Volunteer Management Online Project – Procurement

Request for Proposal announced

A technology partner will be sought through a competitive dialogue process

Volunteering Australia has been funded by the Australian Government to enhance volunteer management and increase participation in volunteering through an improved online experience. We are now seeking a technology partner to work with us on delivering key aspects of this project.

Project outcomes

The place for all things volunteering – making volunteering easier to do and easier to manage

The Volunteer Management Online Project aims to make volunteering easier to do and easier to manage by improving the online user experience for volunteer involving organisations and volunteers.

It will do this by bringing key online services into a centrally coordinated space, creating a foundation that can grow and improve over time. For the first time, nationally consistent tools, training and resources will be found in one online location.

This aims to help volunteer organisations increase the number and diversity of volunteers, improve retention and build capability and enhance capacity within their organisations.

The platform is intended to reduce duplication across various existing online and digital services and provide a more streamlined experience between state and territory jurisdictions. Current arrangements often lead to a disconnected and sometimes confusing experience for volunteers and volunteer involving organisations.

Although this project won’t address all coordination issues, it will provide foundations for a transition to a simpler and more effective online experience for organisations and volunteers alike.

Seeking a delivery partner

Volunteering Australia is looking to engage a technology partner to work closely with us and the broader ecosystem to:

1. Design, build and implement a single digital front door, which consolidates relevant existing platforms, applications and online services, to enable the delivery of nationally consistent volunteer management tools, training and resources.
2. Deliver, or develop a partnership to deliver, implementation, ongoing maintenance and a continuous improvement approach.
3. Release a minimum viable product as a pilot for testing the scope of Horizon 1 by 30 September 2023.

Further detail can be found in the Vendor information pack, which also contains a conceptual architecture design commissioned by Volunteering Australia to support the procurement of suitable supplier/s. As seen below, the design concept identifies the scope of the platform across three horizons. The priority for this procurement is delivery of a minimum viable product as outlined within Horizon 1. Horizons 2 and 3 show potential for what may be considered in future, dependent on the business model and subsequent funding.

Our approach to procurement

To ensure a sustainable and contemporary approach we want to hear from potential suppliers about the way you would approach designing and delivering this platform. Therefore, procurement of a technology partner will take place through a multi-phase, competitive dialogue process, which entails two-way information sharing to inform the creation of a shortlist of potential vendors who will be invited to submit a final proposal.

The successful technology partner may be a single organisation that can provide the full suite solution (product, implementation and ongoing improvements and maintenance) or it may be a consortium of organisations who will collaborate on developing, building and maintaining a package of the required capabilities.

Where no applicant provides a satisfactory proposal on implementation, Volunteering Australia may choose to undertake a separate process to appoint an appropriate supplier for implementation, maintenance and continuous improvement.

Process and timing

1. Announcement: Monday, 3 April 2023
2. Questions and answers: Closes midnight Thursday, 13 April. Submit via this form. CLOSED
3. Industry briefing: Recording is NOW AVAILABLE. Register for access via this form, include a message requesting a link to the recording. CLOSED
4. EOI to present ideas: UPDATE: Closes MIDNIGHT Monday, 17 April (invitation sent to shortlist of eight on Monday 24 April). Submit EOI via this form. CLOSED
5. Presentation day: Friday, 5 May (shortlist for next stage advised by 6pm 5 May)
6. Competitive dialogue workshops: Tuesday, 9 May (shortlist of 3-5 invited to submit final offer by Friday 12 May)
7. Final proposal: Closes 2pm Monday, 29 May
8. Final offer accepted (anticipate late June/early July 2023).

NOTE: All timing is anticipated and is dependent on the number of submissions and the level of detail needed during presentations and competitive dialogue workshops. If timing changes, this page will be updated and anyone who has submitted an EOI to present or questions will be informed by email.

How to participate

Volunteering Australia will be undertaking a competitive dialogue approach to selecting a suitable delivery partner or partners.

This entails:

1. Industry briefing: we’ve recorded a presentation to talk through the project. Questions can be submitted via the form below. Request access to the recording via this form. CLOSED
2. Written questions will also be accepted via this form until 5pm 13 April. CLOSED
3. You can submit an expression of interest to present initial ideas via this form – this is OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT MONDAY 17 APRIL 2023 [UPDATED]. You’ll be asked to provide up to 400 words on your organisational capability, technical capability, capacity to deliver within our timeframe, previous experience and why you’re interested in joining us to deliver this project. Up to 8 submissions will be selected for the next stage – presentations. CLOSED
4. Presentation day: If selected, you’ll have up to 30 minutes to present your ideas (sessions will be 40 minutes in total, including questions). Our assessment panel may have some questions on the day but this is all about your thoughts and suggestions. Our assessment panel will then select 4 or 5 for the next stage – competitive dialogue.
5. Competitive dialogue workshops: If selected, you’ll work with a small group of people from the volunteering sector to further develop your ideas over a 50-minute workshop. This will help our panel assess your ideas further and your ability to collaborate effectively with a range of technical and non-technical stakeholders.
6. Final proposal: a shortlist from the workshops will be then invited to submit a final proposal.

Assessment criteria for each stage of the procurement process

1. Expression of interest to present: Organisational capability, technical capability, capacity to deliver within our timeframe, previous experience and why you’re interested in joining us to deliver this project.
2. Presentation day: Demonstrate understanding of and proposing relevant suggestions for:
   • Platform capabilities and approach to delivering Horizon 1 outcomes (as outlined in Vendor information pack)
   • Sustainability principles (as outlined in Vendor information pack)
   • Approach to delivering a minimum viable product by 30 September 2023, to commence the agile delivery approach (as outlined in Vendor information pack)
   • Approach to implementing technology with a focus on the people – changing behaviour, mindset and culture to ensure successful and enduring use of the new system.
   • Approach to pricing/pricing structure.
   • Approach to multi-phased agile delivery that is dependent on an emerging business and funding model.
3. Competitive dialogue workshops: Further assessment of the criteria from presentation day as well as insight into your ability to collaborate effectively with a range of technical and non-technical stakeholders.
4. Final proposal: Criteria and proposed contract will be provided prior to the invitation to submit a final proposal opens. A selection of those who’ve participated in the competitive dialogue workshops will be invited to submit a final proposal.

Further information

• Vendor information pack, including design concepts
• National Strategy for Volunteering
• Volunteering Australia website
• Volunteering Australia Strategic Plan
• Definition of volunteering
• National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
• Existing Volunteering Resource Hub

Industry briefing

Volunteering Australia will share a pre-recorded industry briefing for interested suppliers, now available until midnight Thursday, 13 April. Access to the video recording can be requested via this enquiry form. CLOSED

Questions

Questions can be submitted via the enquiry form until midnight Thursday, 13 April 2023. Answers will be posted in the questions and answers section below. CLOSED

Application form – NOW CLOSED

To participate in this competitive dialogue procurement process, please first submit an expression of interest to present your ideas on presentation day on Friday 5 May 2023. A shortlist of eight suppliers will be invited to present during a 40 minute session (includes question time).

STEP 1: Expression of interest to present ideas

If you would like to be considered as one of the eight suppliers to present ideas on presentation day, please submit your expression of interest via this form. Applications to express interest in presenting close at MIDNIGHT Monday, 17 April 2023 [UPDATED]. CLOSED

Those who are successful in being selected to present ideas will be notified by email by Monday 24 April 2023 for presentation on Friday 5 May 2023.

STEP 2: Presentation day

A selection of eight of the most suitable providers who expressed an interest will present their ideas on 5 May 2023. A shortlist of five from this day will be invited to participate in the competitive dialogue workshop on 9 May.

STEP 3: Workshop

Up to five suppliers will participate in a 50-minute competitive dialogue workshop to be held on Tuesday 9 May 2023.

STEP 4: Submit final proposal

A shortlist of the 3-5 most suitable suppliers from the workshops will be invited to submit a final proposal by email on 12 May 2023. Final proposals must be submitted by 2pm Monday 29 May 2023.

Enquiries

Contact the Procurement Manager for enquiries in relation to process or technical difficulties via this form.

Questions and answers

Answers in this table will be updated as questions are received – we’ll aim to publish answers within 1 business day of receiving your question.

Item no.	Questions	Answers
1.	Do you want to see presentations as part of the EOI stage?	No, visual presentation of information is not needed at this stage. EOIs are to be submitted via the form above and are intended to give us an understanding of your organisation’s suitability to proceed to the next stage – presentation of ideas. Links to online sites can be included in the form but documents can not be attached. Additional information provided via links may or may not be considered. Please don’t spend time on visual presentations at this stage.
2.	Is this procurement the same process for those who have services that will be hosted ON the new platform?	No, this is not the same process. This procurement is intended to find a project delivery partner who will work with Volunteering Australia to design, build and implement the new platform. Those who own other platforms, apps or services that might be accessed/hosted via the new centralised platform will go through a standard application process (which we expect will be developed by the new tech partner).
3.	Will we be required to present or attend any physical meetings or locations?	No. All procurement activities will take place online as we are aiming to be as inclusive as possible. If you are selected to proceed to the next stage, you’ll receive an email invitation and a Teams meeting link.
4.	We’ve already started building an app/platform/solution to address this issue – can we submit an application?	We would like to hear from anyone who has ideas on how we can partner to provide the best outcome for the Australian volunteer community. We are not being prescriptive on what that technology looks like as this is what we’ll seek from a technology partner. We know the outcome we want to achieve, which is making volunteering easier to manage and easier to do – it will be up to our partners to work with us on designing and developing a technology solution to achieve this.
5.	The timeline to produce an MVP within 3 months of appointment is very tight – what level of MVP is expected within this time?	As we are not prescribing what the technology solution is but are requiring an agile/iterative approach, we understand proposals will suggest what an MVP might entail within the context of all stages within Horizon 1. Stakeholders are enthusiastic to see progress towards an effective and sustainable outcome so will seek a clear understanding of what each stage of Horizon 1 will entail, and by when. Note: Proposals are not requested as part of the first procurement step – EOI to present. Proposals will be accepted from those who are invited to proceed to the second step only (presentation day).
6.	We don’t have a company formed at this stage, can we still submit an application.	We are asking for company and business information through the EOI process to get an initial sense of the level of organisational maturity of applicants. This doesn’t mean you can’t submit an EOI, nor does it mean you won’t be accepted for the next stage. We encourage EOI applications from those who feel they have a credible approach and have the capability and capacity to deliver this project.
7.	Can you tell us the budget and allocated resource for the MVP including the specific budget for the Technology Partner?	The information available for this procurement is published in the Vendor Information Pack and the website landing page. We haven’t released a budget or resource allocation as we are not prescribing the solution but asking the market to put forward suggestions. As this is not a tender with a defined scope but a request for proposal, we are not providing this level of detail.
8.	Do you have indicative budget and resource requirements for Horizons 2 and 3 and can you share these?	As stated on page 6 of the Vendor Information Pack, there is no funding for Horizons 2 and 3 at this stage. It is anticipated that the approach to future funding will be part of the business model, which will be developed in parallel with and informed by the development of the technology solution.
9.	Does our existing software solution meet your needs.	As outlined above and in the Vendor Information Pack (linked above), we are seeking a technology partner to work with us on the design and build of an online platform that provides a single doorway to all existing volunteer management and resources. We are not looking to duplicate any existing service offering but to centralise access to make volunteering easier to manage and do. We are not prescribing what the technology solution is to meet this outcome – we are seeking proposals from the market on what a practical and sustainable solution could be. If you feel you have technology experience or a model that may suit this project, you are welcome to participate in the first stage of the procurement process, which is to submit an expression of interest in presenting ideas on our presentation day.  If you feel that your software solution might be one of the services that is accessible via the new online platform, please refer to the answer to Question 2 above.
10.	We don’t build technology ourselves – we are interested in the implementation stream – but we do have an existing technology partner. Do we need to submit a combined EOI or should we submit a separate EOI each?	We suggest you submit an EOI in the manner you think works best for you and your partners. To deliver the project effectively, we’ll need one of two options: 1. a single project partner who can deliver all aspects of the project (technology and implementation); or 2. a group of suppliers who can work in partnership to cover all aspects. At this first stage – EOI – we are simply asking to hear about you as an organisation, not your ideas on the proposal. At the presentation and workshop stages, we’ll hear proposals on the way this project might be delivered – from individual suppliers or from a group of suppliers. That’s up to you. If we hear from potential suppliers who are strong in one area and not others, we may request to introduce you to discuss potential partnerships before we proceed to inviting anyone to submit final proposals. But we’ll assess that once we’ve seen all presentations and have a better sense of who is applying. Based on this approach, you need to decide whether you want to proceed as an existing partnership or as individual businesses that may be requested by Volunteering Australia to work collaboratively with others at a later stage.
11.	We are aware of many of the current challenges in the online volunteer management space and have views on holistic solutions that could be built.	This request is calling for proposals on delivering Horizon 1, while ensuring foundations are laid for a business model and the potential outlined in Horizons 2 and 3. We are not calling for proposals that address Horizons 2 and 3 as there is no defined business model to fund these future horizons at this stage. Also, we do not want to duplicate existing solutions. We do want to find a way to bring these other service providers into a national space that makes it easier to find and manage volunteers and volunteer opportunities.
12.	Is it mandatory that Volunteering Australia will own the data completely or are you open to a conversation about co-ownership to this database for future states?	Volunteering Australia is looking for a centralised platform that enables volunteering to be easier to do and manage. We are not looking to duplicate or replicate existing services/platforms/apps but to create a central location through which existing services are accessed. The way data, security and privacy are managed will form part of the proposal being put forward through this procurement process, as will suggestions on intellectual property and other ownership questions. We are not prescribing any defined approach but are asking the market to suggest models that will achieve the desired outcome: Making volunteering easier to do and manage.
13.	How many Volunteers and VIOs are we expecting per horizon?	As this is a platform that forms a doorway, the question as to how many users access the platform, and how and in what context, will be developed as part of the scoping work in the initial stages of this project.   As we are not prescribing what the model is, and we are requiring this to be an agile, human-centred design approach, we would expect our technology partner to work with us to develop this type of metric.      Please note: Work within Horizon 1 is funded, Horizons 2 and 3 are not funded at this stage. We are focused on securing a partner to design and deliver Horizon 1, which can then inform considerations of a business model that could support future Horizons.
14.	When would we expect Horizon 1 to be “Completed”	Currently, Volunteering Australia is funded to deliver the Volunteering Management Online Project by early 2025. Our expectation is that work within Horizon 1 is completed and consideration has been given to a sustainable business model and Horizons 2 and 3. As to the scope and parameters of what constitutes completed, this level of detail will be developed through this competitive dialogue process and in the early stages of project planning once a partner is appointed.
15.	What part of the process should we include proposals around Risk Mitigation (most notably, security)	The first stage of this procurement process is to submit an expression of interest to present your ideas on the 5 May presentation day. No proposals are being requested at this stage. EOIs will be assessed and a shortlist of up to 8 suppliers will be invited to present. If selected to present, you’ll be able to determine the level of detail you provide at that stage.
16.	Is it mandatory that Volunteering Australia will own the data completely or are you open to a conversation about co-ownership to this database for future states?	Volunteering Australia is looking for a centralised platform that enables volunteering to be easier to do and manage. We are not looking to duplicate or replicate existing services/platforms/apps but to create a central location through which existing services are accessed. The way data, security and privacy are managed will form part of the proposal being put forward through this procurement process, as will suggestions on intellectual property and other ownership questions. We are not prescribing any defined approach but are asking the market to suggest models that will achieve the desired outcome: Making volunteering easier to do and manage.
17.	There is mention of reporting. Are we looking for Functional reporting, Operational reporting, User reporting or all of the above.	The Vendor information pack refers to ‘reports/ing’ in three places: high-level timeline; sustainability and improvement; project management.      1. High-level timeline: a final project report is required of Volunteering Australia to the Australian Government on delivery of the funded project and the outcomes it has achieved. It would be expected that a technology partner, and other suppliers, will have submitted reports on their work that will help inform this final report.   2. Workstream 3 – sustainability and continuous improvement – refers to reporting on the short and long-term ability of the platform to support elements of the new National Strategy for Volunteering. As would be expected of any technology, it is seen as an enabler to support broader strategic objectives. In the same way, this technology project will need to have some relationship to elements of the national strategy. A technology partner would work in partnership with Volunteering Australia to develop these intersections as part of the planning and reporting phases of the project. In particular, the project’s final report will need to cover how the platform is sustainable, how continuous improvement principles support ongoing improvement and where this intersects with the longer term aims of the national strategy.   3. Workstream 5 – project management. As a normal course of managing this project, Volunteering Australia’s project manager is required to report on the project. This workstream is not highlighted as a responsibility of the technology partner. It is expected all suppliers would undertake a robust project management approach within their own organisations along with working in collaboration with Volunteering Australia’s project management function.
18.	Are VRCs considered stakeholder or is it just the VSS	The range of stakeholders in this project is broad, as is the range of users. In many cases, they’ll overlap. Volunteer Resource Centres and Volunteer Support Services would primarily be considered as part of the broad user group. Initial stakeholder and user mapping and analysis has been undertaken but it is expected a technology partner would want to develop this further to support a strong agile and human-centred design approach.
19.	The word Federated has been used a number of times to in reference to cross functionality. Could we possibly get a clear definition of what is expected by “Federated”	There’s a proliferation of services, apps, platforms, websites and various digital solutions providing resources to manage and do volunteering. We are not looking to duplicate existing services but to create a doorway that provides one central location to find and access the various tools and services. In most cases, users will be able to find a resource and then be directed to the existing homepage of that service.
20.	Is interoperability existing systems consistent with project options.	We are not prescribing any defined approach but are asking the market to suggest models that will achieve the desired outcome: Making volunteering easier to do and manage.

The Volunteer Management Online Project and the National Strategy for Volunteering are both funded by the Australian Government.