The Opportunity

Fines and Enforcement Services (FES) within the Department of Justice and Community Safety (the department) is seeking responses to this Expression of Interest (EOI) for the supply of services as outlined in Part A.2, along with opportunities for modernisation and innovation of the services and business processes. As an outcome of this EOI, FES seeks to gain a more detailed understanding of the supplier market and give potential suppliers the opportunity to understand FES’s requirements and contribute to the design and structure of the Request for Tender (RFT) and, ultimately, the future service delivery model. FES intends to use the EOI as an opportunity to explore alternative approaches from potential suppliers on how the services can be delivered, especially where this drives innovation and self service, improves service outcomes and supports a commercially sustainable delivery model for these services into the next decade. The EOI Process will be the first stage of a multi-stage procurement process. For further information relating to the next stage of the EOI Process, refer to clause 6 of Part B.2.

FES Overview and the delivery model

FES is responsible for managing the Fines Program, a key component of Victoria’s justice system, by delivering a range of services and functions that enable the administration and enforcement of infringement fines and court fines across Victoria, including managing the end-to-end Fines Lifecycle.

On average, FES manages the administration and enforcement of approximately 7 million infringement-related documents, fines and warrants annually originating from over 150 enforcement agencies including Victoria Police and local councils, as well as the courts. This includes traffic camera fines, officer issued fines, tolling offences, external agency fines, court fines and warrants.

Numerous factors including government policies and initiatives (for example, the Victorian Road Safety Strategy) contribute to fluctuating volumes in infringements and related activities. Generally, both input and output volumes are trending upwards over time but can vary and even decrease from week to week and from one month to the next (see Attachment 4 (Payment Model Considerations) for an indication of output and input volume trends).

For close to three decades, FES has worked closely with Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Service Providers for the delivery of administrative services to support the delivery of the Fines Program.

FES engages its incumbent provider to deliver a range of functions including the operation of the Fines Victoria Call Centre, processing of inbound and outbound correspondence, Fines Lifecycle operations support including fines recovery and support for Victoria’s sheriff’s officers. FES’s Fines IT System is the core IT platform being used to support the Fines Lifecycle activities. There are plans in place to enhance the Fines IT System in 2026. Details of the Fines IT System and transition plans are discussed under Part A.2 (section 6.1).

The incumbent provider supports a combined annual volume of approximately 13 million transactions including notices issued, calls answered, correspondence processed, and financial transactions completed.

These services are a key enabler to the Fines Program and the Service Provider’s team works closely with FES teams and other partners in delivering the services required to support the Fines Program. With the current Agreement for these services approaching expiry, FES is commencing activities to procure the services of a Service Provider to ensure the ongoing delivery of this key aspect of Victoria’s Fines Program. FES has a key objective to use the EOI to understand the capability of potential suppliers to help improve service delivery by bringing their innovation and digitisation capability and optimise performance by introducing opportunities for improving services, harnessing innovation and making it easier for the community to resolve their fines.

Overview of the Procurement Process

The procurement for the Service Provider will be undertaken in two key stages:

1.  Expression of Interest (EOI)
2.  Request for Tender (RFT).

FES would like to engage the market through the EOI process to achieve the following key objectives:

•  To gain a better understanding of the service provider capability to support FES’s key service requirements
•  Identify technology and business process opportunities for modernisation and innovation to develop a suitable future BPO service delivery model and the ability of potential suppliers to implement such opportunities.
•  To seek insights and explore alternatives on various models and approaches to delivering the services which in turn will inform the RFT process – and ultimately the future service delivery model and contract – to enable the achievement of FES’s procurement and ongoing service objectives.
•  To shortlist the Offerers who will be invited to participate in the RFT process.

Following the EOI, FES intends to conduct a selective Request for Tender (RFT) to engage a suitable and experienced service provider capable of delivering the Services (as defined in Part A.2 Overview of Requirements) and supporting the FES procurement objectives. The RFT stage will also include a Competitive Service Design (CSD) and Best and Final Offer (BAFO) process.

Overview of the Fines Lifecycle

In Victoria, infringement fines follow a specific lifecycle starting with the issuance of an infringement notice (or in the case of a court fine, a court fine collection statement). This is followed by the enforcement stage and, if applicable, the warrant stage. Recipients of fines have several options to address their fines, which are detailed below in Diagram 1: The Fines Lifecycle.

The services being procured as outlined in Part A.2 – Overview of Requirements and detailed in Attachment 1 (Summary of Business Operation Requirements) will deliver the various administrative services required by FES to ensure the ongoing delivery of the Fines Lifecycle.

NOTE: Briefing Session 16 July 2024 - for further information see section 6 Parts A and B

Maximum of three attendees for each Offerer.Please register your interest in attending this session by emailing FASA.Tender@justice.vic.gov.auFollowing the briefing session, a recording of the briefing will be distributed to Offerers that registered.

Briefings

Briefing (MS Teams) 16th of July 11:00am

A briefing session will be held on 16 July 2024 11:00 am.

Notes: Maximum of three attendees for each Offerer.Please register your interest in attending this session by emailing FASA.Tender@justice.vic.gov.auFollowing the briefing session, a recording of the briefing will be distributed to Offerers that registered.

Registration closes on 15 July 2024 05:00 pm