Section one: Contracting entity
one.1) Name and addresses
NORTHUMBRIAN WATER GROUP LIMITED
Northumbria House,Abbey Road, Pity Me
DURHAM
DH15FJ
Contact
Laura McMain
Telephone
+44 7805786518
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKC14 - Durham CC
Companies House
366703
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address
one.6) Main activity
Water
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
High Court Enforcement Services
Reference number
NW2695
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79940000 - Collection agency services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), operating as Northumbrian Water Ltd (NWL) and Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW), invites established companies to submit proposals for the issuance of High Court Writs. We have an aspirational target to issue 3 to 4,000 writs annually, however this is influenced by the external economic climate and customers circumstances. Volumes over the last two years have been as follows;
- 2021/22 issued 4120
- 2022/23 issued 2500
These writs are generated from County Court Judgments through Civil national Business Centre The average writ value is £1,100 - £1,300, targeting domestic/household customers with water service charges debt, and a potential small number of non-household/commercial debts.
NWL mandates that all prospective bidders for this Contract must be members of the Enforcement Conduct board.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 75242110 - Bailiff services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKC - North East (England)
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), operating as Northumbrian Water Ltd (NWL) and Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW), invites established companies to submit proposals for the issuance of High Court Writs. We have an aspirational target to issue 3 to 4,000 writs annually, however this is influenced by the external economic climate and customers circumstances. Volumes over the last two years have been as follows;
- 2021/22 issued 4120
- 2022/23 issued 2500
These writs are generated from County Court Judgments through Civil national Business Centre The average writ value is £1,100 - £1,300, targeting domestic/household customers with water service charges debt, and a potential small number of non-household/commercial debts.
Contract Details
NWL are looking to Contract with a maximum of three suppliers. We are offering a 3-year contract with the intended commencement in September 2024, subject to an initial trial period. The contract may be extended based on performance. The volume of batches will vary due to cyclical billing, with any
batch exceeding 500 agreed upon in advance with successful Processor(s)
Pre-Writ Activity and Customer Engagement
Interested bidders must demonstrate the ability to carry out pre-writ activity, including residency checks and customer communication, providing an
opportunity for engagement and payment without incurring fees. All debt has undergone a rigorous internal lettering process, with checks to exclude known vulnerable and absconded Judgment debtors by NWG prior to being issued for enforcement.
Compliance and Data Protection
Potential bidders must comply with our standard Service Level Agreement, Data Processing Agreement, and submit their Data Journey to ensure compliance with Data Protection Regulations. Flexibility in fees and interest forbearance, bespoke reporting (template can be provided), and adherence to
a vulnerability policy, including the Debt Respite Scheme, are mandatory.
NWL mandates that all prospective bidders for this Contract must be members of the Enforcement Conduct board.
Essential Attributes
Interested bidders must possess the following essential attributes:
- Efficient bulk transfer process to the High Court
- Background in handling utility debt on a bulk basis
- Knowledge of the Water Industry and its regulatory obligations
- Ability to provide two references with current success rates, one from a water or utility company.
- Back-office support for instalment payment facilities and maintenance of payment arrangements Wide-ranging opening hours and suitably trained agents
- Client visibility through real-time communication via an online portal
- Adherence to vulnerability policies, with emphasis on mental health issues
- Flexibility during the compliance period on offers from Judgment debtors.
- Variability and flexibility of High Court Officer visits
- Clear and timely invoicing strategy, including separation of writ, abortive, incoming payments, and VAT.
- Willingness to upskill on Client support schemes and actively promote them.
- Actively collate and record appropriate permissions where applicable to support the client's Priority Services Register
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Quality / Weighting: 100
Cost criterion - Name: Price / Weighting: 0
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Start date
1 September 2024
End date
31 August 2029
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: Yes
Description of options
The initial contract term will run from 01/09/2024 for three years to 31/08/2027. The option will be available to extend the Contract from a further two years to 31/08/2029. The total maximum duration of the Contract being five years
Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information
three.1) Conditions for participation
three.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
List and brief description of conditions
NWL mandates that all prospective bidders for this Contract must be members of the Enforcement Conduct board.
three.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.1.6) Deposits and guarantees required
If the Dun and Bradstreet credit rating returns a rating of 'above average risk' or 'high risk', the contracting entity will request further financial information for review and a parent company guarantee may be required.
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated procedure with prior call for competition
four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement
Framework agreement with several operators
Envisaged maximum number of participants to the framework agreement: 3
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
8 February 2024
Local time
4:00pm
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: 31 August 2024
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
six.3) Additional information
Applicants are asked to note that this procurement process will be conduced electronically with all documents and communication being managed through the Northumbrian Water e-Sourcing Spend Management portal called 'Ariba'.
Expressions of interest from this notice must be sent to the e-mail address laura.mcmain@nwl.co.uk before the deadline date
of the 8 Feburary 2024 at 16:00hrs. Once expression of interest has been received that contains the details below, applicants
will be given access to the Ariba portal within 48 hours from request. This portal will contain all the tender documents associated with this procurement that are available at the time. An email link will also be provided to the email address you provide to access the portal. The deadline for return of the completed PQQ is the 12th February 2024 at 12noon.
When sending expression of interest, applicants must provide the following information:
1) Full company name
2) Main contact details of the person who will be given access to the Ariba portal - Name, job title, E mail
address and telephone number
There are a number of mandatory requirements set out in this notice (section III Conditions for participation) for inclusion in this tender process, please ensure you can meet these requirements before you express your interest
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
TBC
TBC
Country
United Kingdom