Queensland Mental Health Commission

QMHCITO25396

Friday 08 August 2025 (E. Australia Standard Time)

Friday 05 September 2025 02:00 PM (E. Australia Standard Time) CLOSED

Wednesday 03 September 2025 02:00 PM (E. Australia Standard Time)

Friday 03 October 2025 (E. Australia Standard Time)

Queensland Mental Health Commission

400 George St
Brisbane City, Queensland 4000
Australia

https://www.qmhc.qld.gov.au/

We spearhead continuous improvement toward a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to mental health, alcohol, and other drug systems in Queensland. Collaborating with government organisations and the private sector, our focus extends beyond healthcare, recognising the social determinants influencing mental health. We aim to address the diverse needs and challenges of individuals affected by mental health concerns, substance abuse, and suicidal distress.

The buyer has elected to have their personal and contact details hidden. These details will be revealed at the buyers discretion.

Shifting minds: Queensland Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs and Suicide Prevention Plan 2023-2028 (Shifting minds) is the whole-of-government strategic plan to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Queenslanders. It focuses on preventing and reducing the impact of mental ill-health, problematic alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, and suicide.

Shifting minds is supported by three sub-plans:

• Every Life: The Queensland Suicide Prevention Plan 2019-2029 (Every life)

• Achieving balance: The Queensland Alcohol and Other Dugs Plan 2022-2027 (Achieving balance)

• The Queensland Trauma Strategy 2024-2029 (Trauma strategy)

Achieving balance was released in October 2022. The plan puts into action Queensland’s commitment to preventing problematic AOD use and reducing AOD related harms to individuals and the community. There are 5 priorities under Achieving balance:

1. Prevention and early intervention

2. Enhancing treatment and supports

3. Expand diversion

4. Reduce stigma and discrimination

5. Reduce harms

Implementation of Achieving balance builds on existing Queensland Government policy, program, and funding with many activities ongoing under various government initiatives. Many Queensland Government agencies contribute to and make significant investment in services and programs to prevent and reduce harms related to AOD use.

Achieving balance Evaluation Framework

The Commission procured a Supplier to develop the Framework which outlines:

• A program logic, including the expected changes relating to Achieving balance focus areas and strategic priorities.

• Key evaluation questions that assess impact across the Achieving balance focus areas and strategic priorities. These include governance and coordinative value, overall implementation progress and the impact, reach and quality of Achieving balance actions.

• An implementation approach including data collection approaches (case study, surveys, milestone reporting), proposed indicators and potential sources of information.



There is scope to adjust aspects of the Framework, for example the Supplier may recommend additional or alternative indicators and existing data sources needed to better answer the key evaluation questions.

Funding opportunity

Eligible suppliers are invited to apply for a funding arrangement of $350,000 (excluding GST) to deliver an evaluation that meets the key deliverables below. This budget will be inclusive of all costs including non-recurrent administrative costs, travel and personnel.

The Commission has allocated additional funding of $159,815 (excluding GST) for payment of lived-living experience participation over the full contract term.

The total funding amount will be allocated for a 25-month evaluation from November 2025 to December 2027.

The Supplier is expected to work with Commission to minimise duplication of work across related projects/evaluations. The following governance structure is outlined below;



• The Queensland Mental Health Commissioner is the project owner for the evaluation.

• The Executive Director is the project sponsor.

• The Program Manager and Procurement and Grants Officer will support contract management.

• Progress of the evaluation and the evaluation findings will be reported to the Strategic Leadership Group (SLG).

The SLG is a cross-sector, whole-of-government group that oversees the implementation of Shifting minds, Every life, and Achieving balance. Comprised of senior officers and executives from Queensland Government agencies and provides high-level oversight, input, and advice to support collective accountability and leadership of Achieving balance.

The evaluation of Achieving balance will be coordinated alongside the evaluation of Shifting minds, Every life and the Trauma Strategy. Independent evaluators have been engaged to conduct the evaluation of these plans and work is at different phases. The Commission will share relevant information and identify the overlaps between the three plans with the successful supplier. The Commission is conscious of reporting burden on government agencies and the Supplier will be required to coordinate any data or evidence collection across all Plans.

The Commission will act as a point of contact to key stakeholders including government agencies, non-government and peak bodies, and lived experience stakeholders to ensure the evaluation meets the needs of the sector.

The Supplier is required to demonstrate how independence is maintained to ensure the integrity of the evaluation as the Commission itself is implementing key activities within Achieving balance.

The Commission will support the establishment and introduction of the ‘Evaluation Working Group’.

Ethics considerations

The Supplier will conduct the evaluation consistent with ethical requirements as set out in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018) and the Ethical Considerations in Quality Assurance and Evaluation Activities (published by the National Health and Medical Research Council).

Evaluators should manage information in accordance with the relevant privacy and data security legislation.

The Supplier should consider whether the project will require formal ethical approval and oversight from a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). The Supplier is responsible for managing ethical considerations of this project in line with the relevant requirements from a HREC.

Out-of-scope

The following is out-of-scope for this ITO:

(a) Proposals to fund existing evaluations, programs, initiatives, or services are not accepted.

(b) Retrospective funds, including enhancements to existing work or initiatives, reimbursement of costs already incurred or expended, and any work undertaken prior to the tender being approved are not eligible for payment.

(c) Salaries or wages for permanent or existing staff or other recurrent costs not associated with the evaluation. This includes any professional registration, training, or professional development costs.

(d) General operational expenses, purchases, repairs, or assets not related to the work of the evaluation.

(e) Activities that cannot be covered by public liability insurance.

(f) To preserve the independence and integrity of the evaluation, organisations that have been awarded funding under Achieving Balance implementation activities will not be eligible to apply.

For information regarding completing tenders for government business, please refer to Supply to Queensland Government.

The Supplier is not expected to:

• develop the key evaluation questions

• conduct an evaluation of individual activities, programs, or service delivery.

• negotiate or make decisions regarding how the evaluation report will be used once it has been developed.

• evaluate the long-term outcomes of Achieving balance, due to timeframes and the feasibility of measuring longer term outcomes of health and wellbeing.

1. Develop an evaluation plan that.

• builds on and operationalises the existing Framework

• details data collection mechanisms, data metrics, methodology, evaluation indicators aligned with the outcomes and key evaluation questions and timeframes

• include both qualitative and quantitative assessment.

• tracks the extent to which Achieving balance priorities and outcomes are achieved in the short and medium-term timeframe.



2. Implement the evaluation of Achieving balance, that;

• Develops and uses evaluation tools and templates

• Collects data from existing databases and directly from stakeholders

• Conducts surveys, interviews and other qualitative data collection

• Accesses population-level and aggregated data (without changing frontline data collection practices)

• Gathers baseline, formative, and summative data across the life of Achieving balance

• Identifies impacts on populations disproportionately affected by AOD harms

3. Deliver two evaluation reports (one formative and one summative report) that;

• provides insights into Achieving balance implementation process, impact, and outcomes

• addresses the key evaluation questions

• outlines the research methodology, data analysis and conclusions

• includes policy insights that informs implementation and future policy directions

• are high quality written reports in plain English, suitable for various Queensland Government audiences (e.g., health, education, employment, housing, justice)

• includes presentation slides and other materials aimed to share findings to key stakeholders at meetings or forums.

• is delivered at the mid and end point of Achieving balance evaluation

4. Develop the evaluation with lived-living experience stakeholders that;

• identifies how the planning, design and delivery of the evaluation is developed with LLE stakeholders.

• includes managing the operation of the evaluation working group, represented by LLE membership.

• The evaluation working group will:

o work directly with and operations managed by the Supplier

o meet face to face up to eight times per year

o be selected by an expression of interest facilitated by the Commission

o be paid by the Supplier in accordance with the Commission’s paid participation fees (noted in Attachment 1 of Part B Response Schedule).

o be engaged at all stages of the evaluation process.

o provide members with external supervision (both group and individual sessions), to enable opportunities for debriefing and professional development in relation to peer and governance practices.

• aligns with the values outlined in the Commission’s Commitment to partnering with people with lived-living experience in Queensland

• uses non-stigmatising and trauma-informed language and approaches

• includes a budget for all paid participation expenses and any additional consultation that is required in the development and implementation of the evaluation.

• applies LLE governance as depicted in the Lived Experience Governance Toolkit. Prepared by the Lived Experience Leadership and Advocacy Network (LELAN).

• Queensland
  1: Brisbane

All Regions of Service locations are within Australia.

Please note: The following attachments have been recently added.

1. Added: Attachment 3 - AB Evaluation - Part A - Invitation to Offer.DOCX

2. Added: Attachment 4 - AB Evaluation - Part B - Response Schedule (Supplier to complete).DOCX

Please consider these attachments when responding.

Please note: The following attachments have been recently added.

1. Added: Part A - Invitation to Offer.DOCX

2. Added: Part B - Response Schedule (Supplier to complete).DOCX

Please consider these attachments when responding.

Please note: The following attachment has been recently added.

1. Added: Response to ITO questions.docx

Please consider this attachment when responding.

Please note: The following attachments have been recently added.

1. Added: Achieving balance The Queensland Drug and Alcohol Plan 2022-2027.pdf

2. Added: Market Briefing session - AB Evaluation ITO.pdf

Please consider these attachments when responding.

Please note: The following attachment has been recently added.

1. Added: DRAFT CONTRACT - The Evaluation of Achieving balance.docx

Please consider this attachment when responding.