Earlier Intervention and Family Support (EIFS) Pre-Tender Information: Frequently Asked Questions

The procurement approach for procuring EIFS services in the Perth metropolitan area will be an Open Advertisement and competitive Request for Tender (RFT).

Communities recognises that there are larger, experienced, and competitive ACCOs delivering services across the Perth metropolitan area. To support ACCOs to participate in the EIFS Tenders, Communities has built in some additional components to the procurement approach, including, an extended RFT period of six weeks and an interview component in the evaluation process. Where non-ACCOs are the successful Respondent there is a requirement that they partner with an ACCO.

The procurement approach for EIFS services in regional locations aims to support ACCO-led service delivery and support smaller, local ACCOs to participate in the Tenders.

ACCOs tendering for regional services will be supported by an ACCO restricted Registration of Interest (ROI). The ROI will be published on Tenders WA at the commencement of the procurement process and ACCO Respondents who are interested in leading these services will indicate their interest. This will be followed by an ACCO restricted Request for Tender (RFT) for ACCOs who have completed the ROI.

In the event there are no suitable ACCO Respondents identified through the restricted ROI and RFT process for either Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS) regional services and The Hub South West program, then Communities will implement an Open Advertisement and competitive RFT process. Non-ACCO Respondents will be required to partner with an ACCO to Tender for these services. The timeline for this will be determined by the outcome of the ROI and restricted RFT process.

It is anticipated that the EIFS Programs will commence as follows:

• The Hub South-West – First Quarter of 2025 (anticipated February)
• Family Support Networks – Second Quarter of 2025 (anticipated April)
• Intensive Family Support Service – Second Quarter of 2025 (anticipated June).

Please note, these are indicative dates and may be subject to change. In the event that dates change, Communities will inform the Respondents accordingly.

Notification about the Tenders, including the Early Tender Advice, ACCO restricted ROI, the draft RFT, the final RFT and any other relevant details, will be advertised on Tenders WA. 

It is important that your organisation is registered with Tenders WA and the right contact person is listed to ensure that they are actively monitoring Tenders WA for the publication of EIFS procurement documents and any other relevant notifications.

Yes. Communities has built in the following components to the procurement approach to further support Respondents, particularly ACCO Respondents, for both the regional and metropolitan Tenders for EIFS services:

• An initial Draft RFT will be published on Tenders WA.  This provides an early indication of what the final RFT will look like and an opportunity for Respondents to seek any clarifications on the requirements. 
• The RFT will be open for six (6) weeks rather than the standard four (4) week timeframe.
• Consistent qualitative criteria has been developed across all of the EIFS program RFTs. This approach aims to support Respondents seeking to apply for multiple EIFS Tenders. services you will be able to utilise similar content in your written responses across all RFT submissions.
• An interview component has been included as part of the overall evaluation process.  Respondents will firstly provide a written response to qualitative criteria, then attend an interview to provide further information. The evaluation methodology will include assessing both the written and interview components.  
• The questions for the interview component will be available in the Draft RFT and the Final RFT published on Tenders WA.

Communities is committed to supporting ACCO-led service delivery of EIFS Programs, and where this is not possible, strengthening partnership arrangements between ACCOs and non-ACCOs to deliver these important services.

Communities will be undertaking a different procurement approach to for procuring EIFS services in the metropolitan area and those delivered in regional locations.

Communities recognises that families supported by EIFS services in regional locations are predominantly Aboriginal families and it is important that the procurement approach supports local ACCOs to tender for these services.  

The procurement approach for purchasing EIFS services in regional locations and in the Perth metropolitan area is outlined in specific questions in this document.

Yes. Successful Respondents, including ACCOs will be required to work with all eligible families including non-Aboriginal and CaLD families. The only exception to this is the AISS program, which is not part of the upcoming EIFS procurement.

Communities supports non-ACCO Respondents to Tender for the procurement of EIFS services in partnership with an ACCO.  

Non-ACCOs can apply for metropolitan services as part of the Open advertisement and competitive RFT process. It is a requirement that non-ACCO Respondents partner with an ACCO and develop a Partnership Plan, outlining roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the partnership. The Partnership Plan will be reviewed across the lifetime of the service agreement.

Non-ACCOs will not be able to apply for regional services including IFSS (regional) and The Hub South West as this is an ACCO restricted Tender. In the event that there are no suitable ACCO Respondents, Communities will undertake an Open Advertisement process and non-ACCOs in partnership with an ACCO will have the opportunity to participate in the Tender process. This will be published on Tenders WA.

No. AISS is not part of the upcoming procurement of services for EIFS Programs. It is the Department of Communities (Communities) intention to extend the AISS contract and the current Service Providers have been notified.

Communities notes that the AISS program has been independently evaluated and findings identified positive impacts, including that families reported feeling empowered, learnt new skills and behaviours and increased their healing and wellbeing to keep their children safe.  Extending the current service will support further strengthening of the service and service delivery to meet the needs of families facing complex challenges and provide continuity for families already engaged with the service.

No. The Hub in the East Kimberley and the Pilbara are not part of the upcoming procurement of services for EIFS Programs. It is Communities intention to extend these contracts and the current Service Providers have been notified.

Communities notes that The Hub in the East Kimberley and Pilbara are currently funded under grant agreements until 30 June 2026. An evaluation of all regional Hub sites (including the South West) is currently in progress and findings from this process will inform opportunities for further funding decisions, including further expansion, of this program.

This Frequently Asked Questions resource has been developed to provide some initial responses to questions you may have after viewing the Pre-Tender Information video presentation.

If you have further questions or are seeking additional information, please contact EarlierInterventionandFamilySupport@communities.wa.gov.au

Links for further information:

The following provides links to relevant National and State initiatives and websites:

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap 

Communities Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) Strategy 2022 to 2032

The Building Safe and Strong Families: Earlier Intervention and Family Support Strategy

Tenders WA website