Request for Proposals to support disability leadership and networks

This Request for Proposals is now closed. More information is available in our news item announcing the successful applicants external URL .

Whaikaha is inviting local organisations committed to working with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, Pacific people and their whānau/aiga to respond to a Request for Proposals (RFP).

The RFP is seeking to develop leadership skills, resources, and capability to ensure disabled people can have greater choice and control over the services and supports available to them. 

The aim is to achieve better outcomes through a community-led development approach based on the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) principles. 

A total of one million dollars is available to support establishing community-based disability networks and building disability leadership and capability. 

The RFP is advertised on the Government Electronic Tender System (GETS) external URL external URL , and respondents will have until the close date on 18 May 2023 to submit a proposal. Whaikaha is looking to award contracts of 12 months to successful respondents. 

Glossary

• Supplier – a person, organisation or entity that can provide the required services. 
• Respondent - a GETS registered vendor that uses GETS to respond to agency tenders. 
• RealMe - A New Zealand government service that allows you to use a single username and password to access services online securely. 
• RFP - Request for Proposal. A request for proposal (RFP) is a document that describes the services and requirements so that suitably capable suppliers can respond and be considered in the award of work. 

How much funding is available?  

$1 million (excluding GST) available to support this initiative. 

Individual amounts awarded will depend on respondents’ capability and capacity. 

What type of organisations can apply?  

Respondents to the RFP may come from various Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), charities and suppliers experienced in working in and with disability communities/networks. 

We welcome individual respondents and joint proposals from suppliers who collectively meet the requirements and potentially offer opportunities for new organisations to participate in growing sector capability. 

Suppliers should have experience in and be able to demonstrate the following: 

• Alignment with the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) principles and approach  
• A pan-disability approach that is inclusive of all impairment types  
• A commitment to the needs of Māori and Pacific communities, Disability Support Services (DSS) participants and the broader community that includes but is not limited to; disabled people, tāngata whaikaha, family, whānau, carers, aiga, and supporters (see Glossary)  
• Have established relationships within a disability community, disability network or locality. 

What kind of proposals will be considered?

Details on what we are seeking are available as part of the RFP. 

The funding will support the development of community-based disability networks and leadership capability by contracting organisations and entities who are successful respondents to partner with disability communities, including Māori and Pacific communities, to listen to and amplify their ‘voice’ and learn from the process of working together.   

The aim is to increase the ability and capacity of disabled people’s communities of interest in Enabling Good Lives (EGL) principles and approaches. 

The RFP process will identify suppliers that: 

• Are suitably skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced to take a community-led development approach, use EGL principles and approaches, and have the capacity to meet delivery timeframes. 
• Include all impairment types, family/whānau and carers, those who access Disability Support Services and the broader disability community. 
• Place disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori at the centre of their work, ensuring they are the key beneficiaries of what is achieved. 
• Can achieve strong participation and partnership with tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau. 

Increase Disability Leadership

• Increase opportunities for and development of disabled people to lead the development of their community’s capability. 
• We expect to engage suppliers with disabled people leading and supporting the work and outcomes that will grow disability leadership capability/capacity and voice. 

What outcomes do we want to achieve? 

The outcomes sought are:

• Locality-based or network connections to influence key government agencies and local authority services 
• The opportunity for disability system transformation based on EGL principles and approaches to thrive within the community 
• Disability Leadership and voice development 
• Solid local ownership/community-led development 
• Sustainable Approaches and Outcomes 
• Strong partnerships with Whaikaha and disability service providers 
• Increased knowledge of EGL principles and approaches and how they are applied to funded and non-funded services and supports 
• Strong families/whānau participation in community-led approaches 
• Post-civil defence emergency recovery support for disability community recovery in locations impacted by severe weather events. 

Suppliers will create the conditions for the rollout of EGL functions, particularly Regional Leadership Groups (RLG), requiring them to facilitate community-led development that: 

• Establishes and strengthens disability community leadership groups  
• Builds awareness of the EGL principles and approach among disabled people, their communities, and other providers and agencies (particularly those providing mainstream services)  
• Fosters purposeful connections across civil society, non-government, commercial, and government organisations and agencies 

Once established, local leadership groups must be active and forward-looking to support disability system transformation; this will include laying the groundwork with disabled people and their communities to understand and adopt the EGL approach.

Whaikaha will encourage suppliers to foster connections between these groups to enable them to share ideas locally and nationally. 

Has the community been consulted or engaged with this initiative?

Whaikaha wants all potential suppliers to have the same time and opportunity to apply for this funding. 

To avoid conflicts of interest in the disability community, Whaikaha has not consulted with the disability sector in the development of this procurement document. 

Is this information being made available in accessible formats? 

The money tagged to this initiative is time-limited, and we were keen to get it into the community as soon as possible. 

We recognise that some of this information is complicated, and the GETS process is not fully accessible. 

What is GETS, and how does it work?

GETS is the Government Electronic Tender Service. It is a free service to promote open, fair competition for New Zealand Government contract opportunities. 

New Zealand public sector agencies, including Whaikaha, use GETS to advertise tenders and track and report on the tender process. 

A GETS tender advertises a supplier’s opportunity to apply to deliver services. 

GETS is free, but suppliers need to register for GETS using an individual RealMe login to download listed opportunities and upload responses. 

Once registered, you'll also be sent notifications of new listings in the areas you're interested in. 

Information on how to register on GETS is available here: GETS - Government Electronic Tender Service  Supplier Login external URL external URL