, financial capacity, and in some cases licences, accreditations, etc., to fulfil the tender requirements.

www.tenders.nsw.gov.au

• The Procurement (Enforceable Procurement Provisions) Direction 2019 applies to this procurement

• A government agency may conduct negotiations with suppliers regarding the procurement

No