Charges apply for the Department of Health’s services and are described below. Funds derived from these charges assist in supporting staff and equipment used for the on-going development of the WA Data Linkage System.
The charges depend on the nature of the data request. Each individual request for linked data is charged on the basis of its administrative requirements, technical specifications, breadth, complexity and scale.
The Department of Health also charges for the maintenance of otherwise unfunded infrastructure (and equivalent) linkages, including within the context of a particular project where an infrastructure update is required.
Charging Principles
The following principles apply to linked data projects:
- The Department of Health charges cost recovery for all linked data projects to offset its operating costs
- The Department of Health reserves the right to vary access to its products and services and its schedule of charges, with approval from the Assistant Director General, Purchasing and System Performance Division
- The charging structure for The Department of Health products and services is well defined and covers the following components: client services, linkage, case/cohort/control selection, extraction of linkage keys, family connections, geocoding, data extraction and amendments/updates
- Applicants are responsible for requesting an estimate of charges and ensuring sufficient funds are available prior to embarking on a project
- Additional fees may be charged for and on behalf of Data Providers to offset costs associated with a particular request. These changes will be bundled and dispersed as required.
- Additional charges may apply for cross-jurisdictional projects due to the added complexity and work time associated with these requests
Charging estimate
A preliminary cost estimate can be provided to applicants prior to submission of a draft application for linked data. To submit a cost estimate request or for other queries about charging please submit the Request_for_cost_estimate form to DataServ@health.wa.gov.au.
A formal estimate of charges covering all associated services will be provided with the feasibility letter, once all Data Providers have agreed in principle to the detailed application.
Final charges
Final charges will be confirmed with Data Applicants upon data delivery. The final charge may vary from the estimated charge if unanticipated additional work is required (e.g., if the format of data provided for linkage is different to what is documented in the approved application). Additional charges may also apply for subsequent changes to the scope of the application.