Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name, addresses and contact point(s)
Ministry of Defence
Birch 1a, Abbey Wood
Bristol
BS34 8JH
For the attention of
NDP Commercial Team
Email(s)
DESShipsAcq-IFC-NDP@mod.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
General address of the contracting authority/entity
Further information
Further information can be obtained from the above mentioned contact point(s)
Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from
The above-mentioned contact point(s)
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to
The above-mentioned contact point(s)
one.2) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
one.3) Main activity
Defence
Section two: Object of the contract
two.1) Description
two.1.1) Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority
Naval Design Partnering Successor - NDP-S
two.1.2) Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Services
Service category No 26: Other services
NUTS code
- UKK1 - Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area
two.1.5) Short description of the contract or purchase(s)
The Innovation and Future Capability (“IFC”) Team within DE&S, part of the UK Ministry of Defence (“MoD”) is seeking to procure a Prime Contractor for the Naval Design Partnering – Successor Contract (“NDP-S Contract”) that will be responsible for setting up and managing a NDP-S framework consisting of a diverse range of supply chain to deliver Core and Non- Core Tasks in support of Navy Develop Directorate’s objectives and priorities.
The NDP-S will provide a Core Task service that is funded directly from Navy Develop Directorate but also aims to provide a Non-Core task service to sponsors within DE&S and from other government departments.
The NDP-S scope will not include the procurement or through life support of any items.
The Authority’s high-level requirements for the NDP-S programme (the "Procurement Objectives") are as follows:
• To act as the pipeline for the incubation of maritime capabilities from pre-concept through to in-service;
• To maintain continuity of service with respect to Core and Non-Core Tasks, aligned to the priorities of the Navy Develop Directorate from FY 24/25 for a duration of up to six (6) years; and
• To provide a technical and commercial enabler to deliver outputs that mature the requirements, design, manufacture, commissioning and acceptance aspects required for the initiation of pre-concept, concept, assessment, production, in service and disposal phase across the sense, decide and effect, enable and integrate, marine systems, naval architecture and cost engineering characteristics of maritime capabilities.
The purpose of this Contract Notice (“CN”) is to advertise the requirement and invite potential bidders to express their interest and complete and return the pre-qualification questionnaire for the Procurement (“PQQ”) within the Defence Sourcing Portal (“DSP”).
All bidders, or prospective framework members, who express an interest in the Procurement and would like access to guidance documents which have been uploaded within the DSP in support of the PQQ for information purposes, will be required to provide a signed copy of the Confidentiality Undertaking at Appendix 4 of the PQQ Instruction Notice by 12:00 midday on 6th October 2023, via the NDP multi user e-mail account: DESShipsAcq-IFC-NDP@mod.gov.uk Once a signed copy of the Confidentiality Undertaking has been received the Authority will provide the passwords to access this documentation. Bidders will be required to provide their Expression of Interest & fully completed PQQ response, within the DSP by 23:59 on 26th October 2023.
Intended Procurement Process
The Procurement is planned to consist of:
1. The PQQ stage. The Authority will evaluate PQQ responses to select up to a maximum of four (4) bidders.
2. Up to four (4) successful Bidders of the PQQ will be Invited to Negotiate (“ITN”) whereby an NDP-S ITN including a Draft NDP-S Contract will be issued via the DSP.
3. Bids to be submitted in accordance with the ITN instructions.
4. Any clarifications required will be raised by Bidders and answered by the Authority.
5. Award of NDP-S Contract (following evaluation of NDP-S Bids in accordance with the NDP-S ITN).
Only those Bidders that successfully pre-qualify in line with the PQQ criteria, up to a maximum of four (4), will be invited to bid for the NDP-S ITN.
The Bidder that achieves the highest score, in accordance with the requirements of the published evaluation criteria in the NDP-S ITN, will (subject to approvals and successful completion of Preferred Bidder tasking) be awarded the NDP-S Contract.
Indicative Timeline
The indicative procurement timeline, which the Authority reserves the right to amend at its sole discretion, is as follows:
1. Contract Notice and PQQ Issue Date: 28th September 2023
2. Signing of Confidentiality Undertaking Deadline: 6th October 2023
3. PQQ Submission Deadline: 26th October 2023
4. NDP-S ITN Issue Date: 5th December 2023
5. NDP-S ITN Submission Deadline: 15th February 2024
6. NDP-S Contract Award: 24th July 2024
General
Whilst what is set out above is the intended procurement process, the Authority, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to amend in any way and/or cancel the procurement process at any time.
The Authority reserves the right to withdraw this notice at any time for any reason. The Authority reserves the right not to award any contract to any Bidder at any stage during the procurement. The Authority does not bind itself to enter into any Contract arising out of the proceedings envisaged by this CN and no contractual rights express or implied arise out of this CN or the procedures envisaged by it.
This procurement is exempt from the requirements of the Defence and Security Public Contract Regulations 2011 (“DSPCR”) and the specified retained EU Law (as defined by Regulation 6(7) of the DSPCR) to protect the UK’s national security interests. By submitting a response to the PQQ you acknowledge that none of the obligations, rights and remedies deriving from the DSPCR and/or from the specified retained EU law apply to this Procurement.
Any Bidders who participate in the Procurement shall be fully responsible for the cost of responding to the PQQ and participating in the Procurement and the Authority does not accept any liability for any costs howsoever incurred including but not limited to those costs arising out of or in connection with any amendment to, or cancellation of, the Procurement process.
Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP)
The Authority is mandated to use the DSP and the DSP will be used to:
a) Provide access to documents shared by the Authority
b) Allow Bidders to raise and respond to requests and clarifications
c) Provide a portal for formal submission of PQQ Responses, and
d) Support the Authority in its assessment of the PQQ Responses.
Additional DSP Supplier guidance can be located via the following web address: Defence Sourcing Portal - Supplier User Guide.pdf (mod.uk). This is also located on the home page of the DSP at www.contracts.mod.uk.
Expressions of Interest
To express an interest in the Procurement you must do so via the DSP Opportunity Listing for this Procurement which can be accessed using the following web address: www.contracts.mod.uk.
Bidders that express an interest in the Procurement will also need to provide a response to the PQQ.
The deadline for providing a signed Confidentiality Undertaking to the to the NDP multi user e-mail account: DESShipsAcq-IFC-NDP@mod.gov.uk is 12:00 midday on 6th October 2023. The Authority reserves the right to reject any expressions of interest received after this time.
The deadline for expressing an interest in the Procurement and providing a response to the PQQ, within the DSP is 23:59 on 26th October 2023. The Authority reserves the right to reject any responses to the PQQ uploaded after this time, at the Authority’s sole discretion.
A Bidder's PQQ response must be submitted through DSP in accordance with instructions in, and terms of, the PQQ Instruction Notice.
The Link for the PQQ is included within the Opportunity Listing on the DSP accessed via www.contracts.mod.uk.
two.1.6) Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
- 71300000 - Engineering services
Additional CPV code(s)
- 71320000 - Engineering design services
- 71350000 - Engineering-related scientific and technical services
two.2) Quantity or scope of the contract
two.2.1) Total quantity or scope
Estimated value excluding VAT:
£75,000,000
two.2.3) Information about renewals
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
two.3) Duration of the contract or time limit for completion
Start date: 24 July 2024
End date: 23 July 2030
Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information
three.2) Conditions for participation
three.2.1) Personal situation
Criteria regarding the personal situation of economic operators (that may lead to their exclusion) including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender:
1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once)
- Browse to the eSourcing Portal
- Click the “Click here to register” link
- Accept the terms and conditions and click “continue”
- Enter your correct business and user details
- Note the username you chose and click “Save” when complete
- You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure)
2. Express an Interest in the tender
- Login to the portal with the username/password
- Click the "PQQs Open to All Suppliers" link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires open to any registered supplier)
- Click on the relevant PQQ to access the content.
- Click the “Express Interest” button in the “Actions” box on the left-hand side of the page.
- This will move the PQQ into your “My PQQs” page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only)
- Click on the PQQ code, you can now access any attachments by clicking the “Settings and Buyer Attachments” in the “Actions” box
3. Responding to the tender
- You can now choose to “Reply” or “Reject” (please give a reason if rejecting)
- You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification
- Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ
- There may be a mixture of online & offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available)
If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.
Criteria regarding the personal situation of subcontractors (that may lead to their rejection) including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender:
1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once)
- Browse to the eSourcing Portal
- Click the “Click here to register” link
- Accept the terms and conditions and click “continue”
- Enter your correct business and user details
- Note the username you chose and click “Save” when complete
- You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure)
2. Express an Interest in the tender
- Login to the portal with the username/password
- Click the "PQQs Open to All Suppliers" link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires open to any registered supplier)
- Click on the relevant PQQ to access the content.
- Click the “Express Interest” button in the “Actions” box on the left-hand side of the page.
- This will move the PQQ into your “My PQQs” page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only)
- Click on the PQQ code, you can now access any attachments by clicking the “Settings and Buyer Attachments” in the “Actions” box
3. Responding to the tender
- You can now choose to “Reply” or “Reject” (please give a reason if rejecting)
- You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification
- Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ
- There may be a mixture of online & offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available)
If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.
Section four: Procedure
four.1) Type of procedure
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated
four.1.2) Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate
Envisaged number of operators: 4
four.2) Award criteria
four.2.1) Award criteria
the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document
four.2.2) Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction has been used: no
four.3) Administrative information
four.3.2) Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract
Prior information notice
Notice number: 2023/S 000-012974 of 5 May 2023
Other previous publications
Notice number: 2023/S 000-017622 of 21 June 2023
four.3.3) Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document
Time limit for receipt of requests for documents or for accessing documents: 6 October 2023 - 12:00pm
four.3.4) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
26 October 2023 - 11:59pm
four.3.5) Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
5 December 2023
four.3.6) Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up
English
Section six: Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.2) Information about European Union funds
The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
six.3) Additional information
The Contracting Authority intends to use an e-Tendering system in this procurement exercise, please visit www.contracts.mod.uk for full details and to register your interest in this procurement.
six.4) Procedures for appeal
six.4.1) Body responsible for appeal procedures
Ministry of Defence
Bristol
BS34 8JH
Country
United Kingdom