Request for Tender open for service provider at Geraldton Short Stay

• Purpose-built, short-stay accommodation for Aboriginal visitors to Geraldton
• Seeking an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation or registered Aboriginal business to manage the service
• Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation to be WA's fourth dedicated short-stay accommodation for Aboriginal visitors to regional centres

The State Government has today released a Request for Tender (RFT) seeking a service provider for the Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation.

The restricted RFT is seeking an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation or registered Aboriginal business to manage and operate the Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation.

The successful proponent will welcome guests to Geraldton and provide a broad range of services during their stay, including guest management and support, transportation, meals, laundry, cleaning and maintenance.

The Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation will be Western Australia's fourth bespoke build providing safe, culturally appropriate and affordable accommodation solutions for Aboriginal people visiting regional centres. It will provide a total of 44 units comprising 16 single/couple, 14 family and 14 universally accessible rooms that will be able to accommodate up to 100 guests. 

There are currently three other Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodations operating successfully in Kalgoorlie, Derby and Broome.

Construction by registered Aboriginal business and local Geraldton builder, GBSC Yurra, commenced in February this year with accommodation units now under construction, and roofing, wall framing, and external cladding already completed on more than half of them.

The RFT for a Service Provider to operate the Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation can be found at the Tenders WA website and will be open for six weeks. A non-mandatory briefing session will be held in Geraldton on 12 November 2024 to answer respondents' questions. All questions and answers will be published on Tenders WA following the briefing session.

Comments attributed to Housing and Homelessness Minister John Carey:

"As construction of the Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation project continues, today, we've released a Request for Tender to deliver culturally appropriate and personalised support and services.

"Short Stays play an important role in providing accommodation for Aboriginal people travelling to regional towns or centres and supporting people experiencing homelessness.

"It's critical Aboriginal people visiting larger regional centres from remote communities have a safe, stable and secure place to stay.

"The Geraldton Short Stay is a key component of delivering on the State Government's All Paths Lead to a Home: Western Australia's 10-Year Strategy on Homelessness 2020–2030, which aims to improve outcomes for Western Australians experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness."

Comments attributed to Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton:

"The Aboriginal Short Stay model has been successful in other parts of our State, and we know the importance of delivering the Geraldton Short Stay to our local community.

"Short Stays are a valued place for both guests and the communities welcoming them, so we're now calling on the Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and registered Aboriginal businesses to provide culturally appropriate services and supports.

"This project has been more than a decade in waiting, and I'm proud to be part of the Cook Labor Government, as we continue to deliver outcomes to close the gap in Geraldton."