Key problem/s

The Australian Public Service Commission is seeking a new community and member management platform to help modernise and deliver APS Professions service offerings. The solution must be cost effective and demonstrate value for money. Submissions will be assessed against government procurement principles. Flexibility of the solution is highly desirable.

Background to the key problems we are working towards solving, was identified in the Thodey Review (2019).

• A key issue identified was the fragmented capability across the Australian Public Service (APS). This identifies skills and expertise unevenly distributed across agencies, leading to duplication and capability gaps.
• Another issue was the insufficient investment in workforce development. Workforce development, particularly with specialist skills were not being prioritised limiting the APS’s ability to adapt to new technologies and challenges.

A recommendation from the report was to establish professional streams. The response to the report, the Secretaries Board committed to build APS skills and expertise, and address gaps in capability, through development of an APS Professions model. As part of that model, was to aim for each profession to build capability and expertise across the APS by creating centres of excellence.

In 2021 the Digital Professions launched the Members’ Community Platform which played a key role in strengthening the APS Professions model, by fostering a more connected, capable, and agile APS. Since then, the platform has expanded to include the Digital, Data and Evaluation Professions with more streams planned to go live by September.

The current platform was set up to provide tools for public servants to network, upskill, share knowledge and resources. Members of the platform use communities of practices to collaborate and connect with other professionals, register for events and training and find resources that are uploaded by their communities.

We aim to find a replacement for the current SaaS platform that offers the same and more functionalities in order to expand our service offerings. The replacement platform must have an improved and expanded suite of features to create a more sustainable ecosystem and user experience. Some features include, but not limited to:

• A flexible multi-tenant or multi-site architecture
• Email and campaign management
• Mentor and volunteer matching capabilities
• Access to API / integration to connect with other APSC services etc.

Our preferred solution would be SaaS with a set yearly cost.

The users and their needs

The APS Professions Members’ Community Platform serves a growing community of public servants across all levels of government. Users come from a wide range of experience levels, from new starters to leaders and all in-between. Users are members of different Professions; Digital, Data and Evaluation Professions. More are planned to join within the year.

Over half of users are members of multiple professions, seeking opportunities to learn across boundaries and broaden their capabilities. Users generally access the platform using government-issued devices and less so on their personal devices, which makes it easy for users to engage during the workday. Over half of current members have maintained active membership for more than a year. Most return to the platform at least twice a month, with high engagement around the community and event-based features.

Users are motivated to engage on the platform when they see direct relevance to their roles. They are often time-poor but eager to be upskilled, favouring bite-sized, actionable content. They appreciate practical resources and templates that can be reused in their own work and value the chance to hear directly from subject matter experts. There is a strong desire to connect with peers across government to discuss common challenges, share insights, and work through problems together. Users seek opportunities for collaboration and professional growth, they are drawn to open and supportive community spaces where they can ask questions, have frank discussions and build networks. The ability to engage with others who face similar issues and are working toward similar goals is a key reason they keep returning.

Our users visit and value the events and community functions the most. Users enjoy discovering and attending relevant and interesting events that offer new perspectives or practical advice. They also value the sense of connectedness these events create, reinforcing the platform as a central meeting place for professional exchange. Users appreciate having a single, consistent location for information that remains relevant even when they change to another government position. This continuity supports career mobility while ensuring they can maintain connections and access to knowledge across the public service.

Work already done

A current Community platform currently exists using the Higher Logic platform. This includes established communities, knowledge bases and approx. 21,000 member profiles. This information will need to be migrated to the new platform.

• 8,920 threads
• 1,304 uploaded resources
• 38 open communities

Technical/business constraints

Must continue to be accessible (WCAG 2.0 compliant) to all government employees.

Must be able to store official rated data in Australian onshore storage.

Must have an Australian onshore team to assist with technical support.

Preferably a SaaS solution and not a manage service arrangement.

Response format

• Presentation
• Prototype
• Free product trial

Key dates/ milestones

A new platform must be tested and live with data migrated by April 2026