The Education Minister has agreed to a further three month extension to District Truancy Service (DTS) Agreements, the Non-Enrolled Truancy Service (NETS) Contract and the Attendance Pilots in South Auckland and Gisborne and the East Coast.
This will mean extending DTS, NETS and the pilots until the end of Term 3, 2012. Agreement and contract extension information will be provided in March/April 2012. The Integrated Attendance Service will offer services to schools from the start of Term 4, 2012.
Timeframe background
The Expression of interest (EOI) process to identify service providers who would be invited to tender (via a closed Request for Proposals – RFP) to provide the Attendance Service for the four ministry regions was completed early in December 2011. The EOI process provided information that identified to the ministry that some service design changes were required and also the size of the proposed service areas created risks and challenges for service implementation. The ministry is now working on refining the design and also the definition of a larger number of service areas that continue to meet the key objectives of the service. The current procurement process is now completed and a new tender process will be announced shortly. This will be in the form of an open Request for Proposals (RFP). The purpose and aims of the new Attendance Service have not changed and the key objectives as defined in the original EOI are still valid and current.
The new Attendance Service is still scheduled to be operational in 2012.
Information road show
The ministry will soon be announcing a schedule of information briefing sessions in early March for all stakeholders and potential service providers to be held in local ministry office areas nationally.
Attendance Service information is available on the ministry website www.minedu.govt.nz/attendance .