Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department of Finance DoF
Craigantlet Buildings, Stoney Road
BELFAST
BT4 3SX
Contact
SSDAdmin.CPDfinance-ni.gov.uk
ssdadmin.cpd@finance-ni.gov.uk
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.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
ID 5448223 - DoF - Provision of CHECK Services
Reference number
ID 5448223
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Department of Finance, for itself and on behalf of other public sector organisations in Northern Ireland, is establishing a Contract with suitable Supplier for the provision of CHECK Services on a Call-Off basis as defined within this Specification. A list of all participating Bodies (Buyer(s)) who can call-Off this Contract can be found in the Specification Document at Annex A. This is a Call- Off Contract for the Provision of CHECK Services. The Contract will be for an initial period of 2 years with options to extend for two further periods of two years each. The Provision of CHECK Services Call-Off Contract services required include, but are not limited to, the following, the provision of CHECK penetration testing services and providing independent verification for Services, Systems and Applications supporting the Buyer(s) business operations on a Call-Off Contract basis. For further details as to the requirements please refer to the document entitled ID 5448223 – Specification.
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: £8,200,000
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services
- 72590000 - Computer-related professional services
- 72800000 - Computer audit and testing services
- 72810000 - Computer audit services
- 72820000 - Computer testing services
- 72700000 - Computer network services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKN - Northern Ireland
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Department of Finance, for itself and on behalf of other public sector organisations in Northern Ireland, is establishing a Contract with suitable Supplier for the provision of CHECK Services on a Call-Off basis as defined within this Specification. A list of all participating Bodies (Buyer(s)) who can call-Off this Contract can be found in the Specification Document at Annex A. This is a Call- Off Contract for the Provision of CHECK Services. The Contract will be for an initial period of 2 years with options to extend for two further periods of two years each. The Provision of CHECK Services Call-Off Contract services required include, but are not limited to, the following, the provision of CHECK penetration testing services and providing independent verification for Services, Systems and Applications supporting the Buyer(s) business operations on a Call-Off Contract basis. For further details as to the requirements please refer to the document entitled ID 5448223 – Specification.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Qualitative Criteria / Weighting: 60
Cost criterion - Name: Quantitative Criteria / Weighting: 40
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
The Contract will be for an initial period of 2 years, with options to extend for two further periods of two years each 2 years + 2 years.
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
two.2.14) Additional information
The estimated contract value is an estimated range between £5m and £8.2m which will be determined by the usage off the contract. This value reflects the potential scale of the Contract and takes into account potential optional extension periods as detailed in the tender documents. However, as this is demand driven there is no guarantee to the level of work.This figure does not however take into account the application of indexation. This is a Contract for the provision of Check Services on a Call-Off basis. For a list of participating bodies whom may avail of this Contract, please refer to Annex A of the Specification Document. Neither CPD nor the Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this Contract.
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
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.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2025/S 000-007008
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
1
Title
Contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
14 May 2025
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 4
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 1
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 4
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Cyber Guarded Ltd
Innovation Factory, Forthriver Business Park
Belfast
BT12 7DG
Telephone
+44 7498200623
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
Internet address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £8,200,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
Contract monitoring: the successful contractor’s performance on the contract will be regularly monitored. Contractors not delivering. on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a contractor fails to reach. satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified time, they still fail to reach. satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in construction and procurement delivery. (CPD) for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period,. this may be considered grounds for termination of the contract at your expense as provided for in the Conditions of Contract. In lieu. of termination, CPD may issue a Notice of Written Warning or a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance. A supplier in receipt of multiple. Notices of Written Warning or a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance may, in accordance with The Public Contracts Regulations 2015. (as amended), be excluded from future public procurement competitions for a period of. up to three years.. . "The Authority expressly. reserves the rights:. . (I). not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice;. (II). to. make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering Competition;. (III). to award (a) contract(s) in respect of. any part(s) of the [services] covered by this notice; and. (IV). to award contract(s) in stages.. . and in no circumstances will the Authority be. liable for any costs incurred by candidates."
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The UK does not have any such bodies with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures. Instead; any challenges are dealt with by the High Court, Commercial Division, to which proceedings may be issued regarding alleged breaches of the PCR 2015 as amended.
Belfast
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
CPD complied with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended). and, incorporated a standstill period of 10 calendar days at the point information on the award. of contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification provided full information on the award decision. Thus provided time for the unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract was entered into.