The volumes in Part A are also included in Part B, with Part B also including information on specific LAC in Advance, Plan review and implementation support, and number of ongoing Participants. The volumes for ‘Initial Plan and Implementation Support’ are different to ‘LAC in Advance’ because only Participants streamed as General and Supported receive LAC support for Initial Plans (i.e. people who are self-planning, or those streamed as Intensive, are not included). This information is included in the guidance text at the beginning of Annex A. you please provide advice regarding the ECEI Pricing Response Schedule - State of South Australia, “Participant Volumes – (NDIA provided data)” - there’s “0” total for 2016-17 quarter, yet $229,754 provided in funding. Funding is available in the State of South Australia Service Area for ECEI Services prior to the phasing of Participants into the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This funding is provided to enable the Partner to meet the phasing requirements and provide the ECEI Services, including the aspects of the ECEI Services that are required to be provided ahead of phasing Participants into the Scheme. This will be reflected in the Grant Agreement with the successful Applicant for South Australia. Examples of the types of activities a Partner may undertake prior to phasing Participants into the Scheme include: gathering information in relation to Clients (including Participants) under clause 3.3 of Annex E to the Statement of Requirements; and building community inclusion, engaging in capacity building in the community and providing information to mainstream service providers under clauses 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 of Annex E to the Statement of Requirements (depending on the requirements set out in the approved Community Capacity Building Plan). Please note the answer to this question has been revised - see question 14.2. What variables have been considered in the calculation of the ECEI service area funding amounts? For instance I note that by the number of expected Participants the amount of funding differs in different Service Areas. Several variables have been taken into account in modelling the available funding for each Service Area, including the number of Participants that are required to be phased into the Scheme. The NDIA does not intend to provide more detail in this regard.
Applicants applying to provide both LAC Services and ECEI Services in one or more Service Areas must complete two Workforce Deployment, Staff Development and Pre-Implementation Schedules – one for LAC Services in one Service Area, and one for ECEI Services in one Service Area. For further information, the Workforce Deployment, Staff Development and Schedule allows Applicants for LAC Services to complete a response for each of the LAC Functions. The same option of addressing each function is not available to Applicants applying for ECEI Services, but a Workforce Deployment, Staff Development and Pre-Implementation Schedule is still required for an Application for ECEI Services. In the Workforce Deployment, Staff Development and Pre-Implementation Schedule Applicants are also required to: provide a project schedule against which all aspects of the Establishment Plan and all other planning requirements and outputs will be monitored, including the overall readiness for service delivery in the Service Area; and provide background detail regarding the manner in which the establishment activities will be undertaken during the pre-implementation period. Can you confirm whether the establishment plan will be required by the successful applicant rather than as part of the application process? Clause 2.3.1 of the Statement of Requirements provides: The Partner must deliver to the NDIA a plan for the establishment and management of the end to end capability required to deliver the NDIS Partners in the Community Services (Establishment Plan) which will provide the overarching structure for all other plans required. The Establishment Plan is not required as part of the Application Process. However, Applicants must complete the "Establishment section in the LAC and/or ECEI Pricing Response Schedule(s) (including a description of the costs required). It was stated in the presentation to provide specific details establishment costs, but it appears there is only 250 characters to respond to this in the Pricing Response Schedule. Is this correct and if so, is it sufficient space for the details required? The instructions provided in the "Instructions" tab of the Pricing Response Schedule provide that the description fields under each of the elements of the Establishment Funds table (in Part 2) have a character limit of 250 characters (which includes spaces). This limit must be observed.
Bundaberg is not listed in Part C of Annex A to the Statement of Requirements.–Does this indicate Bundaberg catchment is purely LGA 2011 Bundaberg? Part C of Annex A lists the Remote and Very Remote suburbs in the relevant Service Areas/LGAs. Bundaberg is not listed in Part C of Annex A as it is not a Remote or Very Remote area. Does the NDIA consider it acceptable for an Applicant who is engaging subcontractors for some of the service provision, to the relevant subcontractor's premises which are utilised in the course of the service provision, as the ‘permanent premises’ for the purposes of clause 2.10.1 of the Statement of Requirements? The NDIA is prepared to consider whether or not this be acceptable on a case by case basis. What software will be installed by the NDIA to the hardware provided to Partner Personnel and which software will not be allowed? For example, can Skype for Business, Internet Explorer 11, Chrome browser, Citrix be downloaded onto the NDIA's hardware? Clause 5.3.3(a) of the Statement of Requirements sets out a list of the software that will be pre-loaded onto the mobile device supplied by the Commonwealth. Applicants should proceed on the basis that no other software will be able to be loaded onto the mobile device. The device will be pre-loaded with an internet browser and Partner Personnel will be able to access various programs via the internet. How do Partner Personnel access the NDIA IT systems? Is it via secure tunnel or Citrix session through the public internet? How much data traffic (bandwidth use) is expected to traverse the internet back to the NDIA? Partner Personnel will be able to use the mobile device to connect to the NDIA IT Systems via a standard internet connection. Partner Personnel will also be able to use the mobile device in offline mode. The NDIA is not in a position to estimate the amount of data traffic required. The NDIA will be installing MS Outlook 2013 on the Surface Pro’s. Will we be using the NDIA Exchange Server for the purposes of providing email mailboxes or will we be
Participants into the Scheme. Your previous answer 11.20 in the FAQs stated it would include: gathering information in relation to Clients (including Participants) under clause 3.3 of Annex E to the Statement of Requirements; and building community inclusion, engaging in capacity building in the community and providing information to mainstream service providers under clauses 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 of Annex E to the Statement of Requirements (depending on the requirements set out in the approved Community Capacity Building Plan). The examples of the types of activities a Partner may undertake prior to phasing Participants into the NDIS are correct. These include: Participant readiness activities such as gathering information in relation to Clients (including Participants) under clause 3.3 of Annex E to the Statement of Requirements; and building community inclusion, engaging in capacity building in the community and providing information to mainstream service providers under clauses 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 of Annex E to the Statement of Requirements (depending on the requirements set out in the approved Community Capacity Building Plan). In the Ovens Murray ECEI Pricing Response Schedule the Participant volumes spike in the October - December quarter of 2017/18 and 2018/19. During the rest of the two year period there are minimal Participants to support in each quarter. Can you confirm the types of activities a Partner should be undertaking with our FTE during periods where there are limited Participant volumes? Ongoing Participants and clients will require ongoing ECEI Services. The numbers only to anticipated NDIS Plans for children (i.e. children requiring Plans providing reasonable and necessary funded supports) at the time of their transition into the NDIS. A large part of the role of the ECEI Partner will be to provide ECEI Services to children with developmental delay who may not become Participants in the Scheme, in addition to an ongoing role in supporting Participants who have transitioned into the Scheme. With reference to E to the Statement of Requirement (Early Childhood and Early Intervention Services), the ECEI Partner is expected to deliver a mix of supports across each of the following functions described in Annex E to the Statement of Requirements): 1 – Information Gathering and Profile Development (see clause 3); 2 – Community Connections (see clause 4); 3 – Initial Supports (see clause 5); 4 – Access Recommendation (see clause 6); 5 – Plan Development (see clause 7); 6 – Plan Handover (see clause 8); and