Ndis partners in the community program

6.2Are Local Governments, or consortiums of Local Governments, eligible to apply for the LAC services?

Yes. A local government can apply for grant funding under the “NDIS Partners in the Community” program. The NDIA will accept an application from a group of local governments on the same arrangements identified in 3.1, above.

6.3Can an organisation that is not a Registered Provider of Supports and, therefore, is permitted to apply for LAC funding, subcontract to a different organisation who is an NDIS Registered Provider of Supports?

Only in limited circumstances. The NDIA will only permit a successful Applicant to subcontract Services if the Applicant demonstrates, to the reasonable satisfaction of the NDIA, that exceptional circumstances exist that mean it has no other options than to subcontract to the Registered Provider of Supports and subject to compliance with the requirements for subcontractors and the NDIA’s approval in the Grant Agreement.

Applicants must declare the relationship as an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest in their application and include details of the proposed mitigation approach to manage this conflict of interest. Applicants should also include details of the nature of the exceptional circumstances that require subcontracting with a Registered Provider of Supports and any actions by the Applicant to overcome these circumstances and the approach to management of the conflict of interest.

7.Service Areas and Participant numbers

7.1How many Local Area Coordinator partners are you looking to appoint in one Service Area? Also, how many Early Childhood Early Intervention partners are you looking to appoint in one Service Area?

One.

7.2How many Service Areas are you seeking Local Area Coordinators and/or Early Childhood Early Intervention partners?

The NDIA is seeking Local Area Coordination partners in 16 Service Areas, located in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and the ACT. The approach to market is also seeking Early Childhood Early Intervention partners in nine (9) Service Areas (Queensland, Victoria and ACT) and the whole State of South Australia.

7.3In regard to the volume of people transitioning to become a participant in the NDIS, and the construction of pricing, is there a guaranteed volume? What if the number is not reached?

The number of people transitioning to the Scheme has been agreed under the respective Bilateral Agreements between the Commonwealth and State/ Territory Governments.

The participant numbers, pricing assumptions and available funding are set out in Annex A to the Statement of Requirements, and are based on the numbers agreed between Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments in respective Bilateral Agreements.

7.4Can an organisation submit an application to supply NDIS Partners in the Community services for a specific Local Government Area located within a Service Area?

No. Applications must be for services supplied to a complete Service Area.

7.5My organisation wishes to submit an application for a Service Area that is not listed in the Application for Funding. Where can I find the necessary information for my organisation to apply for that Service Area?

The services are being rolled-out on a national level over a number of years. This specific funding round is for Local Area Coordinator and Early Childhood Early Intervention Services in the Service Areas outlined in the NDIS Partners in the Community Program Guidelines. Future funding rounds will cover other Service Areas.

7.6Is there a guaranteed minimum/ maximum volume of referrals by month?

No.

8.Other Topics

8.1Are we required to have a dedicated building in each Service Area? Are we required to have a dedicated building per Local Government Area? If so what are the operating hours for each Service +/- Local Government Area office? Will after hours operations be required? Are there any specific requirements in terms of minimum size, capability and infrastructure for these premises?

Applicants need to comply with the requirements set out in the Partners in the Community Program Funding Round Application Pack. In their response, Applicants should explain how the end-to-end operational capability, including any systems, processes, facilities and infrastructure required to deliver the NDIS Partners in the Community services will be established and managed.

The NDIA does not have a fixed view on premises required to provide NDIS Partners in the Community Services.

8.2Can a LAC co-locate with an unaffiliated Registered Provider of Supports, which itself would otherwise be ineligible to submit an application?

The Applicant should explain in their application how this would operate and how any actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest would be managed to maintain the independence of its NDIS Partners in the Community role.

8.3Do the maximum funds available for Services after the commencement date include cost for serving people not eligible under the scheme?

Yes.

8.4Who is undertaking application assessment?

The details of the assessment process are outlined in Section 4 of the NDIS Partners in the Community Program Guidelines.

8.5Will the NDIA provide all of the necessary portable devices and IT hardware to the staff required for the delivery of LAC Services?

The IT hardware provided by the NDIA is detailed in the Partners in the Community Program Funding Round Application Pack (Annex D and Annex E).

8.6Will NDIA-branded communications products be provided by the NDIA in a range of formats or should these costs be anticipated in Establishment and ongoing budgets?

The NDIA will produce branded electronically based products and may provide some initial material to Partners. Any material the Partner proposes to develop will need to meet NDIA branding guidelines and should be taken in to account in its proposed fees.