Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Oldham Council
Civic Centre,West Street
OLDHAM
OL1 1UT
Contact
Emma Tweedie
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKD - North West (England)
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
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
Oldham Green New Deal Independent Assurance Provider
Reference number
DN631261
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 71500000 - Construction-related services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Council is conducting market engagement to help shape its requirements for an Independent Assurance Provider (IAP), and its integration or linkages with the Oldham Green New Deal Delivery Partner in sufficient depth to take us to the early stages of procurement.
The IAP's role will be first to support the Council in designing the contractual structure of the partnership and procuring the partners, and then to provide ongoing governance, assurance and programme management for the partnership as it delivers.
Information about Lots: No.
The Council's plan to appoint a single provider of the nature described in the market engagement documents is based on its current understanding that any resultant contract would not lend itself to lotting: The Council foresees a single point of contact with accountability for the oversight and management of the partner being the best solution, and that there would be operational viability issues in having multiple assurance providers of the same nature.
Please see details below.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 71314000 - Energy and related services
- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKD - North West (England)
Main site or place of performance
The borough of Oldham
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Oldham Green New Deal (OGND) Strategy was the first local authority Green New Deal strategy to be adopted in the UK and sets out Oldham's unique approach to achieving our stretching net zero targets, which are even more ambitious than the 2038 carbon neutrality target set for Greater Manchester as a whole. Oldham is very much part of the Greater Manchester family though, and our ambition sits within the wider ambition and opportunity of the city region and its ten local authority areas - and is supported by the GM Combined Authority low carbon and environmental teams.
The Council believes that, working together with the private and third sectors and our local residents and businesses, we can achieve these challenging carbon neutrality targets while building the local green economy and creating good jobs and training opportunities. We recognise though that the Council alone cannot provide the scale of investment and capacity required to transform the energy infrastructure of the borough to achieve the transition to net zero, stabilise energy costs for residents and businesses and deliver on the net zero carbon targets outlined in the Green New Deal Strategy.
We are therefore seeking to establish a strategic Delivery Partnership for the borough, working with a forward-looking investor developer and other organisations to bring about the transformation and decarbonisation of Oldham's energy infrastructure, creating win-win outcomes for commercial partners, local residents and businesses. Associated with the requirement for a strategic Delivery Partnership is the requirement for an Independent Assurance Provider which is the subject of this market engagement exercise.
We are seeking market feedback which will help us to shape our requirements for the Independent Assurance Provider, and its integration or linkages with the Delivery Partner in sufficient depth to take us to the early stages of procurement. The Council will need to appoint an Independent Assurance Provider (IAP) organisation as a key element of the partnership. The IAP's role will be first to support the Council in designing the contractual structure of the partnership and procuring the partners, and then to provide ongoing governance, assurance and programme management for the partnership as it delivers.
For the avoidance of any doubt, this (Chest project reference DN631261) is a brand-new market engagement exercise, fully independent of and separate to any previous soft market testing exercise previously conducted by the Council in 2021 and which is now fully closed: (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025236-2021). As a procurement process, it is also fully independent of and separate to the market engagement relating to the Oldham Green New Deal Delivery Partnership (Oldham Council procurement reference DN631138) which is running concurrently.
The market engagement documents contain a significant amount of information to convey the background and future opportunity, including a draft specification for the Independent Assurance Provider. They also contain a number of market engagement questions to which we would be very pleased and appreciative to receive responses to from any organisation interested in this potential opportunity, including any organisations which responded to our first round of market engagement 2021. Documentation and plans have progressed substantially since 2021. For the avoidance of any doubt this market engagement exercise will not serve as any kind of shortlisting.
The deadline for responses to the market engagement questions is 12.00 noon Tuesday 18th October 2022.
It is not possible at this stage to provide an indicative contract value for this opportunity. Please refer to the market engagement documents to understand the scale and duration of the opportunity for your own commercial estimations.
The Council cannot confirm future procurement dates at this stage but would hope to commence the procurement of the Independent Assurance Provider (IAP) within quarter one of its 2023/24 financial year (e.g., April-June 2023). The procurement of the Delivery Partner would not commence until the IAP is appointed.
two.2.14) Additional information
All communication (queries or clarifications) including your response is to go through the Council's e-tendering portal www.the-chest.org.uk and not addressed directly to individual Oldham Council employees or any Council agent by email or otherwise.
The project reference is DN631261.
The deadline for responses to the market engagement questions is 12.00 noon Tuesday 18th October 2022.
The Chest - Tenderer Support
Go to https://www.the-chest.org.uk/SupplierSupport.html
Here you will see the hyperlink to log your issue / 'submit a ticket' for ProContract
V3.
Alternatively you can log your call by emailing ProContractSuppliers@proactis.com
and a representative will contact you as soon as possible. For Critical and Time-
Sensitive issues you can call The Chest: 0330 005 0352.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
3 April 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