19/06/2007 01:37 PM
Q. Can the closing date for the Tender be extended? Will late applications be accepted?
A. The Tender closing date and time cannot be extended nor will late Tenders be accepted. Refer to the RFT, Part A, Section 3.1 and 5.1.
18/06/2007 04:52 PM
Q. My understanding from the industry brief is that the WHO High 5’s initiative is a separate component of the National Clinical Handover Initiative. Is this assumption correct?
A. Yes. The WHO High 5’s project on handover communication referred to in the Industry Brief is being led and coordinated by the Commission as a component of National Clinical Handover Initiative. Participation in this component is not mandatory, as outlined in Part B, Section 9 of the RFT.
18/06/2007 04:52 PM
Q. It is also my understanding that solution development is the WHO component while the National Clinical Handover Initiative seeks to fund further development of existing clinical handover initiatives currently in practice across Australia. Is this correct?
A. No. The development of handover solutions applies to all categories of the National Clinical Handover Initiative. The WHO component is a subset of this initiative and concerns the development of standardised handover solutions for specific clinical scenarios. It is not mandatory for responses from applicants to comply with the WHO requirement.
18/06/2007 04:52 PM
Q. Can question 13 of the Industry Briefing be clarified? Do I need to submit multiple applications for each category in which I want to participate?
A. No. A separate response to the requirements in the RFT is required for each category but should be submitted together on the one application.
13/06/2007, 09:30
Q. Has the Commission established a clinical advisory committee either generally or to inform this project? [If there is not such a group one will need to be established either by the successful applicant or the commission] If the successful applicant is to establish the group should it be costed into the tender?
A. The Commission has established a National Clinical Handover Initiative Reference Group to provide overall direction from a national perspective. Key responsibilities include: provision of oversight to ensure that outcomes are in accordance with project objectives, guiding implementation, recommending key deliverables, acting as point of authority for matters escalated by the Office of the Commission (via Program Leader); and providing assistance to ensure that stakeholders are kept informed on the progress of the program.
An applicant who has a large proposal may, in addition, decide to establish their own advisory group at an organisational or jurisdictional level.
13/06/2007, 09:30
Q. The tender is for Stage 1 of the process with Stage 2 being testing of solutions developed in Stage 1. In order to verify nationally applicable solutions there will need to be some degree of testing of the products to take forward into stage 2. Does the Commission see such testing being part of the costing for stage 1?
A. The Commission will contract with successful applicants and monitor the progress of initiatives for the development of identified clinical handover initiatives into transferable standardised solutions. Testing under Stage 1 would involve evaluating a handover solution in the site/location where it was developed and first implemented. Testing of transferable product identified under Stage 1 at other sites/locations is the function of Stage 2 and this will be the subject of a separate Tender.
Q. Where do the 10-12 WHO sites fit into this tender? Is the applicant being asked to source interested hospitals or will this be done separately? If separately when will the site be determined and will the successful applicant for stage 1 have access to the sites
A. From the pool of successful applicants, the Commission will identify appropriate projects that align to WHO requirements. More information is available in Appendix A of the Industry Brief located on the Commission website. Applicants interested in participating in the WHO component (which is not compulsory) are referred to Part B Section 9 of the RFT. An applicant that proposes to participate in the WHO component may select a single site or propose a group of sites in their Tender application. Successful applicants that participate in the WHO component will work together with the Commission to ensure WHO objectives are met and as such will be expected to manage WHO work locally.
13/06/2007, 09:30
Q. Will the Commission consider individual organisations applying for funding for clinical practice improvement grants in this area?
A. As outlined in the Industry Brief on page 12, applicants may apply for funding as a single organisation or submit an application jointly by a number of organisations. The Tender is not for ‘grants’ nor is ‘clinical practice improvement’ specified as a methodology in the RFT.
07/06/2007, 16:14
Q. Is there a standard template/form that should be used when making an application?
A. The RFT process does not use a proforma but instead provides applicants with the necessary conditions for lodgement of Tender. Applicants are directed to the guidelines provided in Annex A of the RFT, the Applicant's Submission Checklist, and as outlined in Part A - Conditions of Tender. Where the Industry Brief (available on the Commission website) makes reference to 'your application' it concerns the Tender documentation outlined in the RFT as per the above.
07/06/2007, 10:55
Q. I cannot find the attachments mentioned under "Part D - Draft Conditions of Contract" in the Request for Tender (RFT) document.
A. Part D of the RFT (376/ 0607) refers Private sector applicants to Attachment 1 – Standard Funding Agreement between Commonwealth and Private Sector Organisations, and Public sector applicants are referred to Attachment 2 - State and Territory Funding Agreement between Commonwealth and State / Territories.
Both respective draft Funding Agreements, Attachment 1 and 2, referred to in the RFT at Part D are now available.
29 May 2007, 16:05
Q. A company is currently working with a group of Aged Care Facilities and a major hospital to assist with the transfer of Aged Care residents to a hospital for emergency treatment.
They are developing a system that provides the hospital with resident information (name, facility name, condition, specific alerts, allergy information etc). In some instances residents are unable to communicate their special needs should paperwork be not available to nursing staff. The proposed system could also assist with the transfer of a patient from a hospital to an Aged Care or other facility.
Does a proposal of this type fall within the scope of the National Clinical Handover Initiative?
A. Handover between clinicians in transferring residents from an Aged Care facility to a hospital for emergency treatment, or transferring a patient from a hospital to an Aged Care facility, is within the scope of the National Clinical Handover Initiative. A proposal for Stage 1 involves initiatives that are currently in practice and that are potentially transferable to other contexts.
The proposal would need to demonstrate experience in working with health care organisations and be linked to actual handover situations involving a transfer of patient care between providers. Electronic tools to support handover should not be stand alone products and should be able to integrate with a supporting ICT interface without redevelopment.
28 May 2007, 12:55
Q. I am unable to find the RFT documents on the Department of Health and Ageing website (www.health.gov.au/tenders)
A. The RFT is now available for download on www.health.gov.au/tenders. There was a delay in posting on the site which has been resolved.
