Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Education Authority
40 Academy Street
Belfast
BT1 2NQ
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Buyer's address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
TRN 23-007 - Vehicle Maintenance - Belfast Region (DAC)
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 50000000 - Repair and maintenance services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Maintenance and Repair of EA Vehicles in the Belfast Region.
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: £302,280
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKN - Northern Ireland
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The purpose of this contract is to provide Vehicle Maintenance and Repair of EA vehicles in the Belfast Area. EA Transport has a statutory duty to provide Transport Assistance to eligible pupils. EA buses in the Belfast area provide transport for SEN pupils only. Due to the specialist nature of SEN Transport, a lack of suitable alternatives for transport provision it is essential that the Belfast fleet is maintained to ensure operational safety and reliability.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
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
Negotiated without a prior call for competition
- No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to open procedure
Explanation:
The EA Fleet Service is committed to ensuring, as far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of children and young people using EA Home to School Transport. Vehicle condition, roadworthiness and reliability is paramount to this. The EA holds a Bus Operator Licence and has an obligation to ensure that the vehicles are always maintained at PSV standard, receive 12 weekly safety inspections, and a have an ongoing defect repair facility available.
A Regional Vehicle Maintenance tender was published in June 2023 to outsource some of the EA vehicle maintenance requirements which included the Belfast Area. Despite an extensive premarket engagement exercise that resulted in 29 Economic Operators expressing a formal interest in the tender competition, the Regional Vehicle Maintenance tender did not return any successful bids for the Belfast region leaving the Fleet Service with no vehicle maintenance provision for the Belfast region after 1st August 2023. A Direct Award Contract is considered appropriate as no suitable submissions were received in response to the Regional Vehicle Maintenance tender – TRN-22-002- for the Belfast region. Direct Award Contracts can be entered into, where no suitable tenders, have been submitted in response to a tender procedure.
This requirement meets the conditions of Regulation 32 (c) of The Public Contracts Regulations 2015, namely the following condition has been fulfilled:
Use of the negotiated procedure without prior publication
32.—(1) In the specific cases and circumstances laid down in this regulation, contracting authorities may award public contracts by a negotiated procedure without prior publication.
General grounds
(2) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases:—
(a)where no tenders, no suitable tenders, no requests to participate or no suitable requests to participate have been submitted in response to an open procedure or a restricted procedure, provided that the initial conditions of the contract are not substantially altered and that a report is sent to the Commission where it so requests;
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
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
8 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
Rockmount Vehicle Maintenance
607 Antrim Rd, Newtownabbey
Belfast
BT36 4RF
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKN - Northern Ireland
Internet address
https://www.ballyvesey.com/rockmount-vehicle-maintenance-2/
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £302,280
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The Education Authority
Armagh
Country
United Kingdom