Section one: Contracting entity
one.1) Name and addresses
THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED
Reading
RG18DB
Contact
Thames Water
procurement.support.centre@thameswater.co.uk
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKJ11 - Berkshire
Companies House
02366661
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.6) Main activity
Water
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Business Process Outsourcing Customer Services
Reference number
SA1536
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79342300 - Customer services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Thames Water is seeking to award Services Agreements to multiple providers for the provision of customer services across three lots:
Lot 1 - Digital led customer contact: delivering first tier contact on digital medium
Lot 2 - Transactional Back Office and Contingency Voice: Transactional, Ticketing and Exceptions Processing
Lot 3 - Post room services
We are looking for partner(s) with proven expertise to play a core role in delivering Thames Water's customer experience vision through:
Maintaining, improving and transforming services;
Increasing customers choice in the way they interact with us; and,
Increasing levels of automation.
The selected bidders will be able to demonstrate how they would support Thames Water's customer service strategy and its outcomes.
Bidders can apply for one or multiple lots. Thames Water may award more than one lot to a single bidder taking into account the evaluation of each individual lot; the tendered aggregate operational and commercial benefits to be obtained from the award of more than one lot; and, bidders stated preferences for award of lots at PQQ stage
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: Yes
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Digital Led Customer Contact
Lot No
1
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 64216100 - Electronic message services
- 79342320 - Customer-care services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKI - London
- UKJ - South East (England)
Main site or place of performance
The whole of the Thames Water region
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Thames Water is seeking a service provider for first tier customer contact through digitised media channels (including for but not limited to two-way messaging, web chat, social media).
It is expected that bidders will bring solutions to deliver our strategic outcomes in achieving a customer centric service where transactional work is highly automated and consistently delivered with residual human work.
Thames Water intends to award this lot to a single provider.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
Thames Water envisages that the contract will be awarded for an initial term of 5 years with options to extend by any period up to a further 3 years, with a maximum contract duration of 8 years.
Any agreement may flex in volume over time and may include additional services and unforeseen services of a similar nature as demand and requirements change within the wider scope of the requirement.
two.2.14) Additional information
Thames Water will reserve the right to seek bidder confirmation of value to be derived from the award of more than one lot and apply this value to the evaluation process and to any contractual commitment on award. This will form part of the evaluation at ITN stage.
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Transactional Back Office and Contingency Voice
Lot No
2
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 72253000 - Helpdesk and support services
- 79900000 - Miscellaneous business and business-related services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKI - London
- UKJ - South East (England)
Main site or place of performance
The whole of the Thames Water region
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Thames Water is seeking a service provider to take ownership of and deliver back office transactional services (such as but not limited to service desk, exception management, cash operations (invoicing), billing, metering and home move transactional services).
It is expected the service provider will bring solutions to deliver against our strategic outcomes delivering a high-quality customer centric service where transactional work is highly automated and consistently delivered with residual human work.
The services are predominantly non-voice, the requirement also includes for some provision of outbound telephony, and contingency voice; in times of planned or unplanned incidents or peaks when, Thames Water may call upon the provider to lend voice contact services.
Thames Water intends to award this lot to a single provider.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
Thames Water envisages that the contract will be awarded for an initial term of 5 years with options to extend by any period up to a further 3 years, with a maximum contract duration of 8 years.. Any agreement may flex in volume over time and may include additional services unforeseen services of a similar nature as demand and requirements change within the wider scope of the requirement.
two.2.14) Additional information
Thames Water requires bidders to sign an unamended one-way non-disclosure agreement, prior to accessing the draft ITN content.
Thames Water will reserve the right to seek bidder confirmation of value to be derived from the award of more than one lot and apply this value to the evaluation process and to any contractual commitment on award. This will form part of the evaluation at ITN stage.
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Post Room Services
Lot No
3
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 64110000 - Postal services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKI - London
- UKJ - South East (England)
Main site or place of performance
Whole of the Thames Water region
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Thames Water is seeking a service provider to take ownership of and deliver our post room services and document handling centre.
Thames Water is looking for the service provider to take on the service delivery and bring solutions to deliver against our strategic outcomes with a high-quality service; creating a cost optimised approach where services are increasingly automated and consistently delivered.
Thames Water intends to award this lot to a single provider.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
Thames Water envisages that the contract will be awarded for an initial term of 5 years with options to extend by any period up to a further 3 years, with a maximum contract duration of 8 years. Any agreement may flex in volume over time and may include additional services unforeseen services of a similar nature as demand and requirements change within the wider scope of the requirement.
two.2.14) Additional information
Thames Water requires bidders to sign an unamended one-way non-disclosure agreement, prior to accessing the draft ITN content.
Thames Water will reserve the right to seek bidder confirmation of value to be derived from the award of more than one Lot and apply this value to the contract value on award. This will form part of the evaluation at ITN stage.
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.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2022/S 000-009829
Section five. Award of contract
Lot No
Lot 1
Title
Supply of Digital Led Customer Contact
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
30 January 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Tech Mahindra Limited
Maharashtra
Country
India
NUTS code
- IN - India
Companies House
11-41370
The contractor is an SME
No
Section five. Award of contract
Lot No
Lot 2
Title
Supply of Transactional Back Office and Contingency Voice
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
30 January 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
EXL
New York
Country
United States
NUTS code
- US - United States
Companies House
12-690-1029
The contractor is an SME
No
Section five. Award of contract
Lot No
Lot 3
Title
Supply of Postroom Services
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
30 January 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Swiss Post Services Ltd
Richmond
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKI - London
Companies House
4482213
The contractor is an SME
Yes
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
**** Please note - this is a Contract Award Notice ****
All suppliers who wish to respond to this notice must request a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) by using the web link in Section I.3 (www.thameswater.co.uk/procurement).
From your response to the link in Section I.3 or above, Thames Water's Procurement Support Centre will send you an email providing login details for our eSourcing system (i.e. IASTA Smartsource). To complete the PQQ you will need to login to IASTA Smartsource.
If the project requires it, you will receive an additional and separate survey to complete for Data Protection.
Note - The client may be Thames Water Utilities Limited or another company within the Kemble Water group structure.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Thames Water Utilities Limited
Reading
RG30 3L
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
Thames Water Utilities Limited will incorporate a standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the award decision. The standstill period, which will be for a minimum of 10 calendar days, provides time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into.
The Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (SI 2016 No 274) provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland).
six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Thames Water Utilities Ltd Town
Reading
Country
United Kingdom