Management of Open Spaces Procurement Project
Invitation to Submit Final Tender
November 2013
CONTENTS:
LIST OF TABLES
FOREWARD
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. ISOS/ISDS submission and consistency of information
1.2. Pricing
1.3. Variations
1.4. Income
1.5. Transferable commitments
1.6. Typologies & Zones
1.7. Resources necessary to deliver the Contract
1.8. Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
1.9. Reference Projects
1.10. Final interviews
1.11. Scoring Matrix
1.12. Tied tenancies
1.13. Terms & Conditions
1.14. Clarification & Further Meetings
1.15. Bidding Costs
1.16. Disclaimer
1.17. Copyright
1.18. The Council’s Right to Reject Solutions
1.19. Freedom of Information
1.20. Amendments to the ISFT Documents
1.21. Consistency of Information
1.22. Canvassing and Non-Collusion
2. PROCUREMENT PROCESS
2.1. Proposed Stages
2.2. Meeting with bidders
2.3. Reference project site visits
2.4. Timetable
3. FORMAT OF RESPONSES
3.1. Response checklist
3.2. Commercial Responses
3.3. Technical Responses
3.4. Performance Management Schedule
3.5. Use of Electronic Vault
4. ISFT EVALUATION
4.1. Contract Award
4.2. Phase 4 Preferred Partner / Award of Agreement
4.3. Evaluation Framework
4.4. Compliance
4.5. ISFT Stage Evaluation Methodology
4.6. Evaluation Criteria
4.7. Evaluation Assumptions
4.8. Evaluation of Responses
4.9. Calculation of the ISFT Evaluation Score
LIST OF APPENDICES & ANNEX
1 / Council Owned Equipment List
Annexes / Title
1 / TUPE Information
2 / Draft Contract (T&C’s)
3 / Letter of Acknowledgement & Certificate of Non-Canvassing and Non-Collusion
LIST OF TABLES
Table No. / Title1 / ISFT Key Dates
2 / Response Checklist
3 / Technical Responses Criteria
4 / Technical Questions
5 / Technical Question Weightings
6 / Evaluation Scoring
FOREWARD
Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) is undertaking a procurement project for the management of open spaces within Charnwood, referred to in this document as ‘the Council’.
The Management of Open Spaces in Charnwood consists of two distinct elements in respect of current service delivery: Green Spaces and Engineering. This contract brings together both of these elements as part of the outsourcing of the services.
Following the evaluation of the previous stage of this procurement project, the ISOS/ISDS, we are delighted to invite you to submit a final tender solution. This ISFT Document should therefore be read in conjunction with previously circulated documents including the Information Memorandum (IM), ISOS Document, ISDS Document, and all related Appendices.
All information is provided via the dedicated BiPs vault. All contact with the Council during the ISFT stage must also be made through the BiPs vault unless otherwise instructed by the Council.
1. InTRODUCTION
1.1. ISOS submission and consistency of information
1.1.1. The Council has already received and evaluated both the Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire (PQQ) and ISOS/ISDS submissions in response to invitations so far. The quality of the submissions was extremely high and we are now delighted to invite two companies to take forward to the final tender solution stage of the project.
1.1.2. Bidders are reminded that all information submitted within the PQQ, ISOS and ISDS stages will form part of the overall Management of Open Spaces Contract to be awarded in early 2014. It is expected that the Supplementary Documents (Vision Statements) previously submitted as part of your ISOS/ISDS response will also form part of your contract delivery and as such will be used as a guide for performance management of the contract post award.
1.1.3. It is also expected that the method statements provided will be used to deliver the contract services unless clearly highlighted not to be applicable during the final phase of the procurement project. These will also be used as a performance management tool post-award.
1.1.4. Any figures, targets, proposals and initiatives already submitted at either the PQQ, ISOS, or ISDS stages will be expected to remain consistent unless they have been varied by agreement as part of the competitive dialogue process.
1.1.5. Bidders are reminded that all responses should adequately cover all aspects of the service i.e. both Green Spaces activities and Engineering activities.
1.2. Pricing
1.2.1. The Council is keen to maximise the efficiency of the service and realise savings for the duration of the Contract. The Council wishes to be clear on the basis upon which pricing submissions will be measured. As such Bidders are required to ensure they fully understand the instructions within the Pricing Schedule at the ISFT stage.
1.2.2. The Pricing Schedules submitted as part of the ISOS/ISDS submissions should therefore be revised to reflect any responses submitted as part of the ISFT. It is anticipated that the revised Pricing Schedule should be consistent and must meet the minimum savings target identified (including KPI rewards). Details of any revisions from the ISOS/ISDS submissions must be provided and justified.
1.3. Variations
1.3.1. As part of the dialogue process the Council was keen to maximise quality whilst maintaining savings. Therefore, one aspect that the Council wishes to retain flexibility over is the ability to vary ‘Zones’ across different sites by agreement with the Service Provider. In this way the Council may, for instance, decide as part of any future cost saving proposals that some sites do not warrant the level (or quality) of service delivery proposed as part of the accepted tender submission. Following dialogue with the successful Service Provider, the Council may therefore reduce the level (or quality) of some sites as depicted by their ‘Zone’. Such variations will be agreed using the Pricing Schedule as a template for agreeing potential cost savings.
1.3.2. The Council reserves the right to withdraw any Task if efficiencies cannot be identified through the ISFT submissions and dialogue process. In particular, provisions for Bereavement Services that are currently being delivered through a Service Level Agreement with North West Leicestershire District Council need to demonstrate added value and efficiency savings through this Contract.
1.3.3. Following ISOS/ISDS submissions it is the Council’s intention to revise Task 9 (Sport Facility Maintenance), to include sport pitch bookings. This change should be taken into account as part of Bidders’ submissions at ISFT.
1.4. Income
1.4.1. The Council is keen to receive proposals that transfer the risk of income to the Service Provider; therefore Bidders are requested to put forward proposals at the ISFT stage that guarantee a level of income and/or profit sharing over the full length of the Contract. These should be identified in the Pricing Schedule and demonstrate continuous improvement throughout the Contract term.
1.4.2. The Council will permit the use of Council assets (in particular Depot facilities) to be used for activities that attract additional income to the Service Provider. However, any arrangement must demonstrate added value to the Council through a level of income/profit share arrangement to be agreed as part of the ISFT dialogue process.
1.4.3. The Council currently has a list of Council-owned equipment that is utilised to enable effective delivery of the existing Green Spaces and Engineering services. This equipment will be available for use by the Agreed Service Provider with effect from 1st April 2014. The Service Provider will be required to take responsibility for all items on this list and, as such, should work with the Council to agree a reasonable value to be paid for such assets on transfer at 1st April 2014. This value should be included in the Pricing Schedule.
1.5. Transferable commitments
1.5.1. Bidders are reminded that a number of commitments have already been placed for 2014 (e.g. hanging baskets and plants for displays, including Loughborough in Bloom) for which the Service Provider will be responsible. The value of these will be provided throughout the dialogue phase up to the award of Contract (expected late January 2014). Any further commitments that are required to ensure service continuity will be agreed between the Council and the Agreed Service Provider as part of the ISFT clarification.
1.6. Typologies & Zones
1.6.1. The Council has previously circulated GIS maps for all areas of land (sites) to be managed as part of this MOS Contract. These sites are categorised into a number of typologies.
1.6.2. As part of the ISFT submission Bidders are required to ensure that each site has been allocated a ‘Zone’ where applicable. This ‘Zone’ should be the same for all Tasks appropriate for the typology i.e. a site should not be a Zone 1 for grass cutting, but a Zone 2 for border maintenance.
1.6.3. The division of a site into more than one Zone, however, is permissible. In this way, the entrance or more heavily used part of an area may be of a higher standard (i.e. lower Zone number) than other parts of the same site.
1.7. Resources necessary to deliver the Contract
1.7.1. The new Service Provider will be responsible for ensuring that the correct levels of resources are made available to deliver the Contract at all times throughout the duration of the Contract. In particular, the Council is keen to ensure the management plans set out for SSSI’s and Green Flags are adequately resourced at all times. Bidders are therefore required to ensure this has been adequately taken into account in their ISFT submission.
1.8. Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
1.8.1. The Council is keen to maximise the involvement of the local community and stakeholders in the evaluation, design and delivery of services. This commitment has already been demonstrated at ISOS/ISDS level by Bidders and with the support of the local community groups and residents groups, the Council wishes to take this forward at the ISFT stage and a question has been highlighted to address this point in Chapter 3.
1.8.2. After recent consultation these community groups may also be prepared to pay for additional quality standards (improvements) above that agreed to be paid by the Council as part of this Contract. This will be addressed as part of this ISFT in the Pricing Schedule.
1.8.3. Bidders are expected to provide details of how housing tenants would be effectively engaged in the design, delivery, maintenance and potential improvements in the standards of housing sites.
1.8.4. It is the Council’s intention to enlist the help of a number of key housing stakeholders in the evaluation of this part of the ISFT. This element will be clearly identified in the ISFT questions to Bidders.
1.8.5. Bidders are reminded that all Housing sites (as identified by a Typology) should be maintained to the same standard (Zone) unless proposals are identified by the Service Provider in consultation with the key stakeholders for that site.
1.9. Reference Projects
1.9.1. Bidders are required to provide reference projects for the Council’s Project Team and Board Members to visit and evaluate a number of key aspects of service delivery including, but not limited to:
· Adherence to specification
· Performance achieved
· Response to instructions
· Client relationship
· Union relationship
· Staff welfare & suitability for tasks (training, qualifications, etc.)
· Equipment suitability for tasks
· Professionalism and corporate image/responsibility
· Contact/response with/to the customer (the public/users of the service)
1.10. Final interviews
1.10.1. It is the Council’s intention to conduct final, end-of-stage interviews with Bidders. These interviews will be conducted post-ISFT submission and will provide Bidders with an opportunity to explain the contents of their submission to the interview panel. Those involved in making the final scores will take into account the way in which the Bidders have explained the contents of their tender as part of their presentation.
1.11. Scoring Matrix
1.11.1. The Council has agreed a revised scoring evaluation weighting as part of the ISFT. Submissions will be scored against commercial criteria and technical criteria on a 50:50 weighting with individual scores for each question identified in Chapter 3 of this ISFT.
1.12. Tied tenancies
1.12.1. The Council is currently negotiating the issue of three ‘tied’ tenancy properties associated with the current delivery of the Green Spaces Service. The Council are exploring appropriate resolutions which will be clarified and discussed as part of the ISFT clarification.
1.13. Terms & Conditions
1.13.1. The Contract and specimen tenancies have been revised taking into account all bidder comments received. As such we do not expect a further commentary but any points of dispute on the Contract documentation MUST be raised at this point or we will assume you are in accord with its contents.
1.14. Clarifications & Further Meetings
1.14.1. In the event that Bidders have any specific queries/questions that they wish to raise about the project, they should submit those questions via the BiPs vault. If the Council considers any question or request of clarification to be of material significance, both the question and the response will be communicated, in a suitable anonymous form, to all current bidders. Telephone enquiries will not be accepted.
1.14.2. The Council reserves the right to disseminate information that is materially relevant to the Project to all Bidders, even if the information has only been requested by one Bidder, subject to the duty to protect any Bidder's commercial confidence in its Solution. Should Bidders wish to avoid such disclosure (for example, on the basis that the request or response contains commercially confidential information or may give another Bidder a commercial advantage) the request must be clearly marked “In confidence – not to be circulated to other Bidders” and the Bidder must set out the reason(s) for the request for non-disclosure to other Bidders, which the Council will then consider. The Council will consider each such request for non-disclosure on its merits, and in particular whether any regulations or considerations of probity require it to be denied. Where the Council decides that the question or request, and their response, cannot be withheld from circulation, the Council will inform the Bidder and the Bidder will have the opportunity to withdraw the question or request, or otherwise to present it in a different format. The Bidder must, as soon as practicable thereafter, respond in writing requesting that either the request be withdrawn or treated as not confidential. The Council will deem that the request for clarification has been withdrawn if the Council is not contacted within 3 Business Days following informing the Bidder as referred to above.