Please respond to, Section 2 Supplier Response - Attachment 1 - CDSB037-25 Request for Quote

Question:
In the request to quote document:

- Pg 8 of 18, evaluation criteria 1, capability and experience, it refers to Attachment A, however I cannot find an Attachment A. Can you advise please?

Answered on 10/Nov/2025 12:55 PM:


Apologies, this is a typo. Please refer to Attachment 2 CDSB037-25 Customer Requirements (Specification).

Question:
Hi

Referring to Pg 4 of 13 of the Attachment 2 - Customer Requirement (specification) there is reference in the section 1A Small Business Financial Counselling Service, row 2 to Business Viability 'Advice'. It refers opposite to Recommendations for Restructuring or pivoting operations.

Advisors as distinct from counselling require strict regulatory adherence through various government financial regulatory agencies and legislation. Counselling by its nature and scope, via distinctly not giving advice nor making recommendations are not required to be registered by the various financial regulatory mechanisms.

Are you able to elaborate on this. Does this request to quote require the supplier to be registered under legislation to give financial advice and recommendations, i.e in the same manner that a financial advisor, accountant can and does, or is this request to quote strictly for the provision of counselling (and hardhip prevention and coaching).

Answered on 12/Nov/2025 07:33 AM:


This Request for Quote (RFQ) is for the provision of small business financial counselling, hardship prevention services, and small business wellness coaching.

Staff providing financial counselling must hold an Australian-recognised Diploma in Financial Counselling or be actively working towards this qualification. Suppliers are not required to be registered under any other legislation governing the provision of financial advice.

Providers are not expected to recommend a specific course of action to businesses.

The reference to business viability advice (page 4, Section 1A) refers to support that helps business operators understand their financial position and its sustainability. This may include guidance to understand key factors affecting business viability, such as profitability, breakeven points, and the working capital cycle.

Similarly, the reference to recommendations for restructuring or pivoting operations relates to support that helps business owners experiencing hardship understand potential options for adapting their business model, with the aim of improving performance and supporting business sustainability.

Question:
Can you please clarify if any word count limits apply to each of the evaluation criteria questions, and are attachments permitted.

Answered on 12/Nov/2025 01:56 PM:


There is no word limit for responding to each evaluation criteria question and attachments are permitted.

Question:
Our organisation wants to have a primary focus on servicing First Nations communities in North Queensland, North West Queensland and Far North Queensland. Would the Department of Customer, Data and Small Business consider this? Please note that our service would still be open to all Small Businesses that fall within the eligibility criteria.

Answered on 18/Nov/2025 07:34 AM:


Service providers will be required to deliver the services to all eligible small and family businesses, ensuring that delivery is accessible, inclusive, and appropriate to the needs of all eligible users.

The eligibility criteria for the services are outlined in the Service Specification (Target Users, page 7). To be eligible, a business must be based in Queensland and must:

•
Employ fewer than 20 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees

•
Be experiencing financial distress, be ‘at risk’ of financial distress, or have an operator experiencing mental health challenges

•
Hold an active Australian Business Number (ABN)

Question:
Hi

1. Could the Department please confirm whether the response must be delivered in the template provided or if there are any requirements on submission format (e.g. use of branded templates, Whether the response must be structured exactly against the evaluation criteria in the sequence outlined, or whether an executive summary can be included)?

2. Could the Department also please advise whether there are any weightings applied to the evaluation criteria? If so, could this be shared to assist us in developing our response according?

Answered on 18/Nov/2025 10:09 AM:


1. As the Supplier, please respond to all questions in Section 2-Supplier Response of the Request for Quote (RFQ) document in the format and structure detailed. You may attach additional information if it directly supports your submission and aligns with the evaluation criteria.

2. While all the Evaluation Criteria is provided in the RFQ document, the specific weightings percentages are not published.

Question:
This is a follow to my previous question. Is it ok to select a few regions as I outlined in the previous question, or is it preferred to apply for the whole of Queensland?

Answered on 19/Nov/2025 10:27 AM:


If you do not have the ability/desire to supply the services throughout Queensland, you may

offer service to selected regions only.

Ref: Att. 1 - CDSB037-25 Request for Quote (sect.5 Requirements, pg.7)

Question:
(1) Are website and video links that directly support the offer permitted in this tender.

(2) Is the Estimated Contract Value of $8,200,000 SBFC/Hardship prevention and BWC $3,200,000 inclusive or exclusive of GST

Answered on 21/Nov/2025 11:07 AM:


1. All required information must be provided directly within the submission document. Any external links included will be disregarded during the evaluation process.

2. The Estimated Contract Value is exclusive of GST.

Question:
Good morning

Could I please seek clarification regarding the desired payment schedule?

Attachment 2 states ‘bidders are required to provide a preferred payment schedule, detailing the timing and structure of payments to align with the deliverables and outcomes of the service’.

Does the buyer have preferred payment schedule?

Could this include an initial upfront payment and regular monthly payments based on receipt of monthly reports?

Or would the buyer prefer an initial upfront payment and regular quarterly payments based on receipt of monthly reports?

Kind regards

Answered on 21/Nov/2025 11:08 AM:


We do not have a preferred payment schedule. We are open to a range of payment models proposed by bidders to ensure flexibility and alignment with their operational needs.

Upfront payments to support mobilisation activities are acceptable. We can accommodate monthly or quarterly payment schedules, depending on the bidder’s preferred operating model and specific cashflow requirements.

Any upfront payment amounts and terms would be negotiated between the department and the selected supplier.

Question:
Regarding the comprehensive budget breakdown, is there a template, or do we provide it in the format of our choosing?

Answered on 21/Nov/2025 03:50 PM:


We have not provided a template, offerors can provide in a format of their choosing.

Question:
Good Afternoon,

The customer requirements document indicates that the wellness coaching service in Queensland received 456 enquiries, with 206 businesses accessing intensive, client managed wellness coaching support.

* Can you please provide the definition that was used for intensive, client managed wellness coaching support in order to establish these statistics?

* Can you provide some additional information around the remaining businesses that enquired for this service (456-206), how many of these businesses were deemed ineligible for support vs how many received support but did not meet the criteria for receiving intensive support?

* Is there data able to be shared on the average level of support received across all businesses referred to receive support?

* When a business is deemed eligible to receive support, does the department provide guidance or a restriction on the amount of sessions/value of services that will be made available to each individual business or once the business is referred can they access open-ended levels of support?

* Does the department have a preference for service delivery, i.e. Face to face vs virtual?

* Does the department have a preference for/restriction to delivering one-on-one coaching sessions exclusively or are you open to other models in support of the overall program? e.g. in addition to one-on-one sessions, access to broader generalised group sessions around stress management?

* Would the department be open to an extension for submissions to 10 December 2025?

Kind Regards

Answered on 26/Nov/2025 08:41 AM:


The customer requirements document indicates that the wellness coaching service in Queensland received 456 enquiries, with 206 businesses accessing intensive, client managed wellness coaching support.

Question - Can you please provide the definition that was used for intensive, client managed wellness coaching support in order to establish these statistics?

Answer - Client managed support refers to a business owner who is brought into a wellness coaching portfolio and receives structured, ongoing wellness coaching. The existing service model used as a reference operates with a client-centred approach, ensuring support is responsive and tailored. The period, frequency, and intensity of assistance will vary based on the individual needs, progress, and goals of the client.

Question - Can you provide some additional information around the remaining businesses that enquired for this service (456-206), how many of these businesses were deemed ineligible for support vs how many received support but did not meet the criteria for receiving intensive support?

Answer - A total of 456 enquirers received an initial level of assistance through the wellness coaching program, including guidance and referral to more appropriate support services where required. While each enquirer engaged with the service at some level, not all transitioned to client-managed support, due to a range of factors, this may include but not limited to:

o Immediate assistance being sufficient without need for ongoing support.

o The requirement for more intensive clinical or specialised intervention.

o Referral to alternative resources being more appropriate to their circumstances.

o Lack of readiness or availability to commit to the time required for structured ongoing support.

We are unable to provide further quantitative data on the reasons for the 250 enquirers did not progress to client managed support.

Question - Is there data able to be shared on the average level of support received across all businesses referred to receive support?

Answer - The department cannot confirm an average duration of engagement under the current wellness coaching service, participation is client-led and varies according to individual needs. However, in accordance with the service specifications, we can confirm that over the past 12 months there were 456 enquiries, of which 206 progressed to client-managed support, delivered by six FTE wellness coaches.

Question - When a business is deemed eligible to receive support, does the department provide guidance or a restriction on the amount of sessions/value of services that will be made available to each individual business or once the business is referred can they access open-ended levels of support?

Answer - As part of the Invitation to Offer, the department has not stipulated a minimum or maximum duration for client engagement for the wellness coaching service. Bidders are asked to outline their proposed delivery approach within their submission; this may include any time-allocation parameters and any differentiated tiers or segments of support they consider appropriate and aligned to their proposed operating model.

Question - Does the department have a preference for service delivery, i.e. Face to face vs virtual?

Answer - The department seeks for the services to be as accessible as possible to meet client needs, including the provision of support through a combination of online and in-person delivery where feasible.

Question - Does the department have a preference for/restriction to delivering one-on-one coaching sessions exclusively or are you open to other models in support of the overall program? e.g. in addition to one-on-one sessions, access to broader generalised group sessions around stress management?

Answer - One-on-one coaching sessions should be readily available as part of the core wellness coaching service. However, to supplement this intensive support and to reach as many business owners as possible, the department is open to incorporating additional modes of engagement, including group-based sessions where appropriate.

Question - Would the department be open to an extension for submissions to 10 December 2025?

Answer - The department are unable to offer an extension for submissions.