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Communications: Strategy & Planning.

Contract notice

Services

Directive 2004/18/EC

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)

Government Procurement Service
9th Floor The Capital Old Hall Street
L3 9PP Liverpool
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 3450103503
E-mail: , 

Internet address(es):

General address of the contracting authority: http://gps.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Address of the buyer profile: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: The above mentioned contact point(s)

I.2)Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local sub-divisions
I.3)Main activity
Other: Public Procurement
I.4)Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities
The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: yes

Section II: Object of the contract

II.1)Description
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
Communications: Strategy & Planning.
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Services
Service category No 27: Other services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Primarily in the UK with some limited requirements overseas.

NUTS code UK

II.1.3)Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)
The notice involves the establishment of a framework agreement
II.1.4)Information on framework agreement
Framework agreement with several operators
maximum number of participants to the framework agreement envisaged: 18

Duration of the framework agreement

Duration in years: 4

Estimated total value of purchases for the entire duration of the framework agreement

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 24 000 000 and 32 000 000 GBP
II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s)
Government Procurement Service as the Contracting Authority is putting in place a Pan Government Collaborative Framework Public Sector bodies have a need for a range of strategy & planning services within the communications / marketing sector. This requirement is not seeking market research, creative or media buying services. Agreement for use by the UK public sector bodies identified at VI.3 (and any future successors to these organisations), which include Central Government Departments and their Arm's Length Bodies and Agencies, Non Departmental Public Bodies, NHS bodies and Local Authorities.
II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

79340000, 22462000, 79341100, 79341200, 79341400, 79342000, 79413000

II.1.7)Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): yes
II.1.8)Lots
This contract is divided into lots: yes
Tenders may be submitted for one or more lots
II.1.9)Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: no
II.2)Quantity or scope of the contract
II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 24 000 000 and 32 000 000 GBP
II.2.2)Information about options
Options: no
II.2.3)Information about renewals
II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion

Information about lots

Lot No: 1 Lot title: Marketing & Communications Strategy Development
1)Short description
Strategic market analysis involving the analysis of market opportunities and drivers, identifying and prioritising market segments and value analysis. This provides insights into markets, customers and potential value which allow strategic marketing and development decisions to be made. Requirements include:
Marketing Audits;
Trend Forecasting;
Target Audience Identification and Analysis;
Behaviour Change & Modelling;
Insight Generation - Method and Message;
Communications Strategy Development;
Strategic Planning of Content/Messaging;
Stakeholder Strategy and Evaluation Strategy;
Implementation and Reporting.
2)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

79340000, 79413000, 79341400, 79341100, 79342000, 79341000, 79341200

3)Quantity or scope
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 14 400 000 and 19 200 000 GBP
4)Indication about different date for duration of contract or starting/completion
Duration in months: 48 (from the award of the contract)
5)Additional information about lots
The range provided in Section 3 is the current best estimate of the likely level of future business in this lot however the Contracting Authority cannot guarantee to suppliers any business through this framework agreement. The initial contract period will be 2 years with the option for the Contracting Authority to extend the contract period for up to a further 2 years. (A maximum of 4 years in total). The intention is to award 12 suppliers a framework agreement in this Lot.
Lot No: 2 Lot title: Communications Chanel Strategy & Planning
1)Short description
Translating the communications strategy into actionable, effective, cost efficient and measurable communications plans across all relevant channels, including online, offline, owned and earned as well as paid-for. This includes:
Communication Channel Strategy and Planning;
Communication Evaluation and Reporting.
2)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

79340000, 79413000, 79341400, 79341200, 79342000, 79341000, 79341100

3)Quantity or scope
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 9 600 000 and 128 000 000 GBP
4)Indication about different date for duration of contract or starting/completion
Duration in months: 48 (from the award of the contract)
5)Additional information about lots
The range provided in Section 3 is the current best estimate of the likely level of future business in this lot however the Contracting Authority cannot guarantee to suppliers any business through this framework agreement. The initial contract period will be 2 years with the option for the Contracting Authority to extend the contract period for up to a further 2 years. (A maximum of 4 years in total). The intention is to award 6 suppliers a framework agreement in this Lot.

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions relating to the contract
III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:
Participants will be advised if this is necessary during the procurement. Parent company and/or other guarantees of performance and financial liability may be required by the Contracting Authority and/or Customer if considered appropriate.
III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:
No special legal form is required but if a contract is awarded to a consortium, the Contracting Authority may require the consortium to form a seperate legal entity before entering into the Framework Agreement.
III.1.4)Other particular conditions
The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: no
III.2)Conditions for participation
III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Candidates will be assessed in accordance with Part 4 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, as amended (implementing Title II, Chapter V11, Section 2 of Directive 2004/18/EC), on the basis of information provided in its response to an Invitation to Tender ("ITT”).
This procurement will be managed electronically via the Government Procurement Service's e-Sourcing Suite. To participate in this procurement, participants must first be registered on the e-Sourcing Suite.

If you have not yet registered on the eSourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk by following the link ‘Register for GPS eSourcing'. Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at

http://gps.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/i-am-supplier/respond-tender

Once you have registered on the eSourcing Suite, a registered user can express an interest for a specific procurement. This is done by emailing .

Your email must clearly state: the name and reference for the procurement you wish to register for; the name of the registered supplier; and the name and contact details for the registered individual sending the email. Government Procurement Service will process the email and then enable the supplier to access the procurement online via the e-Sourcing Suite. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done.
As a user of the e-Sourcing Suite you will have access to Emptoris email messaging service which facilitates all messages sent to you and from you in relation to any specific RFX event. Please note it is your responsibility to access these emails on a regular basis to ensure you have sight of all relevant information.
For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact Government Procurement Service Helpdesk : Freephone: 03450103503

email:

Responses must be published by the date in IV.3.4.
III.2.2)Economic and financial ability
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Candidates will be assessed in accordance with Part 4 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, as amended (implementing Title II, Chapter V11, Section 2 of Directive 2004/18/EC), on the basis of information provided in its response to an ITT.

The ITT can be accessed at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in III.2.1

The Contracting Authority may take into account any of the following information:
(a) appropriate statements from banks or, where appropriate, evidence of relevant professional risk indemnity insurance;
(b) the presentation of balance-sheets or extracts from the balance-sheets, where publication of the balance-sheet is required under the law of the country in which the economic operator is established;
(c) a statement of the undertaking's overall turnover and, where appropriate, of turnover in the area covered by the contract for a maximum of the last three financial years available, depending on the date on which the undertaking was set up or the economic operator started trading, as far as the information on these turnovers is available.
III.2.3)Technical capacity
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met:
Candidates will be assessed in accordance with Part 4 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, as amended (implementing Title II, Chapter V11, Section 2 of Directive 2004/18/EC), on the basis of information provided in its response to an ITT.

The ITT can be accessed at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in III.2.1.

III.2.4)Information about reserved contracts
III.3)Conditions specific to services contracts
III.3.1)Information about a particular profession
Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession: no
III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service
Legal persons should indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff responsible for the execution of the service: no

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Type of procedure
IV.1.1)Type of procedure
Open
IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate
IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue
IV.2)Award criteria
IV.2.1)Award criteria
The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document
IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction will be used: yes
Additional information about electronic auction: Further information will be provided in the ITT documentation.
IV.3)Administrative information
IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:
RM1011
IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

Prior information notice

of 8.11.2012
IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document
Payable documents: no
IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
8.7.2013 - 14:00
IV.3.5)Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
IV.3.6)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up
English.
IV.3.7)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
in days: 120 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
IV.3.8)Conditions for opening of tenders

Place:

Electronically, via web-based portal.

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: no
VI.2)Information about European Union funds
The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
VI.3)Additional information
Potential suppliers should note that, in accordance with the UK Government's policies on transparency, Government Procurement Service intends to publish the tender response, terms of partcipation Invitation to Tender (ITT) document and the text of any Framework Agreement awarded, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of Government Procurement Service. The terms of the proposed Framework Agreement will also permit a public sector contracting authority, awarding a contract under this Framework Agreement, to publish the text of that contract, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the contracting authority. Further information on transparency can be found at:

http://gps.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about-government-procurement-service/transparency-and-accountability/transparency-procurement

The Contracting Authority expressly reserves the right (i) not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice; and (ii) to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering competition; and in no circumstances will the Contracting Authority be liable for any costs incurred by the candidates. If the Contracting Authority decides to enter into a Framework Agreement with the successful supplier, this does not mean that there is any guarantee of subsequent contracts being awarded. Any expenditure, work or effort undertaken prior to contract award is accordingly a matter solely for the commercial judgement of potential suppliers. Any orders placed under this Framework Agreement will form a separate contract under the scope of this Framework between the supplier and the specific requesting other contracting body. The Contracting Authority and other contracting bodies utilising the Framework reserve the right to use any electronic portal during the life of the agreement.
The duration referenced in Section II.1.4 is for the placing of orders.
The value provided in Section II.1.4 is only an estimate. We cannot guarantee to suppliers any business through this framework agreement.
Government Procurement Service wishes to establish a Framework Agreement for use by the following UK public sector bodies (and any future successors to these organisations):
"Copy the latest version of the Customer List here”.
VI.4)Procedures for appeal
VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures

Government Procurement Service
9th Floor The Capital Old Hall Street
L3 9PP Liverpool
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:
Telephone: +44 3450103503
Internet address: http://gps.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Body responsible for mediation procedures

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolutions
International Dispute Resolution Centre, 70 Fleet Street
EC4Y 1EU London
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:
Telephone: +44 2075366000
Internet address: http://www.cedr.com
Fax: +44 2075366001

VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals
Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: The Authority will incorporate a minimum 10 calendar day standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers. Applicants who are unsuccessful shall be informed by the Authority as soon as possible after the decision has been made as to the reasons why the Applicant was unsuccessful. If an appeal regarding the award of the contract has not been successfully resolved, The Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No. 5) provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by breach of the rules to take legal action. Any such action must be brought within the applicable limitation period. Where a contract has not been entered into, the Court may order the setting aside of the award decision or order the authority to amend any document and may award damages. If the contract has been entered into the Court may, depending on the circumstances, award damages, make a declaration of ineffectiveness, order the Authority to pay a fine, and/or order that the duration of the contract be shortened. The purpose of the standstill period referred to above is to allow the parties to apply to the Courts to set aside the award decision before the contract is entered into.
VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained

Government Procurement Service
9th Floor, The Capital, Old Hall Street
L3 9PP Liverpool
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:
Telephone: +44 3450103503
Internet address: http://gps.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:
28.5.2013