An exposure draft of the purchasing arrangements for the New Employment Services Model (NESM) 2022 has been released by the Department of Education Skills and Employment (DESE).

The exposure draft includes a timeline identifying key elements in the rollout of the NESM purchasing arrangements.

• The Request for Proposal (RFP) is expected to be released in early September 2021
• Notification of the RFP outcomes including panel membership and license offers is expected in February 2022
• Issuing of Deeds and the commencement of transition will occur in March 2022, with the delivery of NESM commencing 1 July 2022

DESE will hold information webinars on 22 and 25 June. Any feedback or comments can be provided before 5.00pm (AEST) 7 July 2021 by emailing DESE.

DESE recommends the exposure draft be considered taking into account related employment purchasing activity (such as the current Transition to Work Request for Tender) and relevant labour market data.

Implications for DES

The commencement of the NESM will have profound implications for the ongoing provision of Disability Employment Services (DES) and the design of the new DES model due to commence in mid-2023.

NDS encourages members to consider how the NESM, Transition to Work and DES can best interact to ensure that people with disability are able to access employment services that suit their needs and career aspirations and enable them to gain and maintain employment.

NDS will be lodging a submission on the purchasing arrangements exposure draft and aspects of the proposed NESM. Member feedback and comments to help inform our submission are invited and can be provided to submit enquiry/feedback by 5.00pm (AEST) 30 June 2021.