Tenders
As part of MPHN’s commissioning role, tenders, or requests for proposals, or expression of interest documents will be released periodically for the delivery of primary health care programs or services.
Tenderlink
Details for each tender, including instructions and method of lodgement, can be accessed through MPHN’s TenderLink e-Procurement portal. If you register with our e-Procurement portal you will automatically be notified whenever a relevant tender opportunity is released by MPHN.
Current opportunity: Better. Together.
Your mental health care team in general practice.
(Murrumbidgee Mental Health Multidisciplinary Team Service)
Better. Together. service overview for:
Lead Contractor(s)
General Practices
Local Mental Health and Allied Health Clinicians
Introduction
Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) has been commissioning mental health services since 2015. With approximately 5,770 people living with severe and/or complex mental illness across the Murrumbidgee region, there is a need for targeted approaches to support this population group.
In the context of primary care, multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are a well-recognised approach to deliver comprehensive, holistic, and person-centre healthcare, particularly in cases where patients have complex mental health conditions. An MDT model of care brings together expertise across a range of fields to collaborate to support an individual to achieve their mental, social, physical and emotional goals.
MPHN have delivered Team Care Mental Health Nurse-led model of care into four general practices since 2022. An evaluation of the service undertaken in 2024 reported high satisfaction rates for both patients and clinicians. Findings were used to inform further model development, that has been piloted in five general practices.
Murrumbidgee PHN (MPHN), is looking to expand the service to a region-wide program. The service will deliver multidisciplinary mental health services to people with severe and/or complex mental health needs within general practice.
The program is called Better. Together.
This document has been prepared to provide an overview of Better. Together. and the procurement activity being undertaken by MPHN to establish the service. It is intended to provide potential respondents with an understanding of the integrated structure of the service and the requirement for collaboration across all participating organisations, practices and health professionals.
For full tender documentation, and to respond to this opportunity, see links in Section - To apply.
Service summary
Better. Together. will provide a range of clinical and non-clinical mental health supports including mental and physical health clinical therapies, care coordination and navigation, and social prescribing. The service will be delivered in person, as part of a region-wide stepped care model, delivered in the general practice setting.
The service is intended to support people with a clinical diagnosis of a severe and/or complex mental health needs who access local general practice for care and support.
Referrals are accepted from all general practices in the region including Aboriginal Medical Services, community managed organisations, local private clinical services and MPHNs Central Access and Navigation (CAN) service. Self and carer referrals are also accepted.
To ensure referrals to the service are appropriate, the service model prescribes the use of the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support tool (IAR-DST). IAR-DST Level of Care (LoC) 3 and 4 are considered appropriate for the program.
Service outcomes
Better. Together. intends to:
Improve coordination of care for people living with severe and/or complex mental health needs in the Murrumbidgee region
Increase the proportion of people self-reporting an improvement in their quality of life using a professionally recognised quality of life assessment tool, as a result of services received
Leverage established services that include an MDT and/or service navigation approach, such as MyStep services and MPHNs Central Access and Navigation (CAN) service. Referral information on these services and other services for our region can be found on Murrumbidgee HealthPathway here.
Improve collaboration and integration of services provided by GPs, psychiatrist, Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD), allied health providers and other relevant mental health and social care providers
Reduce unnecessary hospitalisations.
Be informed by the Quintuple Aim
Service Model
The service will use a hub and spoke model to facilitate region wide service access.
Figure 1 –Better. Together. hub and spoke service model
Hubs are to belocated in Wagga Wagga, Young, Griffith and Deniliquin and will be established by the Lead Contractor(s). Hubs will act as service bases and will administer and deliver Better. Together. MDT services into at least one General Practice in every Local Government Area (LGA). Hubs will be staffed by non-clinical roles and will engage (employ or subcontract) a range of local Mental Health and Allied health clinicians.
Spokes will be general practices in each LGA. Spokes will host Better. Together. MDT services in their practice.
Figure 2 – Better. Together. operational model
The model requires collaborative organisational relationships.
MPHN will hold funded contracts with Lead Contractor(s) and GP spoke sites.
Lead contractor(s) and GP spoke sites will establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalise and regulate their operational relationship, outline shared goals, clarify responsibilities and provide a framework for a cooperative approach to Better. Together. service delivery.
Local Mental Health and Allied Health clinicians will be engaged by the Lead Contractor(s) to deliver Better. Together services.
A dedicated MPHN Project Officer will oversee the service. MPHN will schedule and chair regular Better. Together. service review sessions to support service delivery, trouble shooting and quality improvement activities.
Procurement summary
MPHN is seeking Lead Contractor(s), General Practices and Mental Health and Allied Health clinicians across the region to collaborate to establish and deliverBetter. Together.via a region wide hub and spoke model.
Better. Together. comprises of three service streams, as set out below:
1) Lead Contractor(s) will hold funding to establish, deliver, manage and administer MDT services into general practices across the region from Hub locations. Funding is available for Better. Together. service room rental, and the following MDT roles:
GP Engagement Officer (1 x FTE)
Health Linker (2 x FTE)
Peer workers (2 x FTE), and
Mental Health and Allied Health Clinicians (10 x FTE).
Lead Contractor (s) will be engaged by MPHN via an open and competitive Request for Proposal (RFP), for activity to June 2028. Organisations may propose to act as the Lead Contractor for a consortium or network of private providers and/or to offer Lead Contractor services across one, some or all hub locations.
2) General Practices in each LGA will be selected to host MDT services as spoke locations. Spoke general practices will refer appropriate patients to the service and collaborate with the Lead Contractor(s) to maximise the value of each clinic. GPs and practice nurses can bill Medicare for all consults delivered during the MDT activity such as attendance at a case conference.
General Practice spoke sites will be engaged by MPHN via an open and competitive Expression of Interest (EOI). Annual funding is available to support general practice administration and reception costs to June 2028. MPHN will seek a minimum of one general practice from all LGA’s across the region.
As noted above, the Lead Contractor(s) hold room rental funding to be paid to General Practices as a fee for service to cover room rental and cleaning costs.
3) Local Mental Health and Allied Health clinicians The Lead Contractor(s) will hold funding to engage an extensive network of Mental Health and Allied Health clinicians across the region. To expedite workforce recruitment, MPHN is undertaking a market sounding to identify Mental Health and Allied Health clinicians who may have capacity to deliver services.
Mental Health and Allied Health clinicians are invited to register their interest in delivering Better. Together. MDT services and identify their clinical area of practice and service delivery area. The Lead Contractor will contact clinicians directly to negotiate terms of engagement where a service need matches a service offering.
Please note:
Your registration webform response will be passed onto the Lead Contractor for their consideration.
MPHN holds no funding to commission or otherwise engage Mental Health and Allied Health clinicians directly.
Nothing in this document gives rise to a process contract or any other right.
Procurement Timeline
This timeline is provided as a guide and MPHN reserves the right to make alterations to the timeline.
Point of contact
For any queries regarding the procurement activities, our point of contact is:
Name: Donna Jeffery
Title/role: Procurement Lead
Email address: tenders@mphn.org.au
To apply
Lead contractor: Documentation for Better. Together. Lead Contractors RFP can be accessed using the MPHN e-procurement portal at this link: https://www.tenderlink.com/mphn/
General Practice: Documentation for Better. Together. General Practice EOI is available here.
Mental Health and Allied Health clinicians: Registration webform for Mental Health and Allied Health workforce is available here.
Are you seeking funding for an idea?
Requests for funding for service delivery that occurs outside of MPHN’s formal commissioning approach to market can be submitted as an unsolicited proposal.
MPHN understands that local providers view the primary health sector from a unique perspective that enables them to identify emerging service needs from time to time. MPHN seeks to develop the local market by supporting providers to design innovative services that meet these emerging needs.
‘Unsolicited proposals’ is a process that enables providers to trial innovative initiatives to deliver effective health outcomes for the community, outside of a formal approach to market. The process also ensures proposals are considered for funding in a fair and transparent manner and that outcomes are linked to priority needs of the region.
MPHN’s response to unsolicited proposals will be in line with our commissioning principles outlined in our Commissioning Framework consistent our organisational vision, values and strategic goals, along with our commitment to supporting vulnerable populations. For a proposal to be considered it must align with the needs identified in our Needs Assessment and propose innovative value for money solutions.
An unsolicited proposal should show innovation and their unique placement to deliver the activity and achieve outcomes, justifying MPHN’s departure from a competitive tender processes. If a proposal can readily be delivered by competitors then it will not be sufficient to be considered as an unsolicited proposal.
All unsolicited proposals will be assessed against an agreed assessment criteria and in accordance with the defined procedure. Any allocations will depend on availability of funding in the financial year, commissioning priorities and available capacity. All funding provided is dependent on continued funding from the Australian Government Department of Health.
If you are seeking funding for a service that delivers effective health outcomes for the community, you can submit an unsolicited proposal here.
Before applying, we encourage you to read the Unsolicited Proposal Fact Sheet for further information about the application and evaluation process.
If you have any enquiries about the Unsolicited Proposals Fact Sheet, please contact Donna Jeffery, MPHN Procurement Lead, on 02 6923 3125 or donna.jeffery@mphn.org.au.
Standard Terms and Conditions
MPHN Service Agreement Terms and Conditions form part of a contract schedule for a commissioned service. The standard terms and conditions support commissioned service providers to achieve their contractual obligations.
These documents are provided for information purposes only. They are the standard contract terms used by firsthealth limited trading as MPHN as at 1 November 2023. The terms are subject to change and providers should review the specific terms issued for each specific activity.
Documents
Standard terms and conditions for commissioned activity delivering clinical services.
Standard terms and conditions for commissioned activity delivering auxiliary services (such as project-based activities and evaluations).