Future Procurement Opportunity - Needle Exchange and Harm Reduction Services

Details

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) will soon be issuing a Requesting for Proposals (RFP) for the delivery of regional needle exchange and harm reduction services. Through this process we will be seeking community-based providers who can:

* distribute free injecting equipment and free naloxone kits
* provide safe disposal of injecting equipment
* deliver standardised harm reduction advice on safer injecting practices
* provide wound care and first aid services
* offer service referrals.

The aim of the Needle Exchange Programme (NEP) is to reduce the incidence of infection and harm from injecting drugs and to improve the well-being of people who inject drugs (PWID). To achieve this, the NEP will increase access to sterile injecting equipment and provide harm reduction advice to PWID. The NEP will focus on increasing equitable access to harm reduction services and reduce stigma and barriers to PWID across the wider health sector and general practice.

Health NZ will be welcoming proposals from providers who can demonstrate excellent relationship and collaboration skills, and whose services will be delivered in partnership with Māori. Providers will also need to demonstrate how their proposed service model has been designed with appropriate input from the PWID community.

We expect to issue the Request for Proposals (RFP) during the week beginning 24 March 2025 or soon after, via GETS.

Following the issue of the RFP, all interested providers will have an opportunity to ask questions via GETS or email, and at an on-line briefing session (date to be confirmed).

We encourage all interested providers to register with GETS and subscribe to the notice to receive timely updates regarding this RFP. Alternatively, you can register your interest by emailing Coral.Midwinter@tewhatuora.govt.nz.