Planning

Tail Spend Management Services

  • THE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH EAST COUNCILS LIMITED

F01: Prior information notice (prior information only)

Notice identifier: 2023/S 000-022741

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-03ed1f

Published 4 August 2023, 12:59pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

THE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH EAST COUNCILS LIMITED

NEPO, Northern Design Centre

Gateshead

NE8 3DF

Contact

Jake Pattison

Email

corporate.services@nepo.org

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Justification for not providing organisation identifier

Not on any register

Internet address(es)

Main address

www.nepo.org

Buyer's address

www.nepo.org

one.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

one.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from 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

Tail Spend Management Services

Reference number

NEPO534

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 66151100 - Electronic marketplace retailing services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

NEPO seeks to establish a single provider Framework Agreement for the provision of Tail Spend Management .

NEPO understands that low value, high volume spend presents many challenges for public sector organisations such as missed commercial benefits, non-compliant spending, increased maverick buying and high associated administration costs.

It is envisaged that the resulting Solution will be a fully managed service for the purchase and management of tail spend across goods and services. The service will be used to enhance tail spend management by utilising improved commercial agreements, reducing administration burdens for procurement and accounts payable teams and consolidating supplier relationship management and the P2P process through the use of eProcurement technology and managed service support.

two.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £130,000,000

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 66000000 - Financial and insurance services
  • 79900000 - Miscellaneous business and business-related services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

NEPO is seeking to establish a Solution in relation to the supply of Tail Spend Management "NEPO534". From stakeholder and soft market engagement, NEPO have identified the need for a Solution to control and manage spend that is below UK Public Procurement thresholds.

The purpose of the prior information notice (PIN) is to provide advance notice to the market place for the future opportunity and the intentions of NEPO to hold market consultation meetings with suppliers to help shape the future Framework Agreement.

NEPO are not advertising this PIN as a mechanism to reduce future procurement timescales. The market consultation meetings are advertised openly via this PIN but are limited to a particular number.

Market consultation meetings will take place Between W/C 14/08/2023 - 01/09/2023.The Market Consultation meetings are advertised openly using this notice.

Suppliers wishing to register attendance must do so in writing to Jake Pattison (jake.pattison@nepo.org) by no later than 12 p.m. (noon) on 11/08/2023.

Each appointment will be no longer than 90 minutes. NEPO intend to conduct these sessions virtually through online meeting platform applications or in person in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

NEPO anticipates that any virtual meeting sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams or other secure meeting platforms. In person meetings will be determined via correspondence but are expected to take place at NEPO's offices. The time and location of each appointment will be confirmed following the registration deadline.

Places will be secured on a first come first serve basis. Suppliers wishing to attend the virtual market consultation meetings should be capable of meeting the requirements outlined within section 2.1.4 and above.

NEPO reserves the right to seek assurances from interested suppliers prior to allocating a place. Attendance at the market consultation is optional and does not provide suppliers with an advantage in any future related procurement. Attendance also does not constitute as an intention to tender for any future related procurement, nor does the meeting location. Please note the above dates may be subject to change depending on availability and supplier uptake.

In addition to the market consultation meetings, NEPO also intends to publish a soft market testing questionnaire via our Open E-Procurement system. The questionnaire will allow a further opportunity for those suppliers unable to attend the market consultation meetings to contribute towards shaping the future NEPO534 Framework Agreement design. Once the Questionnaire is ready for issue, this will be published through Open for access and completion. Suppliers wishing to participate must first register using the following link:

https://open-uk.org/

two.2.14) Additional information

The estimated value included in this prior information notice is based on current volumes per annum and extrapolated across the future Framework Agreement period. The value may however be subject to change on the basis of design development between publication of the PIN and contract notice.

two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice

10 November 2023


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

NEPO is a Central Purchasing Body as defined in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR15). As a Central Purchasing Body NEPO may provide central purchasing activity on behalf of contracting authorities (as defined by PCR15). NEPO intends to make the future Framework Agreement available for use by all contracting authorities throughout all administrative regions of the UK including but not limited to: central government departments and their agencies, local government departments and their agencies, non-departmental public bodies, central government, NHS and HSC bodies (including ambulance services), local authorities, emergency services (including police and fire rescue), coastguard emergency services, educational establishments (including academies), registered social landlords, registered charities and any public body established by or under the Scotland Act 1998 or any Act of the Scottish Parliament. Please see the following websites for further details:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education

https://www.gov.uk/check-a-university-is-officially-recognised/recognised-bodies

http://www.schoolswebdirectory.co.uk/localauthorities.phphttp://www.ukschoolsdirectory.net

https://www.gov.uk/find-school-in-england

https://education.gov.scot/ParentZone

http://hwb.wales.gov.uk/https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development

http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/institutions/

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/workprovide/unicoll/heis/

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/workprovide/unicoll/fecs/

http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/AcuteTrustListing.aspx

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/nhswalesaboutus/structure

http://www.scottishambulance.com/TheService/organised.aspx

http://www.hscni.net/index.php?link=trusts

http://www.scottishambulance.com/AboutUs/HowWeOrganised.aspx

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/A-ZOfCentralGovernment/index.htm

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisationshttp://www.northernireland.gov.uk/gov.htm

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/local-councils-in-northern-ireland

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/02/2421/1

https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/contact

https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/articles/list-public-bodies-which-ni-public-procurement-policy-applies

https://www.ons.gov.uk/

https://www.police.uk/forces/

http://www.police-information.co.uk/index.html

http://www.psni.police.uk/index.htm

http://www.scotland.police.uk/

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguard-agency

http://www.fireservice.co.uk/information/ukfrs

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/archive/law-order/Police/PoliceServiceofScotland

http://www.fire.org.uk/fire-brigades.html

http://www.nifrs.org/areas-districts/

http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-area.aspx

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/current-registered-providers-of-social-housing

http://directory.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/pages/default.aspx

https://gov.wales/topics/housing-and-regeneration/publications/registered-social-landlords-in-wales/?lang=en

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/housing-associations

http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/About_us/Regulation/Registering_charities_index.aspx

http://www.oscr.org.uk/

https://idea.org.uk/

http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/registerhomepage.aspx

http://www.sell2wales.gov.uk/Search/search_Auth.aspx

http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom/factsandfigures/housingplanning1/facts/socialhousing/?id=1822644A

A complete list of permissible users is shown on the NEPO website below: http://www.nepo.org/associate-membership/permissable-users

Organisations wishing to access the NEPO agreement will be required to register as a NEPO Associate Member in the first instance. Further information can be found at: www.nepo.org