• Q&A Guide #1: 27 September 2023
  • Submit applications: moh-caod-sci@health.nsw.gov.au
  • Administered by: Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs, NSW Ministry of Health
  • Type of grant: Open competitive

Week 1 Q&A

Is there an expectation from COAD as to which of the Hub partners will actually employ the related positions? Is it expected that the lead organisation will be the employer?

The money will be paid to the successful lead applicant/s. Decisions regarding how funds will be distributed among partners and collaborating services is at the discretion of the partnership, including which organisation will employ the staff delivering services. The positions employed will be expected to reflect the proposed model of care outlined in the grant application.

We were seeking to confirm as to whether there had been reconsideration of the approach to only allow each organisation to deliver one hub.

Our understanding is that this is not a clear direction in the guidelines and was bit unclear in the briefing. However, we agree it was a direction by the time of submission.

As all of those now in the second stage of the EOI process could, by definition only have two applications in, one each of 1a and 1b it would seem to be a good outcome for quality and effective service delivery if the best hub tenders were accepted for funding rather than just one per organisation. The one per organisation policy has already resulted in a number of high-quality proposals for around the state not able to be accepted which is of course frustrating for the sector.

The guideline was updated to provide clarity on this matter.  

CAOD acknowledges the challenges associated with unsuccessful grant outcomes and assures the sector that full consideration was given to all the potential implications of the ‘one per organisation’ decision. These include: 

Minimising implementation risks and scale-up challenges associated with organisations commencing multiple large projects in a short timeframe 

The benefit of having a broad range of high-quality service providers  

Difficulties smaller NGOs have in competing with large organisations with grant-writing specialist roles.

Our organisation’s legal team has recommended we seek a response to the following requests to vary the NSW Health Grant Agreement:
- Section 6.7 Interest and Earnings
- Section 6.8 Co-contribution
Our organisation’s finance team seeks advice of financial reporting. How often are financial reports required? How often are audited financial reports required?

Specific requests to amend the NSW Health Grant Agreement will be negotiated with successful grant recipients at the time of signing the contract.
Information on financial reporting can be found in Item 7.2 of the NSW Health Grant Agreement. Any requests to amend the NSW Health Grant Agreement financial reporting requirements will be negotiated with successful grant recipients at the time of signing the contract.

Current as at: Wednesday 27 September 2023
Contact page owner: Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs