Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
DERBY CITY COUNCIL
Corporation Street
Derby
DE12FS
Contact
Sam Black
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKF11 - Derby
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
Internet address(es)
Main 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
TD2049 - Remote Processing of Revenues & Benefits Work Package
Reference number
TD2049
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 50000000 - Repair and maintenance services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Council intends to enter into an agreement with Liberata for them to process Housing Benefit, Council Tax and NNDR work packages for 3 years with option to extend for 2 years. This is subject to the 10 day standstill, satisfactory performance and internal budgetary approval.
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: £2,070,000
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKF11 - Derby
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Provision of Remote processing of Housing Benefit, Council Tax and Business Rate packages, the current supplier will discharge the following for Derby City Council:
This would be the continuation of a flexible arrangement to enable the allocation of a number of work packages on a regular basis and increased numbers on a call off basis at times of peak demand. This will consist of a range of work packages consistent with the day to day workload for a busy Revenues and Benefits division of a unitary Local Authority. More specifically:
• Housing and Council Tax Benefit and Council Tax Local Support Scheme - processing, from start to completion, a wide range of new claims, changes, more specialist work and handling general written correspondence. This will also include Free School Meals claim administration.
• Housing and Council Tax Benefit and Council Tax Local Support Scheme - quality checks of decisions made by the Customer's benefits processing staff.
• Housing and Council Tax Benefit and Council Tax Local Support Scheme - pre-audit quality checks to ensure subsidy assurance of decisions made on high risk claims by the Customer's benefits processing staff and other staff employed by the successful Service Provider and/or other Service Providers.
• Council Tax and Business Rates - processing, from start to completion, of a wide range of changes relating to billing and recovery, to include discounts, exemptions, payment methods and handling written housing benefit claimant enquiries.
The current supplier is required to, and does provide the Derby City Council an experienced and
high quality service across a range of work packages within its Revenues and Benefits
division. All tasks are done remotely via a secure link.
There are four work packages as follows:
• Work Package A - Housing and Council Tax Benefit (and Council Tax Support Scheme): processing
• Work Package B - Housing and Council Tax Benefit (and Council Tax Support Scheme): quality checks of decisions made.
• Work Package C - Housing and Council Tax Benefit (and Council Tax Support Scheme): pre-audit quality checks to ensure subsidy assurance of decisions made on high risk claims.
• Work Package D - Council Tax and Business Rates: processing.
The current supplier currently process a certain amount of each work package a week as per the
existing contract. They accept that the work has to be available and that there will be
peaks and troughs in the supply of items. The current supplier manages these periods. Requirements
are currently reviewed will be on a rolling four weekly basis, with each party giving two weeks' notice
of any significant changes.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
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
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations
Explanation:
• The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
o Cost of change is prohibitive for new providers
There will be significant cost and inconvenience to the Authority and economic operators associated with tendering for the following reasons:
If we were to change suppliers we would need to do the following;
• Check and update processes and procedures to account for changes notified by email
• Issue procedure notes and provide suppliers with a walk through on our processes with regards to local policy and procedures
• Provide support for initial queries from the new suppliers the volumes of which we would not have the capacity for
• Quality checking new contract assessors which we do not have the capacity for
• Once satisfied with the quality of the assessors, we would then need to quality check the new suppliers staff checking the quality of the assessors, which we do not have the capacity for
• Training the new supplier on local policy and procedures of how claims and changes are processed at Derby City Council which we do not have the capacity for
• Increased number of queries until contract assessors are familiar with local policy and procedures of how claims and changes are processed at Derby City Council which we do not have the capacity for
• Training the new supplier with local policy and procedures of how over payments are recovered
• Training to use Enterprise, Academy if any new supplier is not already familiar with these applications which we do not have the capacity for
• Contractors to understand who does what, which we already have with the current supplier
• Setting up lines of communication and building good working relationships, which we already have with the current supplier
For IT, there will be tasks associated with the change in supplier and there are
• Remove current supplier from the network
• Remove current suppliers users from the Housing Benefit Processing system
• Remove current suppliers users from the document management system
• Add new supplier to the network
• Add new suppliers users to the Housing Benefit Processing system
• Add new security groups to the relevant security groups withing the Housing Benefit Processing system
• Add new suppliers users from the document management system
• Add new Users to Citrix Access Gateway (2 factor authentication)
• Project Gateway admin & IT tender review admin
• Hand Over to Support Document
• Hand Over to Support review and acceptance
There will also be tasks associated with the change in supplier that will impact on other sections;
• Review the Information Sharing Agreement Review (Information Governance)
• Review the current DPIA (Information Governance)
• Set up of new supplier on CIA (Accounts Payable)
• Set up of users on the DWP's viewing platform Searchlight, including ID verification and possible including DBS checks (Business Support)
• Set up of users on Hybrid Mail (Business Systems)
• Inclusion in the DWP's MoU
• Going out to procurement (Procurement Team/officers from the business)
The involvement of five additional teams including Revenues and Benefits means that the cost of change is therefore prohibitive for new providers.
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/concession
Contract No
TD2049
Title
TD2049 - Remote Processing of Revenues & Benefits Work Package
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
15 August 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Liberator UK Ltd
1st Floor, 100 Wood Street
London
EC2V 7AN
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKI - London
Companies House
01238274
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £2,070,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
The award is subject to the calendar standstill period starting on the 16th August until 25th August 2023 and also subject to internal approval.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Derby City Council
The Council House, Corporation Street, Derby
Derby
DE1 2FS
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
The award is subject to the calendar standstill period starting on the 16th August until 25th August 2023 and also subject to internal approval.