NSW Department of Communities and Justice / Ability Links NSW - ADHC.13.05 Proposed

 

Ability Links NSW Updated Description 6 September 2013.

Ability Links NSW (ALNSW) is a new initiative created to support the ongoing reforms of the disability service system in NSW.  The NSW Government has committed $28.7 million per year for a total of 248 ALNSW Coordinators, known as Linkers, across the state.

ALNSW is one of a number of decision-support resources available to help people with disability by providing a locally based first point of contact to improve access to and engagement in local community and mainstream services, as well as disability services where necessary.  By 1 July 2014, families in every part of the state will have access to an ALNSW Linker who will work with them to help plan for the future, build on their strengths and skills, and develop networks in their own communities to do what they want with their lives outside of the traditional disability service system.  For more information regarding the ALNSW model see the attached document titled ‘Addendum 6 Specifications Guidelines’.

The Ability Links NSW Ministerial Taskforce recommended the establishment of new organisations to deliver ALNSW.  The Taskforce recommended that the NSW Government:

• procure between two and six new entities established by a syndicate(s) or consortia of founding member organisations with ALNSW service boundaries aligned to Ageing, Disability and Home Care’s (ADHC’s) Regions
• also consider proposals from high quality existing organisations not principally involved in the delivery of disability services
• commence the process of procurement for the Hunter Region for the establishment of ALNSW from 1 July 2013 followed by the remainder of NSW from 1 July 2014.

The full report of the Taskforce is available at www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/abilitylinksnsw

The Taskforce also recommended undertaking a procurement approach which includes pre-market engagement through an appropriate notice of tender period, so that a new market has the chance of ‘seeding’; and the use of outcomes based procurement whereby prospective tenderers participate in defining the desired outcomes rather than a traditional approach involving responses to prescriptive specifications.

As part of the pre-market engagement approach, briefing sessions were held across the state throughout February and August 2013. 180 people from 114 different organisations attended the first round of public briefing sessions in February 2013. Concurrently, a Registration of Interest (ROI) Tender was advertised seeking submissions from organisations interested in providing ALNSW in the Hunter Region.  The ROI Tender closed on 25 February 2013.  The NSW Minister for Disability Services, Andrew Constance, announced in his media release of 10 April 2013 that the St Vincent de Paul Society had been appointed to provide Ability Links in the Hunter Region.

On 1 July 2013 Ability Links launched in the Hunter Region in line with the launch of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

For more information regarding the feedback provided at the first round of briefing sessions see the attached document ‘ALNSW Briefing Session Feedback’.

For more information regarding the Hunter ROI process see the attached documents titled ‘Hunter Notice of Registration of Interest’ and ‘ALNSW Hunter Registration of Interest Feedback’.

With the ALNSW Hunter procurement process now finalised, the NSW Government is undertaking procurement activities throughout 2013 and early 2014 for delivery of ALNSW across the remainder of NSW – ADHC’s Metro South, Metro North, Northern, Southern and Western Regions.

ADHC is undertaking a staged procurement process which includes:

• Information sessions 
• Registrations of Interest process
• Select Tender process.

The second round of information sessions were held throughout August 2013. 237 people from 155 different organisations attended the sessions. For details regarding the schedule for the second round of information sessions please see the attached documents titled ‘Information sessions August 2013’ and ‘Addendum 5’. For a copy of the information sessions presentation and handouts please see the attached documents titled ‘August 2013 Information Sessions Presentation’, ‘KPMG joint working case study handout’ and ‘KPMG additional source list handout’. For information regarding the frequently asked questions at the information sessions please see the attached document titled ‘ALNSW August 2013 Information Sessions – Frequently Asked Questions’.

Registrations of Interest (ROI) are now being sought from organisations for the provision of Ability Links NSW across the state (except Hunter) – RFT ID ADHC.13.24. Registrations of Interest close at 2:00 pm on Friday 15 November 2013. Please upload completed ROI Application Forms to RFT ID ADHC.13.24 on this site.

For further information about the ALNSW procurement process see the attached document titled ‘Addendum 4’.

Interested stakeholders are encouraged to register on this site to ensure that they receive notification of opportunities and updates.

Please direct all enquiries regarding Ability Links NSW to abilitylinksnsw@facs.nsw.gov.au

Related Records

Contact Person Rangan Sivapatham

Email Address abilitylinksnsw@facs.nsw.gov.au

Telephone Number 02 9377 6176

 

NSW Regions: Central West, Far West, Hunter, Illawarra, Mid North Coast, Murray, Murrumbidgee, Northern, North Western, Richmond Tweed, South Eastern, Sydney

Notice - A notice published on this website that relates to procurement or other relevant matters. It does not normally require any formal response. This is not a tender.

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