Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Newcastle University
Newcastle University, Procurement Services, Kingsgate
Newcastle
NE1 7RU
Telephone
+44 1912086396
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKC - North East (England)
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
(NU/1745-9) Business survey for National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise 2023
Reference number
DN651163
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
One of NICRE’s key objectives is to connect with businesses in order to generate insight into the circumstances of rural enterprises. This business focussed objective is vital to providing an evidence base for policy and support services for rural enterprise, and also to informing NICRE’s business engagement and development plans. At the heart of this objective is NICRE’s business survey.
NICRE has a requirement to conduct a telephone survey of businesses operating in three specific regions in the UK (the West-Midlands, South-West and North-East). The survey will focus on aspects of business resilience and planning for both internal and external threats. Interviews will last around 20 minutes and should be conducted with a member of the senior management team of each organisation. Survey coverage should be broadly representative of the business population and sufficient to allow for (sub-regional) spatial, sectoral and firm size analysis. We require that the survey include non-farming and farm businesses and we propose to over-sample farm businesses and those located in rural areas. We therefore envisage a sampling structure which covers size, sector and rural/urban location within each of the three target regions
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: £100,000
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 66170000 - Financial consultancy, financial transaction processing and clearing-house services
- 80530000 - Vocational training services
- 66121000 - Mergers and acquisition services
- 71241000 - Feasibility study, advisory service, analysis
- 72221000 - Business analysis consultancy services
- 66519600 - Actuarial services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKC - North East (England)
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
One of NICRE’s key objectives is to connect with businesses in order to generate insight into the circumstances of rural enterprises. This business focussed objective is vital to providing an evidence base for policy and support services for rural enterprise, and also to informing NICRE’s business engagement and development plans. At the heart of this objective is NICRE’s business survey.
NICRE has a requirement to conduct a telephone survey of businesses operating in three specific regions in the UK (the West-Midlands, South-West and North-East). The survey will focus on aspects of business resilience and planning for both internal and external threats. Interviews will last around 20 minutes and should be conducted with a member of the senior management team of each organisation. Survey coverage should be broadly representative of the business population and sufficient to allow for (sub-regional) spatial, sectoral and firm size analysis. We require that the survey include non-farming and farm businesses and we propose to over-sample farm businesses and those located in rural areas. We therefore envisage a sampling structure which covers size, sector and rural/urban location within each of the three target regions
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Ability to meet the timeline / Weighting: Pass/Fail
Quality criterion - Name: Quality: Ability to meet the Requirements / Weighting: 60%
Price - Weighting: 40%
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
The contract may be extended for a further 6 month period from 1st December 2023 to the 31st May 2024.
The University may extend the contract to cover additional regions to expand the survey coverage at the cost supplier by OMB Research of £64,819 excluding VAT per additional region (1,200 interviews)
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
Restricted procedure
four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the setting up of a dynamic purchasing system
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2022/S 000-006602
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
(NU/1745-9)
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
16 March 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 1
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
OMB Research
East Malling, Kent
ME19 6DZ
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKC - North East (England)
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Lowest offer: £178,140 / Highest offer: £307,778 taken into consideration
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Newcastle University
Kings Gate
Tyne and Wear
NE1 7RU
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
Newcastle University
Kings Gate
Tyne and Wear
NE1 7RU
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
The University 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 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015 No 102) 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) within 30 days of knowledge or constructive knowledge of breach.