The Australian Government delivers around $35 million in bilateral aid to Fiji per annum in the areas of health, education, scholarships, governance, private sector development and gender equality. The priorities of Australian aid in Fiji are outlined in the Fiji Aid Investment Plan 2015. Programs in Fiji are currently delivered through managing contractors, as well as multilateral partners, NGOs/CSOs and regional partners.

From mid-2016, the Australian Government intends to engage a single service provider to manage a facility which will provide a range of services in support of multiple bilateral programs in Fiji across a number of sectors. Initially the facility is likely to support scholarships administration, an existing governance program and a new health program. From 2017 the facility may also support new education and private sector development programs, potentially through design/implement arrangements. The Facility may be tasked to support bilateral aid activities in Tuvalu.

The proposed facility is designed to streamline program delivery, creating efficiencies as well as a more integrated approach across different Australian aid programs in relation to integration of gender and disability inclusion objectives, engagement with civil society, monitoring and evaluation, reporting and communications.

The proposed facility will involve a single request for tender for a service provider (single organisation or consortium) to deliver facility services. DFAT seeks a service provider that will provide the strategic and logistical capacity to deliver services across a number of programs in a number of sectors. The service provider will need to work closely with DFAT in Suva.

DFAT will release further information on the program components as the design process proceeds. It is envisaged that a draft of the design for the facility will be released in first quarter 2016, at which point an industry briefing will be held. We expect to launch a tender for the facility in the first quarter of 2016.

This information is provided for planning purposes only and it does not represent solicitation or constitute a request for proposal, nor is it a commitment to purchase or tender for the described services. The scale, scope and focus of the proposed investment may change at any time and is subject to formal approval by the Governments of Fiji and Australia before a tender process will commence. This potential procurement opportunity is subject to delays, revision or cancellation.