DFAT has a requirement for a Contractor to manage the implementation of the second phase of the Australia Awards Women's Leadership Initiative (WLI). The proposed initial term and options to extend the contract exercisable at the discretion of DFAT, will run for up to eight years (four plus four), commencing May 2022. 

The program is anticipated to be $8 million over the initial four-year period.

The Australia Awards Women's Leadership Initiative is a high-profile enrichment program providing developmental leadership opportunities to Australia Awards women (and men) scholars from the Pacific to build their skills, networks, and readiness to exercise leadership. It provides mentoring and forges connections between women leaders in the Pacific and Australia, deepening people-to-people links with Australia. The initial five-year phase of the Women's Leadership Initiative has developed a reputation as a 'gold standard' program, with active participation by a range of Pacific women leaders and male champions.

The second phase of WLI, currently under design, will aim to build on key successes, innovations, and lessons from the first phase and include relevant new ideas and thinking to increase women's developmental leadership, with a view to exploring new approaches to potentially scale up the program architecture across other regions and/or thematically to enable thematic and cross-regional connections.

It is anticipated that the Request for Tender will be issued in early December 2021 via AusTender (https://tenders.gov.au). Please refer to AusTender for further information on the procurement.

Note

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 any described services. The scale, scope and focus of any proposed program may change at any time and is subject to formal approval by the Australian and partner governments before any procurement process will commence. Should a procurement be approved, implementation is expected to commence in May 2022. This information is subject to delays, revision, or cancellations.