DisabilityCare Australia seeks IT services

One of the legacies of the previous Australian Labor government, and one that now has the support of the new Coalition government, DisabilityCare Australia, is seeking an IT provider as the service continues to roll out across Australia.

DisabilityCare Australia, soon to go back to its former name, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) under incoming Prime Minister Tony Abbott, was announced in 2012, with AU$1 billion in funding from the then-Labor government to provide care and support for Australians with a significant and permanent disability.

The program began rolling out in South Australia, Tasmania, and parts of New South Wales in July, with the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory expected to launch in July 2014. A mass rollout across Australia will commence in 2016 out to 2019.

In that time, the number of participants in the scheme is expected to expand from 30,000 to 460,000, and move from 1,000 providers up to 10,000, with over 8,000 staff members working at DisabilityCare Australia. There will then be around 150 offices around Australia.

In order to cope with the rollout from 2016, the organisation is seeking a comprehensive IT services provider to offer an end-to-end system across Australia, and DisabilityCare Australia has sought expressions of interest to companies seeking to participate in the tender process for this contract.

An industry briefing will be held on September 17, with responses due back by October 11. DisabilityCare Australia said a short list of vendors could be ready as soon as December.

The last government allocated AU$240 million to the organisation then known as NDIS in the 2012 Budget to build and operate the NDIS IT systems, and an additional AU$53 million over four years to establish a transition agency to deliver the services from 2013.