Opportunity

Customer Valuation and Insights PR24 Framework

  • YORKSHIRE WATER SERVICES LIMITED

F05: Contract notice – utilities

Notice reference: 2021/S 000-002380

Published 5 February 2021, 3:42pm



The closing date and time has been changed to:

12 March 2021, 4:00pm

See the change notice.

Section one: Contracting entity

one.1) Name and addresses

YORKSHIRE WATER SERVICES LIMITED

Western House,Western Way, Buttershaw

BRADFORD

BD62SZ

Contact

Tara Taylor

Email

tara.taylor@yorkshirewater.co.uk

Telephone

+44 7791817350

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKE - YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.yorkshirewater.com/

one.3) Communication

Access to the procurement documents is restricted. Further information can be obtained at

https://www.yorkshirewater.com/

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via

https://www.yorkshirewater.com/

one.6) Main activity

Water


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Customer Valuation and Insights PR24 Framework

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

As a business, Yorkshire Water Services (YWS) is regulated by Ofwat and as such, Ofwat conducts Price Reviews every five years to ensure our customer's needs and interests are being met, as well as our legal, environmental and social obligations.

The last two Ofwat Price Reviews have placed a particularly strong emphasis on the role of customer engagement. Ofwat expects companies to listen to their customers to understand their preferences and priorities and reflect these in all aspects of their business operations, including their business plans. Customer engagement is considered as important as the daily services YWS provides to its customers by Ofwat, and YWS anticipates more customer research than ever before over this next AMP period.

With the 2024 Price Review (PR24) on the horizon, YWS is looking to appoint a number of experienced market research agencies and consultancies to support YWS with business readiness and customer engagement across two separate tender Lots.

LOT 1 - Customer Valuation (Willingness to Pay/Stated Preference/Revealed Preference Study).

A consultant led study designed to provide a customer driven economic valuation of the services YWS offer (Willingness to Pay).

Estimated Total for Lot 1 = between £220,000 - £400,000

Term: The initial term is 18 months, with an option to extend for a further 12 months.

LOT 2 - Insights PR24 Framework.

Framework designed to support the delivery of small to large scale market research projects to inform YWS' Ofwat 2024 Price Review (PR24) and support with business as usual activities.

Estimated total for Lot 2 = £1.3 - 1.5m

Term: The initial term is 48 months, with an option to extend for a further 12 months.

Further details for both Lots can be found in the relevant Lot section of this notice.

two.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £1,900,000

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: Yes

Tenders may be submitted for all lots

Maximum number of lots that may be awarded to one tenderer: 2

The contracting authority reserves the right to award contracts combining the following lots or groups of lots:

Yorkshire Water Services reserves the right to award each Lot to two or more suppliers, subject to the quality of the tender response.

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Customer Valuation

Lot No

1

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKE - YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Yorkshire Water Services (YWS) intends to award a contract for obtaining an economic valuation of the services it offers. This contract will be a consultant led study including the undertaking of Willingness to Pay/Stated Preference/Revealed Preference Studies, specifically for Regulation and Investment Strategy teams. The study should outline which services are most important to our customers, and the value that YWS customer's place on these services. For example, how much customers are willing to pay for a % reduction in leakage in the context of bills, performance, comparative performance, direction of travel and ambition and the six capitals.

YWS is looking for an experienced consultant who can provide the following professional services, including but not limited to:

• Experience of managing a stream of work (market research, economists, innovators in methodology, peer reviewer etc) all designed to provide economic valuations/ customer willingness to pay for services which align with YWS' DMF (Decision Making Framework).

• An ability to apply 'big' company data to ascertain economic values or to support those obtained from primary and secondary research

• Ability to use triangulation methodologies to strengthen customer values

• A broad range of innovative methodologies. For example, AI techniques.

• Experience of working with companies in the Water or equivalent industry.

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: £400,000

two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system

Duration in months

30

This contract is subject to renewal

Yes

Description of renewals

Initial term is 18 months, with an optional 12 month renewal. Potential total maximum term of 30 months.

two.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: Yes

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Insights PR24 Framework

Lot No

2

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKE - YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Yorkshire Water Services (YWS) intends to implement a framework with a variety of experienced market research agencies that will provide support with a series of small to large scale market research projects. These projects will help to inform YWS' Ofwat 2024 Price Review (PR24) and support with business as usual activity.

YWS are looking for market research agencies who can provide the following types of professional services, including but not limited to:

• Regionally representative qualitative research - focus groups, telephone interviews, face to face and online interviews, B2B qualitative experience, online qualitative experience, stakeholder qualitative research and vulnerable customer qualitative research experience and the ability to conduct much of this research online in the current climate.

• Regionally representative quantitative research experience including - telephone interviews, face to face and online interviews, hall test experience, exit interview, statistical techniques, online quantitative research survey experience. Online/offline quantitative research experience with vulnerable customers and B2B audiences

• Customer website/app review experience including eye tracking, heat maps and user experience

• Innovative methodologies in market research. For example, AI techniques.

• Behavioural economics experience

• Experience of working with companies in the Water or equivalent industry

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: £1,500,000

two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system

Duration in months

60

This contract is subject to renewal

Yes

Description of renewals

Option of a 12 month renewal in month 48, with a potential total maximum term of 60 months.

two.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: Yes

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No


Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information

three.1) Conditions for participation

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


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Negotiated procedure with prior call for competition

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

Originally published as:

Date

8 March 2021

Local time

4:00pm

Changed to:

Date

12 March 2021

Local time

4:00pm

See the change notice.

four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted

English


Section six. Complementary information

six.1) Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: No

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Yorkshire Water Services Ltd

Western House, Western Way

Bradford

BD6 2SZ

Country

United Kingdom