Consultation period

17 June 2024 - 4:00 pm To 11 November 2024 - 12:00 pm

New Specialist Disability Employment Program and National Panel of Assessors – Requests for Tender

Closed

4 people sitting holding empty speech bubbles, one person is in a wheelchair

As part of the 2024-25 Budget, the Australian Government has announced that a new specialist disability employment program will commence on 1 July 2025. The new program will replace the current Disability Employment Services (DES) program.

The new program will focus on assisting people with disability, injury and/or a health condition to find and maintain sustainable employment. The new program will be delivered by high-quality providers with a diversity of expertise helping people with disability into employment. Providers will place participants and employers at the centre of their service design and build meaningful relationships with both participants and employers.

The Department of Social Services (the department) has conducted the following consultation and engagement activities.

National Panel of Assessors Request for Tender

The Request for Tender (RFT) for the National Panel of Assessors (NPA) 2025-2028 was released on AusTender on Wednesday 16 October 2024 and closed at 12pm (AEDT) on Monday 11 November 2024. Find out more about the NPA program.

NPA Public Briefing

To support the release, the department held a public briefing on the NPA RFT on Monday 21 October 2024.

The briefing outlined key elements of the NPA RFT, provided an overview of key changes from the Exposure Draft and provided an overview of the procurement process.

View a video of our NPA RFT Public Briefing on Monday 21 October 2024.

Read the Talking Points for the NPA Public Briefing [PDF 2 MB] [Word 2.2 MB]

View the PowerPoint slides for the NPA Public Briefing [PDF 697 kB] [PPTX 318 kB]

All questions in relation to the RFT must be submitted to the Contact Officer at DE2025Purchasing@dss.gov.au. Publication of responses to questions will be managed in accordance with the process outlined in the RFT.

An Easy Read version of the invitation is available [PDF 2.2 MB] [Word 489 kB]

New Specialist Disability Employment Program Request for Tender closed

The New Specialist Disability Employment Program (new program) Request for Tender (RFT) was open from Monday 4 October 2024 to 12 noon (Canberra time) on Monday, 4 November 2024.

The Request for Tender is available on AusTender.

If you have any questions about the RFT process, contact DE2025Purchasing@dss.gov.au.

New Program Industry Briefing

To support the release, the department held an Industry Briefing on the Tender (RFT) on Friday 11 October 2024.

The briefing outlined key elements of the RFT and provided an overview of key changes from the Exposure Draft and procurement process.

Watch the Request for Tender Industry Briefing.

Read the Talking Points for the RFT Industry Briefing [PDF 428 kB] [Word 62 kB]

View the PowerPoint slides the RFT Industry Briefing [PDF 429 kB] [PPTX 397 kB]

Exposure Draft – National Panel of Assessors Request for Tender

The Exposure Draft of the Request for Tender (RFT) for the National Panel of Assessors (NPA) program closed on 27 September 2024.

The department hosted a public briefing webinar for the National Panel of Assessors Exposure Draft on Friday 6 September 2024.

Draft Deed – National Panel of Assessors – consultation closed

National Panel of Assessors – Draft Deed [PDF 1.5 MB] [Word 359 kB]

Exposure Draft of the Request for Tender – consultation closed

Draft Deed – new specialist disability employment program – consultation closed

Market Structure Paper – consultation closed

Payment Structure Paper – consultation closed

Ongoing Support Paper – consultation closed

Community Development Program (CDP) Provider Forum

The CDP Forum was held on 4 September 2024 in Adelaide.

During the conference the Department also provided a summary on DES Reforms.

National Employment Services Association (NESA) — Leadership Forum

The NESA Leadership Forum was held on 30 July 2024 in Melbourne.

During the conference the Department also provided a summary on DES Reforms.

National Disability Services (NDS) Disability at Work Conference — Navigating the Future of Disability Employment

The NDS Disability at work conference was held on 23 and 24 July 2024 in Sydney.

During the conference, the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, presented on reforms to the disability employment system to support more Australians living with disability into work. The Department also provided a summary of reforms to Disability Employment.

National Employment Services Australia (NESA) Conference – Better Together, Connecting for First Nations Employment

The NESA National Conference on First Nations Employment was held in Cairns on 18 and 19 June 2024.

During the conference, the Department also provided a summary on DES Reforms.

Disability Employment Australia: Conference

The Disability Employment Australia (DEA) Conference was held 11-13 June 2024.

During the conference, Mr Julian Hill MP, presented on reforms to the disability employment system to support more Australians living with disability into work. The Department also provided a summary on DES Reforms.

2024-25 Budget – Disability Employment Reforms – Post-budget briefing event (Closed)

On 23 May 2024, the Minister for Social Services, the Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP, and the Department of Social Services held a live event providing details on the Disability Employment Reforms announced in the 2024-25 Budget.

Details, including a recording of the event, copies of the slides and transcripts are available.

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