DFAT anticipates tendering for the Fiji Program Support Platform (the Platform) to replace the current Fiji Program Support Facility (The Facility) in early 2024. The Facility runs from 23 January 2017 to 31 December 2024, with a contract end date of 22 January 2025. It has implemented around 50% of Australia’s Fiji bilateral development assistance.

Building on the Facility, the Platform is likely to involve a management team that provides leadership and support services to the delivery of six main sectoral sub-programs: health, education, humanitarian, scholarships, social infrastructure and governance/institutional partnerships programming.

It will promote climate action, gender equality and disability inclusion across and beyond the sector programs.

It will provide flexibility to absorb new and additional bilateral sector programs and funds in areas of emerging priority and will provide monitoring, evaluation and communications services across its programs. Health and Education designs

Parallel design processes are underway for a new Fiji Bilateral Education (FBEP) and a Fiji Bilateral Health Program (FBHP) that will be implemented under the Platform. Both are important components of Australia’s development cooperation program in Fiji under the Vuvale Partnership and will engage closely with relevant regional sectoral programming.

The draft goal of the FBEP is that all Fijian children receive quality, inclusive education. It is focussed on improving learning outcomes, addressing workforce gaps, enhancing inclusiveness in education and facilitating evidence-based decision-making within the Ministry of Education. It is seeking opportunities to expand support to inclusive education and opportunities for bilateral programming to complement existing regional skills programs, in line with the GoF’s stated aim of creating a more skilled and adaptable workforce. The design is guided by Australia and Fiji’s strategic documents including the outcomes of the 2023 Fiji Education Summit.

The draft goal of the new Fiji Bilateral Health Program (FBHP) design is: all Fijians achieve optimal health and well-being through the delivery of cost-effective, quality, and inclusive health services. The FBHP is a health system strengthening program that is supportive of the GoF’s ambition to improve access to quality primary healthcare for all Fijians, and to align with the global universal health coverage agenda[1]. It will work at both national and sub national levels to inform and support national policy development and implementation.

Opportunity for stakeholder consultation

Formal market consultation will take place during the design process, that will commence in 2024.

If you have urgent views you wish to raise, please contact the design manager frank.thompson@dfat.gov.au.

Budget for the investment / length of the investment

DFAT proposes that the initial contract will be for a five-year period with possible extensions up to nine years in total.

The Platform budget will be determined during the contracting process. The current Fiji Program Support Facility budget is approximately AUD20 million per year.

The Platform will be managed by a Managing Contractor. Given the flexibility required of the Platform, detailed governance mechanisms will be developed during design and contract negotiations.

The Platform will be managed by a Managing Contractor. Given the flexibility required of the Platform, detailed governance mechanisms will be developed during design and contract negotiations. Preliminary expectations are that the Platform will:

• Establish a Platform Management Team (PMT) to manage Platform operations in Suva. The PMT will establish program management systems and processes for management of day-to-day services to enable delivery of the sectoral programs. The Managing Contractor will recommend the resources required to deliver the Platform's services efficiently and effectively, including allowing for upscaling and downscaling of support.
• Provide the capability to deliver enabling functions (HR, procurement, financial management).
• Provide the capability to undertake program management functions (design, quality assurance, analysis, technical advice, M&E and reporting on cross-cutting themes).
• Stand up significant new programs rapidly and flexibly.
• Provide team leaders for individual sector programs as well as technical assistance and program staff as required to deliver effective sectoral activities in agreed priority areas.
• In addition to core program management and implementation responsibilities, this implementing mechanism will provide DFAT with the flexibility required to respond to changes in the development context and geostrategic environment.
• Gender equality will be a significant objective of the Platform. Gender results will be included in the Platform design, as well as in the separate, sector-based designs to be implemented under the Platform. Consideration will be given to progressing a separate gender equality sector program during the life of the Platform.
• Each program design will be guided by Australia's contemporary strategy documents including the new International Development Policy. They will also be guided by Fiji's 20-Year (2017-2036) and 5-Year (2017-2021) Development Plans, both of which identify health, skills and education as key sectors for attention, with inclusion and gender strategies highlighted.

Further details on proposed scope, including a statement of requirements, will be confirmed during the tender process.

Details of Australia's Development Cooperation with Fiji are at:

• Australia's development partnership with Fiji
• Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership
• Details of the June 2022 update of the Fiji Health Program
• Details of the October 2022 update of the Fiji Education Program
• Fiji - Australia's commitment to strengthening climate and disaster resilience in the Pacific

Details of the program scope will be posted on AusTender early in 2024.

Table 1. DFAT's draft contracting process sequence.