Opportunity

HCC 03/23 - Provision of Herts Help Information Advice Helpline

  • Hertfordshire County Council

F02: Contract notice

Notice reference: 2023/S 000-007511

Published 15 March 2023, 11:42am



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Hertfordshire County Council

Pegs Lane

HERTFORD

SG13 8DE

Contact

Strategic Procurement Group

Email

helen.brucehoy@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 01992588668

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKH23 - Hertfordshire

Internet address(es)

Main address

www.hertfordshire.gov.uk

Buyer's address

https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home

one.3) Communication

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at

https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address

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

HCC 03/23 - Provision of Herts Help Information Advice Helpline

Reference number

HCC2214258

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 98300000 - Miscellaneous services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

Hertfordshire County Council (the ‘Council’) is currently out to procurement for the provision of the Herts Help Information and Advice telephone service and Welfare Assistance triage service, and also the Welfare Assistance Financial advice service which is part of the Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance service.Further information in regards to this opportunity can be found in II.2.4) Description of the procurement field (this Contract Notice refers). Organisations wishing to take part in this project are invited to "express interest" which will give access to the full procurement documents in the e-tendering system. Please see VI.3) Additional information for further information. Any questions relating to this procurement must be made via the correspondence area in the e-Tendering system, in accordance with the procurement documents and can be addressed to the main contact as shown in the details above.

two.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £9,560,560

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: Yes

Tenders may be submitted for all lots

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Provision of Specialist Financial Advice to Prevent Crisis

Lot No

Lot 2

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 98300000 - Miscellaneous services
  • 75200000 - Provision of services to the community
  • 75100000 - Administration services
  • 85300000 - Social work and related services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKH23 - Hertfordshire

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Lot 2 is for the Provision of Specialist Financial Advice to Prevent CrisisThe estimated total value of the Contract is stated in II.1.5) of this notice and is for the initial term inclusive of the approximate value for extension. The estimated annual value of the Contract for Lot 2 will be approximately £397267.The Contract for Lot 2 will be awarded for an initial term of 5 years with the option to extend for a further four years. Therefore, the maximum duration of this Contract could be nine years.Please note that the contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.Organisations should be aware that due to the nature of the Services provided, any Contract formed as a result of this procurement process shall be executed as a deed. Organisations should seek independent legal advice on the implications of this prior to submitting their bid, where appropriate.Please Note the TUPE Employee Liability Information for this procurement has been provided along with other documentation for this procurement. TUPE related information is personal data and must be protected in accordance with the requirements of Data Protection legislation and must also be kept confidential. Therefore, by accessing this Tender via Supply Hertfordshire and then the View Details button and accessing the documentation for this procurement, Tenderers agree to undertake to treat the information as confidential and commercially sensitive at all times and take all reasonable steps to prevent any inadvertent disclosure to any third party.

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: £3,575,403

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

Duration in months

108

This contract is subject to renewal

Yes

Description of renewals

This Contract will be reviewed at the end of the Contract period. The Council will have the option to extend by up to four (4) further years

two.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: No

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: Yes

Description of options

This Contract will be reviewed at the end of the Contract period. The Council will have the option to extend by up to four (4) further years

two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

The Herts Help Information and Advice telephone service and Welfare Assistance triage service,

Lot No

Lot 1

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 98300000 - Miscellaneous services
  • 75200000 - Provision of services to the community
  • 75100000 - Administration services
  • 85300000 - Social work and related services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKH23 - Hertfordshire

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Lot 1 is for the provision of the Herts Help Information and Advice telephone service and Welfare Assistance triage service.The estimated total value of the Contract is stated in II.1.5) of this notice and is for the initial term inclusive of the approximate value for extension. For the avoidance of doubt, the estimated annual value of the Contract for Lot 1 will be approximately £664096. The Contract for Lot 1 will be awarded for an initial term of five years seven months with the option to extend for a further four years. Please note that the contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.Organisations should be aware that due to the nature of the Services provided, any Contract formed as a result of this procurement process shall be executed as a deed. Organisations should seek independent legal advice on the implications of this prior to submitting their bid, where appropriate.Please Note the TUPE Employee Liability Information for this procurement has been provided along with other documentation for this procurement. TUPE related information is personal data and must be protected in accordance with the requirements of Data Protection legislation and must also be kept confidential. Therefore, by accessing this Tender via Supply Hertfordshire and then the View Details button and accessing the documentation for this procurement, Tenderers agree to undertake to treat the information as confidential and commercially sensitive at all times and take all reasonable steps to prevent any inadvertent disclosure to any third party.

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: £5,985,157

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

Duration in months

108

This contract is subject to renewal

Yes

Description of renewals

This Contract will be reviewed at the end of the Contract period. The Council will have the option to extend by up to four (4) further years

two.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: No

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: Yes

Description of options

This Contract will be reviewed at the end of the Contract period. The Council will have the option to extend by up to four (4) further years

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: No

four.2) Administrative information

four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

Date

17 April 2023

Local time

12:00pm

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

English

four.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders

Date

17 April 2023

Local time

12:00pm


Section six. Complementary information

six.1) Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: No

six.3) Additional information

Please note Hertfordshire County Council has worked closely with its districts and partners to create a joint procurement portal called supply Hertfordshire. This portal provides an e-Tendering system which is run by In-Tend.To access this procurement opportunity please visit https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home and follow the on-screen guidance.This is a one stage procurement process. Therefore, if you wish to be considered as a tenderer you must complete and submit a tender by the specified closing date and time. Tender submissions cannot be uploaded after this return deadline.If you are experiencing problems In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK support desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.co.uk or Telephone: +44 1144070065 for any website/technical questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:00.The Council reserves the right at any time to cease the procurement process and not award a Contract or to award only part of the opportunity described in this notice. If the Council takes up this right, then they will not be responsible for or pay the expenses or losses, which may be incurred by any organisation or tenderer as a result.The Council undertakes to hold confidential any information provided in the proposal submitted, subject to the Council's obligations under the law including the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If the organisation considers that any of the information submitted in the proposal should not be disclosed because of its sensitivity then this should be stated with the reason for considering it sensitive. The Council will then endeavour to consult with the applicant about such sensitive information when considering any request received under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 before replying to such a request.The Council reserves the right to carry out additional financial checks on all organisations bidding for this opportunity at any time during the procurement process. This is to ensure that they continue to meet the Council's requirements and remain financially viable to fulfil the requirements under the Contract.The services advertised in this notice fall under the services listed in Annex XIV to Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and the contracting authority is not obliged to follow The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 in full. The procurement process that will apply to the services is specified in the procurement documents accordingly.

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

High Court, Royal Courts of Justice

The Strand

London

WC2A 2LL

Country

United Kingdom

six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures

High Court, Royal Courts of Justice

The Strand

London

WC2A 2LL

Country

United Kingdom

six.4.3) Review procedure

Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures

The Contracting Authority will incorporate a minimum 10 calendar day (when using electronic means) standstill period at the point information on the award of the Contract is communicated to tenderers. This period allows unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the decision to award a Contract before a contract is executed/signed (as appropriate). The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (‘Regulations’) provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Any such action must be brought promptly and within the time limits as defined in the above regulations. Where a Contract has not been entered into the court may order the setting aside of the award decision or order the contracting authority to amend any document and may award damages. If the Contract has been entered into the court has the options to award damages and/or to shorten or order the Contract ineffective.

six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained

Chief Legal Officer Hertfordshire County Council

County Hall, Pegs Lane

Hertford

SG13 8DE

Country

Afghanistan