Section one: Contracting entity
one.1) Name and addresses
BELFAST HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS
Harbour Office,Corporation Square
BELFAST
BT13AL
Contact
Financial Controller
tendersfc@belfast-harbour.co.uk
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKN06 - Belfast
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
http://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/corporate/corporate-tender
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address
one.6) Main activity
Port-related activities
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
External Audit Services Tender
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79210000 - Accounting and auditing services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Belfast Harbour Commissioners (BHC) is seeking to enter into a contract with a suitably qualified and experienced professional services provider for the provision of external audit and related services. It is currently anticipated that any contract entered into by BHC will be for an initial 3 year period. BHC shall have the option, acting at its discretion, to extend the contract on 7 subsequent occasions of 12 months each time, up to a maximum total period of 10 years. The value provided below therefore represents the best estimated total value for the entire potential contract duration. Further information regarding the scope of services required is set out in the procurement documentation.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £500,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKN06 - Belfast
Main site or place of performance
Harbour Office, Corporation Square, Belfast
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
BHC has a requirement for the provision of external audit and related services. The services required comprise:
• The statutory audit of the group financial statements of BHC .
• The statutory audit of the financial statements of City Quays Hotel Ltd (100% owned by BHC) .
• Attendance at any Audit and Risk committee meetings (normally three per annum) and ad hoc meetings as required.
• The submission of an audit planning report to the Audit and Risk Committee in advance of each accounting year end. The accounting year end is the 31 December of each year (the "Accounting Year End").
• The submission of a report on the audit to the Audit and Risk Committee in line with the required timescales; usually within three months after the Accounting Year End.
• Liaison and coordination with tax advisors and internal auditors as required and to ensure a full exchange of information.
• Agreed Upon Procedures in relation to the provision of film studio income certificate.
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: £500,000
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months
120
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
It is currently anticipated that any contract entered into by BHC will be for an initial 3 year period. BHC shall have the option, acting at its discretion, to extend the contract on 7 subsequent occasions of 12 months each time, up to a maximum total period of 10 years.
two.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
Envisaged number of candidates: 3
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:
As set out in the procurement documents
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
It is currently anticipated that any contract entered into by BHC will be for an initial 3 year period. BHC shall have the option, acting at its discretion, to extend the contract on 7 subsequent occasions of 12 months each time, up to a maximum total period of 10 years.
two.2.14) Additional information
The costs of responding to this notice and participation in the process shall be borne by each bidder. All discussions and correspondence will be deemed strictly subject to contract until a formal contract is entered into.
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
three.1.6) Deposits and guarantees required
BHC reserves the right to require bonds, deposits, guarantees or other forms of undertaking or security to ensure proper contractual performance.
three.1.7) Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them
As set out in the procurement documents
three.1.8) Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded
Subject to the status and involvement of the parties, BHC may require the parties to commit to joint and several liability in respect of the contract. Alternatively BHC may require the lead organisation to take total responsibility or a consortium to form a legal entity before entering into any contract.
three.2) Conditions related to the contract
three.2.1) Information about a particular profession
Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession
Reference to the relevant law, regulation or administrative provision
Bidders must possess an appropriate regulatory qualification to undertake statutory audit.
three.2.2) Contract performance conditions
As set out in the procurement documents.
three.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract
Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated procedure with prior call for competition
four.1.4) Information about reduction of the number of solutions or tenders during negotiation or dialogue
Recourse to staged procedure to gradually reduce the number of solutions to be discussed or tenders to be negotiated
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.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
10 June 2021
Local time
12:00pm
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
four.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.3) Additional information
This process is being conducted competitively in accordance with the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (as amended). The procedure to be followed for this procurement is the Negotiated Procedure with prior call for competition (Regulation 47). Bidders who wish to participate in this procurement are required to provide details of their contact point, together with email address and telephone number upon downloading the tender documents. Bidders who fail to provide their details to BHC or register in this manner will not receive any clarifications or updated information provided by BHC during the tender process.
All discussions and correspondence will be deemed strictly subject to contract until a formal contract is entered into. The formal contract shall not be binding until it has been signed and dated by the duly authorised representatives of both parties.
Subject to a sufficient number of compliant responses being received, BHC intends (according to the process described in the PQQ) to invite a maximum of the three (3) highest scoring bidders, following evaluation of PQQ responses, to the invitation to negotiate stage of this process, provided that BHC, acting at its discretion, reserves the right to invite less than three (3) bidders to negotiate. Where there is a tie for third place, all bidders in third place will be invited to negotiate. For the purposes of this exercise, a tie for third place is deemed to occur where two or more bidders have identical scores.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland
Royal Courts of Justice, Chichester Street
Belfast
BT1 3JF
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
BHC will incorporate a minimum 10 calendar day standstill period at the point information on the award of contract is communicated to all bidders. The standstill period provides time for unsuccessful bidders to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into. The Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (as amended) 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 (Northern Ireland).
six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Belfast Harbour Commissioners
Harbour Office, Corporation Square
Belfast
BT1 3AL
Country
United Kingdom