Question:
Please could you provide your headcount and annual utilisation rate for your current employee assistance program

Answered on 23/Jun/2026 09:20 AM:


Good morning, please see the below information relating to employee headcount and annual utilisation rate:

Total employees – 1582

Utilisation rate – last annual utilisation rate (2024-25) was 8.5%

Question:
Good morning,

To assist us in crafting a competitive tender response, please advise on the following:

1. Approximately how many employees would be covered under the EAP?

2. What is Toowoomba Regional Council's current EAP utilisation rate?

Answered on 23/Jun/2026 09:22 AM:


Good morning, please see the below information relating to employee headcount and annual utilisation rate:

1. Total employees – 1582

2. Utilisation rate – last annual utilisation rate (2024-25) was 8.5%

Question:
1. What is the term of the agreement? I can't see this or a start date.

2. Is it a fixed retainer regardless of volume, or is it tied to headcount or to sessions actually delivered?

3. What is the current employee headcount and the EAP utilisation history over the last two or three years? Does it include family members?

4. How many information sessions and how many days sit inside the base price, and what triggers an additional, separately priced session? The schedule in the pack implies roughly 64 sessions over about 11.5 days bundled into the fee. Will the information sessions be arranged so that multiple sessions can be done in a day? Can the information sessions be done virtually, or is the expectation that they be done face-to-face?

5. What training does the Council actually expect under the priced training line, since the specification only asks tenderers to provide course details and costings without setting a fixed program.

6. The ones that block lodging a conforming offer

7. These protect you from being ruled non-conforming or ineligible on a technicality.

8. Confirm the lodgement format. The pack says electronic-only, yet other clauses refer to hard copies and three executed copies.

9. How should a professional services provider handle the WHS questionnaire, which is written around construction work, safe work method statements, plant and white cards? Most of it does not apply to counselling, but the form must be lodged, or the offer is ineligible. Does existing compliance in the Council contractor management system satisfy this requirement instead?

10. Does the Council treat any existing app/s and proprietary content as our material under licence, rather than as new material that vests in the Council?

11. How should non-attendance for drug and alcohol referrals be reported without breaching the participant's confidentiality?

12. How will the local supplier criterion be assessed for a provider that serves the region through a counsellor network rather than a single local office?

Answered on 02/Jul/2026 02:06 PM:


1. What is the term of the agreement? I can't see this or a start date.

A: The term of the contract is defined in section “6 Operation of the contract” of the Request for Offer and Specifications. The contract will commence for a period of 12 months and the contract may be extended for a further 2 periods of 12 months, by mutual agreement by both parties.

2. Is it a fixed retainer regardless of volume, or is it tied to headcount or to sessions actually delivered?

A: As per counselling services in the request for offer - Counselling services would be provided under a fixed price arrangement with the number of appointments available to the employee, or eligible person, being commensurate with the requirements of their issues, generally up to 6 sessions per year. Additional sessions from these 6 sessions would be approved case-by-case basis by Council with the support of treating practitioners’ recommendation and invoiced to Council per providers hourly or session rate

3. What is the current employee headcount and the EAP utilisation history over the last two or three years? Does it include family members?

A: Total employee – 1582

Utilisation rate – last annual utilisation rate (2024-25) was 8.5%

Includes immediate family members (living at home, up to 18 years) Services for family members outside of this scope will be approved on a case-by-case basis by Council and invoiced to Council per providers hourly or session rate.

4. How many information sessions and how many days sit inside the base price, and what triggers an additional, separately priced session? The schedule in the pack implies roughly 64 sessions over about 11.5 days bundled into the fee. Will the information sessions be arranged so that multiple sessions can be done in a day? Can the information sessions be done virtually, or is the expectation that they be done face-to-face?

A: The final delivery schedule will be confirmed and refined at contract commencement in consultation with the successful provider to align with operational requirements.

Information sessions are typically brief and will be scheduled to allow multiple sessions per day, where practical.

In terms of delivery format, a blended approach is acceptable. While some sessions may be delivered virtually (subject to agreement), there will be a requirement for face-to-face delivery, including at the Principal Depot in Charlton and selected regional locations. This ensures access for field-based staff who may have limited access to digital devices or virtual platforms.


5. What training does the Council actually expect under the priced training line, since the specification only asks tenderers to provide course details and costings without setting a fixed program.

A: Outside of the initial information sessions, Council does not prescribe a fixed training program under the priced training line. Instead, training is expected to be delivered on an as-needed basis, informed by operational trends, identified risks, or opportunities to support staff capability.

Tenderers should provide a flexible suite of relevant training options, including course outlines and pricing, that Council can draw upon as required. This may include (but is not limited to):

• Mental health awareness

• Supporting staff experiencing workplace or personal pressures

• Supervisor training (e.g. early intervention, difficult conversations)

Training may be delivered to various groups (e.g. supervisors, managers, or general staff) and in different formats (e.g. workshops, short sessions, or targeted programs).

Pricing should be structured to support flexible delivery (e.g. per session, per participant, or daily rates), enabling Council to engage training as needed over the contract period.

6. The ones that block lodging a conforming offer

A: Please clarify this question or advise whether more information is required.

7. These protect you from being ruled non-conforming or ineligible on a technicality.

A: Please clarify this question or advise whether more information is required.

8. Confirm the lodgement format. The pack says electronic-only, yet other clauses refer to hard copies and three executed copies.

A: Please lodge your tender in electronic format only. No hard copy submission of any tender or supporting documents are required.

9. How should a professional services provider handle the WHS questionnaire, which is written around construction work, safe work method statements, plant and white cards? Most of it does not apply to counselling, but the form must be lodged, or the offer is ineligible. Does existing compliance in the Council contractor management system satisfy this requirement instead?

A: If the offeror is compliant in Council’s CMS, the WHS Questionnaire does not need to be completed. If the offeror is not currently compliant, the questionnaire must be completed. Please answer all questions with respect to your organisation and services.

10. Does the Council treat any existing app/s and proprietary content as our material under licence, rather than as new material that vests in the Council?

A: Council would only seek to provide apps and content as additional benefits to Council Employees under the EAP services, leveraging off what content and material the appointed contracted company has to offer. Council would generally regard the provider's existing apps, platforms, and proprietary content as the provider's intellectual property and made available to Council under licence as part of the EAP service.

11. How should non-attendance for drug and alcohol referrals be reported without breaching the participant's confidentiality?

A: Non-attendance at drug and alcohol counselling should not be reported at an individual level, as participation forms part of a confidential wellbeing response.

Referrals to counselling under the Drug and Alcohol Procedures are voluntary, and Council does not monitor or follow up individual attendance to protect participant confidentiality.


12. How will the local supplier criterion be assessed for a provider that serves the region through a counsellor network rather than a single local office?

A: A ‘local supplier’ is a supplier which:

i. is beneficially owned by persons who are residents or rate payers of the local government area of council;

ii. has its principal place of business within the local government area of council;

iii. otherwise has a place of business within the local government area of council which solely or primarily employs persons who are residents or rate payers of the local government area of council.

If your organisation is not beneficially owned by residents or rate payers of the TRC region or does not have a place of business, it will not be considered a local supplier.

Question:
The TRC000541Offer Response document includes a pricing schedule table and notes that pricing must be submitted in the prescribed format to avoid the offer being deemed non-conforming. However, VendorPanel also requires pricing to be entered via a separate Pricing Mode tab (Summary Pricing or Detailed Pricing mode).

Could Council please confirm whether pricing must be submitted in both locations, or whether completion of the Offer Response document or VendorPanel Pricing tab alone is sufficient? If both are required, which pricing submission will take precedence in the evaluation process?

Thanks,

Answered on 01/Jul/2026 01:00 PM:


Submitting pricing information on the VendorPanel platform is not a requirement for this tender.

Relevant pricing must be included in the required format in the Offer Response document at a minimum. For this tender, pricing submitted in the Offer Response document will take precedence over other price submission formats.

Question:
Hello,

Under 3.11 Work health and safety it states 'supply completed questionnaire as part of response to section 5 - Key personnel skills and experience' is this meant to say section 5 Statutory requirements?

Answered on 02/Jul/2026 01:57 PM:


We can confirm that Offer Response form item 3.11 is meant to refer to section 5: Statutory requirements.

Question:
Per the local supplier criterion, you state ‘how would you best describe your operations – please choose one box on the grid:’ Does this mean one box in total on the grid or one box for each of the rows? Can we tick two boxes for a row?

Thanks in advance

Answered on 03/Jul/2026 11:24 AM:


Please choose a single box on the grid, in total, that best reflects/describes your operations.

Question:
Hi, I just have a couple of questions about TRC000541.

- Could you confirm whether the six-session allocation is per employee per 12-month period, or per issue?

- Of current EAP utilisation, are you able to advise what percentage of sessions are delivered face-to-face versus by telephone or video?

- Are you able to advise who the current EAP provider and what are the key priorities or areas of focus for the new EAP contract?

Thanks

Answered on 10/Jul/2026 12:22 PM:


Please find below responses to each question:

1. Up to 6 sessions per issue.

2. Last annual report 2024-25:

• Face-to-face 51%

• Telephone – 33%

• Online / Video – 16%

3. Council will not advise its current EAP provider. Background information, particulars of deliverables, and specific requirements of the contract can be found in the Request for Offer and Specifications document.