Part 1 – Terms of reference

 

1. Background                              

Palladium is a global leader in the design, development, and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world's most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 2,000 employees operating in 75 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies, and, most importantly, people's lives.

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) – Australia Strongim Wok Long Technical and Vocational Education and Training (SWLT) program is a four-year, AUD 80 million investment by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to support partnership efforts to strengthen PNG’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. SWLT will work in line with broader goals set out in the Australia–PNG Development Partnership Plan 2024–2029, which emphasises locally led development, education investment, and inclusive growth, and PNG’s Higher and Technical Education Reform Act 2020.

Aligned with the Government of PNG (GoPNG) national priorities to build an educated and skilled workforce for resilient economic growth, SWLT aims to enhance the quality, relevance, and inclusiveness of specialised and practical skills development. SWLT supports improvements in national quality assurance systems, standards for subnational technical colleges, graduate employability, and Australia’s visible and trusted development partnership with PNG. 

2. Objectives of the assignment

    

The purpose of this engagement is to appoint a human resource management services provider to support the effective delivery of SWLT program activities.

This includes the engagement and management of consultants and casual personnel who will deliver specific, discrete tasks under SWLT-provided tasking note. The provider will be responsible not only for contracting and payment functions but also for coordinating travel, logistics and associated operational requirements to enable these personnel to deliver assigned activities.

The objective is to identify and contract a provider that can deliver reliable, timely and compliant workforce and operational support services, aligned to program needs and capable of responding flexibly to task-based delivery requirements.

 

3. Scope of the assignment

The contract will commence from approximately 20 July 2026 and run through to 30 June 2029.

The provider will deliver workforce management, payroll, travel and logistics services to support SWLT activities. All services will be undertaken in accordance with PNG labour, employment, and industrial relations legislation, and relevant SWLT and DFAT policies.

For each activity, SWLT will issue a written tasking note. This tasking note will define the scope of services required, expected deliverables, timelines, and any specific personnel or capability requirements. The contractor will be responsible for operationalising each tasking note.

Services will include, but are not limited to:

Labour hire and payment of fees 

• Engagement of consultants and casual personnel in accordance with PNG legislation
• Contracting, onboarding and maintenance of personnel records
• Processing timesheets and invoices, statutory deductions and payments
• Payment of fees, allowances and entitlements
• Provision of itemised invoicing to SWLT

Travel and logistics coordination                              

• Arrangement of domestic and international travel, accommodation and in-country transport
• Management of per diems, insurance and travel-related requirements
• Coordination of visas and entry requirements where applicable
• Management of logistics to support safe and efficient delivery of activities, including duty of care obligations

Tasking implementation and management

• Review of each SWLT-issued tasking note and development of a corresponding activity plan
• Preparation and submission of a costed budget for approval prior to mobilisation and/or implementation
• Engagement and management of all required personnel
• Ongoing coordination of activity delivery, including logistics and administrative support
• Payment of all personnel and suppliers in accordance with agreed budgets and timelines 

The contractor is responsible for ensuring all services are delivered efficiently, transparently, and in compliance with relevant policies and standards.

4. Example Initial Tasking

As an indicative first activity, the contractor will be required to support SWLT to deliver a labour market assessment.

This will include:

• Engagement of University of PNG lecturers on casual contracts, including members of the economics team
• Engagement of a senior lecturer to act as team leader
• Engagement of additional enumerators as required

The contracted team will:

• Develop a study design, survey instruments and methodology
• Submit these for SWLT approval prior to implementation
• Undertake data collection activities in line with agreed methods
• Provide reporting outputs in a format agreed with SWLT

The contractor will:

• Engauge the nominated team (UPNG Staff) and if required recruit casual labour – for instance for the enumerators at agreed daily rates
• Review the methodology and resourcing requirements and develop a detailed logistical budget
• Submit this delivery plan with budget to SWLT for approval prior to commencement
• Manage all contractual, payment arrangements for engaged personnel
• Manage all travel, logistics, call time and related operational requirements

This example is indicative only and demonstrates the nature of task-based assignments expected under this contract.

Another activity may include support a team of enumerators to visit technical colleges to support data collection of past enrolment and graduation data.

5. Approach

The contract will be implemented through close collaboration with SWLT representatives. A risk-based approach will be adopted, including identification, mitigation and management of risks in line with SWLT requirements. GEDSI considerations and DFAT policy requirements will be integrated into all service delivery, including PSEAH and Child Protection standards.

6. Deliverables:

The contractor will deliver all services in line with PNG legislation and SWLT/DFAT policies.

As part of the procurement process, bidders must propose clear service level standards, including performance metrics, reporting arrangements, and any applicable remedies or penalties where service levels are not met.

7. Demonstrated expense required:

Bidders must demonstrate organisational experience, systems, and capacity to deliver the required services. Submissions must clearly address the following:

  a. Organisational experience

• How the organisation has managed similar contracts (including detail of size of workforce and specific detail of services)
• Demonstrated experience (minimum 5 years) providing payment, labour hire, and workforce management services 
• Experience delivering similar services in Papua New Guinea or comparable contexts; preferably including work with DFAT funded programs.
• Experience managing multi-personnel, task-based assignments involving logistics and travel

b. Technical capability

• Demonstrated systems and processes for payroll administration, contract management and compliance
• Ability to meet PNG labour and employment legislation requirements
• Established processes for managing travel, logistics and duty of care obligations

c. Delivery approach

• Proposed methodology for responding to SWLT tasking notes
• Approach to mobilisation, service delivery and coordination

• Risk management and quality assurance processes

  d. Financial proposal

Tenderers must provide a detailed financial proposal using the prescribed budget template.  The financial proposal should clearly identify all costs associated with delivery. Data should be presented in sufficient detail to enable assessment of value for money and should clearly indicate the assumptions underpinning the proposed budget.  Tenderers are expected to provide a realistic and transparent costing that demonstrates efficient use of resources and alignment with the proposed technical approach. 

e. Submission requirements

Bidders must submit:

• A technical proposal addressing all criteria above (maximum 5 pages + any company specific summary documents)
• A financial proposal with a clear and transparent pricing model
• Relevant examples of previous work demonstrating comparable services

8. Safeguards and compliance:

All activities under this assignment must comply with Palladium and DFAT’s integrity policies, including requirements relating to fraud and corruption control, ethical conduct, conflict of interest management, child protection, prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH), and information security. The contractor is expected to act with the highest standards of professionalism, transparency, and accountability, promptly disclose any actual or perceived conflicts of interest, and implement appropriate risk mitigation measures throughout the assignment. Any suspected breaches of DFAT integrity policies must be reported immediately in accordance with DFAT procedures, and compliance with these policies will be a condition of engagement and ongoing performance.

9. Reporting:

The contractor will work in close collaboration with the SWLT Deputy Director Operations. Regular check-ins will be held to review progress and resolve emerging issues. The contractor will nominate a local focal contact person responsible for:

• Day to day coordination
• Reporting and communication
• Emergency response coordination
• Escalation of issues and incidents 

The contractor will submit short reports at the completion of each tasking outlining agreed scope, actions taken and any challenges or lessons learned. 

The contractor must be able to produce supporting documentation/receipts for all costs invoiced on request. 

Performance Standards:

The contactor will be assessed on:

• Accuracy and timeliness of payment processing
• Efficiency of travel arrangements
• Compliance with health and safety standards
• Responsiveness and communication 
• Service reliability
• The contractor shall maintain strict confidentiality of all employees, payroll and operational information and shall not disclose information to third parties without authorisation. 

 

Part 2 – Conditions of tender

 

1.       Tender content

1.1.    The tender must contain the following:

1.1.1  a cover letter (no longer than 1 page) to the tender for the activity (specify the Activity number), including the signed declaration contained in Part 6;

1.1.2  a technical submission (in the form detailed in Part 3);

1.1.3  a financial submission (in the form detailed in Part 4).

1.2.    Every Tender needs to state in the submission:

1.2.1  in the case of an individual, full or given names, surname and address;

1.2.2  in the case of a trust, the full names and addresses of each trustee of the trust;

1.2.3  in the case of a company, or other registered entity, the full name of the entity, the address of the registered office of the entity, the relevant registration number and a copy of the certificate of registration; and

1.2.4 If relevant, a list (including CVs if requested) of all the nominated personnel expected to contribute to the performance of the TOR, including their names, surnames, title of their position and their proposed level of effort.

1.3.    Tenders are to be written in English, Arial font 12

1.4.    ‘The Tenderer’ (where capitalised) means the person or organisation to whom this invitation has been sent, the person or organisation responding to this invitation (as applicable). Depending on the context, an uncapitalised version of ‘tenderer’ may also refer to the Tenderer.

 

2.       Tender Assessment Process

2.1.    Tenders must comply with the requirements of the TOR. Failure to submit a Tender including the information required by the TOR (or this Tender generally) will factor into The Company’s assessment of the level of compliance of the Tender and may result in rejection of the Tender.

2.2.    The Company will evaluate Tenders on the following basis:

2.2.1  a technical assessment;

2.2.2  a financial assessment;

2.2.3  any other factors which may impact on the Tenderer’s potential performance.

2.3.    The Company reserves the right:

2.3.1  to accept or reject any tender, and to annul the tendering process thereby rejecting all tenders, at any time prior to the award of contract at its sole discretion;

2.3.2  to cancel or vary the Invitation to Tender process at any time whether before or after the closing date;

2.3.3  to reject any tender that does not adhere to the structure and content requirements as outlined in these Terms and Conditions;

2.3.4  to recall tenders from any source including those tenderers who have already submitted tenders, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Tenderer or Tenderers or any obligation to

inform the affected Tenderer or Tenderers of the grounds for this action;

2.3.5  to accept Tenders for the whole or any part of the requirement;

2.3.6  to require that tenderers submit to the Company’s Due Diligence process prior to or after the

submission of Tenders; and

2.3.7  to negotiate with the most favourable tenderer should it be deemed that the prices offered are unreasonable or greater than the targets set in the planning process.

2.4.    The Company shall not be bound by any advice given or information furnished by it.

2.5.    The conduct of this Invitation to Tender is not intended to give rise to any legal or equitable relationship.

2.6.    Any inducements and rewards intended to influence the outcome of the Tendering process will result in

Tenderer’s immediate suspension from the process.

2.7.    Your Tender will be valid for the Tender Validity Period specified on p.1.

 

3.       Technical Assessment

3.1.    The Technical Assessment will be undertaken by an internal procurement committee.

3.2.    The Company may specify weighting for assessment criteria in Part 3.

 

4.       Financial Assessment

4.1.    Following consideration of the technical merit of Tenders, a like-for-like price assessment may be undertaken by The Company of the Tenders assessed as technically suitable.

4.2.    Tenderers should note that financial submissions for those Tenders assessed by the Procurement

Committee as not technically acceptable will not be subject to financial assessment.

4.3.    Unless otherwise specifically stated, prices quoted must be provided as a fixed maximum price and show the tax exclusive price, the tax component and the tax inclusive price4.4. The contract price, which must include any and all other charges and costs, will be the maximum price payable by the Company for the Goods and/or Services.

4.5.    Additionally, if requested by the Company, potential suppliers must be able to demonstrate their financial stability and ability to remain viable as a provider of the Goods and/or Services over the term of any agreement.

4.6.    If requested by the Company, the potential supplier must promptly provide the Company with such information or documentation as the Company reasonably requires in order to evaluate the potential supplier’s financial stability.

 

5.       Acceptance of Tenders

5.1.    The Company is not bound or required to accept the lowest priced Tender or any Tender.

5.2.    A Tender will not be deemed to be accepted unless and until a Contract in the form listed in Part 7 is signed by the Company and the Tenderer (with the agreed commercial terms included).

5.3.    The Company reserves the right to enter into negotiation with any other tenderer if contract negotiations cannot be concluded with the preferred Tenderer.

 

6.       Alternative Tenders

6.1.    The Company reserves the right to accept and consider alternative Tenders providing they:

6.1.1  are submitted with a compliant Tender;

6.1.2  clearly identify the differences and improvements offered.

 

7.       Non-Compliant Tenders

7.1.    Tenders will be regarded as non-compliant if they do not comply with any part of the requirements of this Invitation to Tender.

7.2.    The Company may, however, in its absolute discretion evaluate any non-compliant Tender.

 

8.       Lodgement of Tenders

8.1.    It is the responsibility of the Tenderer to ensure that the Tender is received by the Company by the closing date and time prescribed in this Invitation to Tender. A Tender lodged after the closing date is a late Tender.

8.2.    A late Tender will normally not be considered unless it can be demonstrated by the Tenderer that the Tender would have arrived at the tender point by the required date and time as prescribed in this Invitation to Tender but, for reasons proven by the Tenderer, it did not. The Company may allow a late Tender to be assessed at its absolute discretion.

8.3.    The Company will not consider or entertain any queries about a decision to assess or reject a late

Tender.

 

9.       Tenderer Costs

9.1.    Tenderers are responsible at their own cost to:

9.1.1  make all arrangements and obtain and consider all information relating to the TOR;

9.1.2  prepare, deliver and lodge their tender;

9.1.3  deal with any issues, including disputes, that may arise out of the tendering process.

 

10.     Confidentiality

10.1.  The Tenderer acknowledges that in the course of this Tender, it may become acquainted with or have access to the Company’s Confidential Information (including the existence and terms of this Tender and the TOR). It agrees to maintain the confidence of the Confidential Information and to prevent its unauthorised disclosure to any other person.

10.2.  The Tenderer will not disclose or use any Confidential Information except to the extent that such disclosure or use:

10.2.1  is strictly necessary for submitting the Tender;

10.2.2  is required by relevant laws;

10.2.3  is authorised by prior written approval from the Company; or

10.2.4  occurs after the Confidential Information already is or comes into the Tenderer’s possession (or in the public domain) otherwise than pursuant to this Tender, pursuant to a separate confidentiality undertaking by the Tenderer or a third parties’ (or that parties’) unauthorised disclosure.

10.2.5  If the Tenderer is required to disclose Confidential Information due to a relevant law or legal proceedings, it will provide reasonable notice of such disclosure to the Company.

10.2.6  The parties agree that this obligation applies during the Tender and after the completion of the

process.

 

11.    Request for Information

11.1.  Any prospective tenderer may within a reasonable time before the closing date request information on any point of clarification in this Tender. The information requested shall be given in writing by the Company as soon as practicable. Where in the opinion of the Company the information could have an effect on other tenderers, that information may at the Company’s sole discretion be given in writing to all known prospective tenderers.

 

12.     Business Partner Code of Conduct

12.1.  Tenderers shall comply with the Company’s Business Partner Code of Conduct in the submission of

any tenders. The Code is currently available at thepalladiumgroup.com/policies.

 

13.     Unsuccessful Tenders

13.1.  Unsuccessful Tenders will be notified in writing and shall be entitled to feedback regarding their tender.

 

14.     Tenderer Acceptance of Conditions

14.1.  A Tender lodged in response to this Invitation to Tender does so with agreement to these Conditions of Tender unless any departures from these Conditions are detailed in the cover letter of the submission. The Company reserves the right to reject any departure from these Conditions of Tender, and thereby determine that the tender submission is non-conforming for that reason.

 

15.     Conflict of Interest

15.1.  Tenderers must notify the Company immediately if any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest arises (a perceived conflict of interest is one in which a reasonable person would think that the person’s judgement and/or actions are likely to be compromised, whether due to a financial or personal interest (including those of family members) in the procurement or the Company).

 

16.     Inconsistencies

16.1.  If there is inconsistency within this ITT, the following order of precedence shall apply:

16.1.1     these Terms and Conditions;

16.1.2     the Cover Page of this ITT; and

16.1.3     Part 5 – Client Terms

16.1.4     Part 6 – Standard Contract

16.1.5     Part 1 – Terms of Reference

16.1.6     Part 4 – Financial Assessment Selection Criteria

16.1.7     Part 3 – Technical Assessment Selection Criteria

so that the provision in the higher ranked document will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

 

17.     Jurisdiction

17.1.  This Tender process shall be subject to the laws of the Jurisdiction.

17.2.  The Supplier and the Company will use their best efforts to settle amicably any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of, or relating to this Agreement or the breach, termination, or invalidity thereof.

17.3.  If no agreeable settlement can be found, any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach, termination, or invalidity thereof, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules in effect on the date of this Agreement. The appointing authority shall be the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Parties will be bound by any arbitration award rendered as a result of such arbitration as the final adjudication of any such

dispute.

17.4.  The place of arbitration shall be the headquarters location of Company at the time the claim is filed and the language of the arbitration will be English. The relevant laws shall be the laws of the Jurisdiction.

17.5.  Should the claim involve a State, a State-controlled entity, or an intergovernmental organisation, the case shall be administered by the International Bureau of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

 

Part 3 – Technical assessment selection criteria

 

Requirements for the Technical Submission

The Technical Submission must:

1.       be in a type font of no less than 12 points;

2.       be in a single column format;

3.       be five pages or less in length;

4.      have an annex containing up-to-date CVs for 1. The nominated Contract Manager (no longer than 3 pages), 

 

The following selection criteria and weighting will be used in the assessment process to assess the technical capacity of the Tenders. The technical submission format must clearly address the below selection criteria as this will impact on the assessment process. Please remember the technical submission should not exceed five pages.

 

Criteria	Weight	Notes
Organisation Experience              .	30%	Please ensure your response includes:   How the organisation has managed similar contracts (including detail of size of workforce and specific detail of services) Demonstrated experience (minimum 5 years) providing payment, labour hire, and workforce management services. Experience delivering similar services in Papua New Guinea or comparable contexts; preferably including work with DFAT funded programs Experience managing multi-personnel, task-based assignments involving logistics and travel.
Technical capability	25%	Demonstrated systems and processes for payroll administration, contract management and compliance Ability to meet PNG labour and employment legislation requirements Established processes for managing travel, logistics and duty of care obligations Please include a description of the proposed duties and how the experience of the nominated personnel relates to these duties. Please also provide an organisational chart.
Delivery approach	25%	Proposed methodology for responding to SWLT tasking notes Approach to mobilisation, service delivery and coordination Risk management and quality assurance processes

 

The Technical Assessment is weighted 80%, and the Financial Assessment is weighted 20% of selection. 

 

Part 4 – Financial assessment selection criteria

 

Tenderers are required to submit with their tender submission a completed Financial Proposal form for like for like assessment. If you have trouble with the link request a copy from SWLT.procurement@swltvet.org.

 

Tenderers may submit a further itemised quotation against the scope of services in Part 1. Information provided must include clarifying information such as if the charge is monthly, per use, per hour etcetera.

 

Key information to include:

• Payment shall be made in PGK
• All prices are to be inclusive of relevant taxes
• Tenderers shall state whether the prices offered are:
• firm, that is prices offered shall not be varied either up or down for any reason;
• firm for a period, in which case the period must be stated;
• subject to other price variations either up or down.
• Currency of the quote PGK
• Quote format, e.g.
  • Price proposal
    • Costs for the goods
    • Delivery?
    • Fixed vs variable costs 
    • Management fees?

 

The Technical Assessment is weighted 80%, and the Financial Assessment is weighted 20% of selection. 

 

SUMMARY BUDGET
Cost Category	Unit Cost
Labour Hire and Payment of Fees:
Engagement of Consultants & Casual Personnel
Contracting, Onboarding, Maintaining personnel records
Payment of fees, allowances and Entitlements
Travel and Logistics Coordination
Arrangement of domestic/international travel, accommodation and in-country transport
Management of per diems, insurance and travel-related requirements
Coordination of visas and entry requirements
Management of logistics to support safe and efficient delivery of activities, including duty of care obligations
Tasking Implementation and Management
Preparation and submission of costed budget for approval prior to mobilisation to include management of all required personnel
Payment of all personnel and suppliers in accordance with agreed budgets and timelines

 

Part 5 – Standard Contract Template

 

A draft Services Agreement is attached.  Palladium may, where appropriate, amend or clarify any aspect of the tender requirement at any time prior to contract award. Tenderers are encouraged to review the tender documentation carefully and to clearly outline in their submission any departures, qualifications, assumptions or elements with which they are unable to fully comply. 

 

Part 6 – Declaration by Tenderers

 

Tenderers shall submit their tender with the following declaration:

 

I declare that to the best of my knowledge the answers submitted and information contained in this document are correct and accurate.

 

Where requested by the Company, I/We will promptly provide the certificates or other documents referenced in this ITT.

 

I/We understand that any information given by us will be relied on and used by the Company to assess my/our suitability to participate further in this potential procurement.

 

I understand that the Company may reject my/our Tender if it is non-compliant, or false/misleading in any way.

 

Where this statement is being provided by an individual on behalf of the Company, that individual has the necessary corporate authorisation to provide the declaration on behalf of the Company.

 

I / We have not communicated to any person other than the Company the amount of any tender, adjusted the amount of any tender by arrangement with any other person, made any arrangement with any other person about whether or not I / we or that other person should tender, or otherwise colluded with any other person in any manner whatsoever, and undertake that at any time thereafter in the tendering process for the above.

 

I/We have not engaged in any behaviour which has or could contravene Bribery Act 2010 (UK), the Foreign

Corrupt Practices Act (US) or any similar legislation.

 

I/We have not provided or offered any payment, gift, item, hospitality or any other benefit to the Company, its employees, consultants, agents, subcontractors (or any other person involved in the decision-making

process relating to this tender) which could give arise to a perception of bribery or corruption in relation to the

Tender or any other dealings between the parties.