Social sector partner changes

On this page you will find the information and resources you need to guide you through the changes MSD is making to the systems we use to manage our social sector contracts. The changes come into effect on 24 November 2025. There are no changes to your contracts with us, but there are some things you will have to do differently, and these are explained below. Your main source of information will continue to be the MSD people currently responsible for the management of your contracts.

What is changing?

On 24 November MSD is making some important changes to the systems we use to manage contracts.   

The main changes you’ll see include: 

• The introduction of purchase orders for all active contracts.  
  • Invoices will need to reference contract-specific purchase order numbers to initiate payment. 
  • Invoices also need to have exactly the same wording as the activity lines on the purchase order   
  • The purchase order numbers will be emailed to you from 24 November 
  • Invoices must meet the MSD standards for invoicing

•  Access to our Supplier/Partner portal. 
  • Using the portal will give you secure, visibility of your and payments and contract information anytime, including seeing contracts when they are created or varied in the system.
  • Make updates to your address, bank account and contact details in real time. 
  • Assign staff specific contract management roles.
  • Through the portal you can explore and respond to funding opportunities. You can develop and submit procurement responses online and track progress in real-time, offering a simplified and transparent procurement process. 
  • To access the portal you will need a RealMe user-name and password. If you don’t already have a RealMe login you can create one here https://www.realme.govt.nz/
  • A link to the Supplier/Partner portal will be emailed to you from 24 November.
  • Using the portal is not compulsory. However, we do encourage you set up the RealMe user-name and password, particularly if you wish to explore its benefits or respond to funding opportunities. 

• The use of electronic signatures.
  • You will be able to securely review and sign contracts digitally, simplifying the process and reducing turnaround times. 
  • You may continue to manually sign contracts if that is your preference. 

What's not changing?

Our relationship with you will not change. Neither will your contract or the funding you receive.  The MSD person responsible for managing your contract will continue to be your primary point of contact and support. 

Why is MSD making these changes?

We want to make our processes smoother for our partners. Introducing technology that helps your organisation and MSD work better together means over time we can reduce some of our administrative load. This will make it easier to focus on continuing to help the New Zealanders you support.    

The main benefits of the changes will be to:   

• reduce manual processes   
• improve visibility and transparency of transactions   
• make participation in procurement easier 
• streamline payments  
• ensure data is accurate and consistent. 

Update your contact details 

To make sure we are providing you with the information you need, it’s important we have your correct contact information in our system. If you need to update any of your details, please let us know and we will ensure it is updated immediately.   

Important dates

We will have some system outages as we move to our new system – this could impact our ability to process invoices and complete contracts. Please note the following important dates:  

Leading up to 24 November  

• Invoices – do you have any invoices you need to send to us?  Please get them to MSD before 5.00pm, Wednesday 12 November if you need to be paid by 24 November.  Any invoices received after 12 November will be processed in the new system from 24 November. 
• Contracts – if you have any unsigned contracts, please return these to the person responsible for managing your contract by 5.00pm, Tuesday 11 November. 
• Webinars – an online webinar will be held on Thursday 13 November where you can hear more about any of the changes affecting you from 24 November. An invitation will be issued soon. 

Post 24 November 

• Portal access – if you already have an active contract with MSD, we’ll send you a link to access the portal from Monday 24 November.  
• Purchase orders and invoices – details of your new purchase orders will be sent out from MSD on Monday 24 November.

More information