Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Hertfordshire County Council
PEGS LANE
HERTFORD
SG138DQ
nicole.mccaffrey@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKH23 - Hertfordshire
Internet address(es)
Main address
http://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Implementation of a Covid secure scheme for businesses in Hertfordshire
Reference number
HCC2112794
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 71317210 - Health and safety consultancy services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Hertfordshire Trading Standards have been urgently requested by the Hertfordshire Health Protection Board to implement a Covid secure business accreditation scheme that seeks to impact on transmission rates of Covid 19 in supermarkets, grocers, hospitality and other non-essential retail businesses. The scheme will ensure businesses are adhering to a consistent set of Covid 19 prevention standards and aims to improve consumer confidence in those businesses.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £2,300,000
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKH23 - Hertfordshire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This project implements a pilot 'Covid secure' accreditation scheme in retail shops, hospitality and other non-essential businesses in Hertfordshire in Broxbourne.
There is evidence to suggest that transmission in supermarkets and food retail remains a problem and with the Government's roadmap to re-opening other hospitality and retail businesses from Spring 2021, there is an urgent need to ensure that businesses already open are compliant to a consistent set of standards and that for those due to re-open that they too are compliant and that consumers will have the confidence to use them when permitted. This would be achieved by registration, auditing and inspection of member businesses.
The arrangement would initially be for a pilot to be conducted in Broxbourne and if evaluation proves successful to continue to roll out the scheme across Hertfordshire. If the pilot is unsuccessful then the contract will be terminated by HCC.
Please see section V((award of contract) for further details)
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.14) Additional information
The value of the initial pilot is £213,000. The value indicated in Section II.1.7 is for the total contract value, should the scheme be rolled out to the whole of the County of Hertfordshire.
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority
Explanation:
Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) is relying on regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 in making this award without prior publication. Regulation 32(2)(c) permits such an award: "insofar as is strictly necessary where, for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with."
For the reasons set out in II.1.4 and II.2.4, the extreme urgency relates to the need to ensure businesses are accredited now and as they re-open. If HCC fails to take steps to urgently ensure high levels of compliance, there is a real risk that transmissions will rise and put the county at risk of further local restrictions causing significant damage to the local economy and risking further negative impacts on residents. The need to procure this service was unforeseeable given the fast moving nature of the COVID-19 response. A tender process would delay the implementation to a point when most businesses will already be opening. In respect of the requirement in Regulation 32(4) that the circumstances invoked to justify extreme urgency must not be attributable to the contracting authority, HCC considers that the urgency is due to the need to respond to public health risks and the timetable in the Government's reopening roadmap, neither of which are within the control of HCC.
A business accreditation scheme known as 'Safe To Trade' is currently offered by Shield Safety Group Ltd, an environmental health consultancy company with the capacity and staff to quickly roll out their scheme in any given area.
Shield Safety Group Ltd would operate and deliver this scheme on the Council's behalf thereby relieving the local authority of large scale inspection burdens whilst at the same time maintaining confidence in standards and helping to reduce transmission of Covid 19 by achieving greater compliance with set guidelines.
If evaluation of the pilot proves successful, the scheme will be rolled out across Hertfordshire in an expeditious way. In expanding the scheme county-wide as quickly as possible during the Government's roadmap it will be important to maintain a consistent high-quality auditing process, public communications and joint branding approach that will be established before and during the pilot phase. Furthermore, to ensure the scheme will be effective county-wide, it is essential to provide continuity to businesses and consumers by maintaining the working processes with the one provider partnered with during the initial pilot and not risk confusing businesses and consumers with the inevitable changes in auditing and communications that would result. For these reasons the provider which carries out the pilot also needs to carry out the county-wide scheme.
The length of the contract is expected to be relatively short particularly if transmission rates fall and mitigation measures required by businesses reduce later in the year. The arrangement is therefore restricted to what is absolutely necessary.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
HCC2112794
Title
Implementation of a Covid secure scheme for businesses in Hertfordshire
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
30 March 2021
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Shield Safety Group Ltd
45/47 - 1st Floor Newton Street
Manchester
M1 1FT
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKD3 - Greater Manchester
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £2,300,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court, Royal Courts of Justice
The Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Telephone
+44 20794760000
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Hertfordshire County Council
Pegs Lane
Hertford
SG13 8DE
Country
United Kingdom