Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department of Education
Balloo Road
Bangor
BT19 7PR
Contact
SSDAdmin.CPDfinance-ni.gov.uk
DE.DEWebMail@education-ni.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Buyer's address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
ID 4458407 DE - Standardisation of Pre-School Education Programme Scoping Study
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Department of Education (DE) is working towards standardisation of the DE Pre-school Education Programme (PSEP) throughout Northern Ireland. The overall aim of the contract is to appoint a Contractor to conduct a research study that will: • provide an analysis of the current state of readiness of individual PSEP settings of moving to a minimum of 22.5 hours per week standardised offer, including identifying opportunities for greater alignment of other aspects of PSEP; • examine the current training and qualification requirements within PSEP and provide costed options for a programme of CPD; and • examine the current advice and support available within PSEP and provide costed options for models of delivering advice and support.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £200,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 79420000 - Management-related services
- 79410000 - Business and management consultancy services
- 73210000 - Research consultancy services
- 79419000 - Evaluation consultancy services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKN - Northern Ireland
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Department of Education (DE) is working towards standardisation of the DE Pre-school Education Programme (PSEP) throughout Northern Ireland. The overall aim of the contract is to appoint a Contractor to conduct a research study that will: • provide an analysis of the current state of readiness of individual PSEP settings of moving to a minimum of 22.5 hours per week standardised offer, including identifying opportunities for greater alignment of other aspects of PSEP; • examine the current training and qualification requirements within PSEP and provide costed options for a programme of CPD; and • examine the current advice and support available within PSEP and provide costed options for models of delivering advice and support.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT: £200,000
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months
6
This contract is subject to renewal
No
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.12) Information about electronic catalogues
Tenders must be presented in the form of electronic catalogues or include an electronic catalogue
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
6 February 2023
Local time
3:00pm
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
four.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Tender must be valid until: 7 May 2023
four.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date
6 February 2023
Local time
3:30pm
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.3) Additional information
Contract monitoring: the successful contractor’s performance on the contract will be regularly monitored. Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in construction and procurement delivery (CPD) for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, this may be considered grounds for termination of the contract at your expense as provided for in the Conditions of Contract. In lieu of termination, CPD may issue a Notice of Written Warning or a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance. A supplier in receipt of multiple Notices of Written Warning or a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance may, in accordance with The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended), be excluded from future public procurement competitions for a period of. up to three years..
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The UK does not have any such bodies with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures. Instead; any challenges are dealt with by the High Court, Commercial Division, to which proceedings may be issued regarding alleged breaches of the PCR 2015 as amended.
UK
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
CPD will comply with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended) and, where appropriate, will incorporate a standstill period (i.e. a minimum of 10 calendar days) at the point information on the award of contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the award decision. This provides time for the unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into.