Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Defra Network eTendering Portal
17 Nobel House
London
SW1P 3JR
Telephone
+44 2080263217
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority
one.5) Main activity
Environment
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Farm Business Survey - Provision of Agricultural Business Data Services
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 77000000 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
DEFRA is seeking to appoint a contractor to undertake the Farm Business Survey (FBS) in England. The FBS is a long standing annual survey involving the collection of data from a representative sample of all farm types in England. The FBS collects information on the financial, physical and environmental performance of farm businesses to inform and evaluate policy decisions. The data is also used as reference material by organisations, including academic institutions. The FBS is intended to serve the needs of farmers, farming and land management interest groups, government, government partners and researchers.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £15,000,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 77000000 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
DEFRA is seeking to appoint a contractor to undertake the Farm Business Survey (FBS) in England. The FBS is an annual survey collecting detailed physical and financial data from the specified, stratified sample of representative commercially viable farm businesses in England. Participating farms are full-time or part-time commercial undertakings. Data collected by the contractor as part of the core FBS will cover all aspects of the farm business; both financial i.e. output value and costs relating to all farming enterprises; diversified activities; revenue from agricultural support and agri-environment schemes and physical as well as labour and geographical characteristics.
The contractor will use data collected to construct a “Farm Account” (management account) for each farm comprising a profit and loss account, balance sheet and net worth reconciliation. The survey establishes data from face to face interviews with farmers, with Research Officers visiting their farms to carry out the collection of data. The data is sensitive in its nature as it relates to a financial subject matter, it is recognised that it is difficult to establish and maintain participation with farmers. The services required from the contractor are set out in the procurement and contract document and will include:
• recruitment of farms into the FBS, so that the data collection contractor can deliver to DEFRA a minimum of 1750 completed, reconciled, and validated “Core FBS Farm Accounts” in an agreed format from eligible farms that meet the quota by the 30 September in each contract year;
• collection and delivery of all required physical, financial, and environmental data from each eligible participating farm business, including the production of fully reconciled farm accounts and balance sheets;
• provision of information to enable the effective monitoring and management of the contract;
• attendance at three project board meetings per year and three additional meetings per year to progress development, methodology and implementation of the FBS, and ensure consistency of approach with other administrations within the UK.
The FBS collects data during March – February reporting period to cover the previous financial year data. However preparatory work is needed before the data can be collected and so the survey cycle has a duration of around 18 months and the contractor must work on two survey cycles simultaneously over the autumn months. Recruitment activities commence in the summer prior to the reporting period and are the focus over the winter months. Data collection starts at the end of the reporting period and continues over the summer months. The main dataset is submitted to DEFRA at the end of September with additional datasets delivered over the proceeding months.
The current contract is due to end on 31 January 2023. The incumbent provider will submit all the required data to the specified deadlines within the survey cycle March 2022 to January 2023. A new contract is required to commence on 1 July 2022 to allow sufficient time for a handover. This start date will allow the new contractor to set up processes and recruitment activities in the autumn/winter 2022 in preparation for collecting the data from March to August 2023, to then submit the main dataset on 30 September 2023.
The Contractor will be required to establish and maintain a survey sample large enough to deliver complete and validated records for farm businesses in England for each year of the contract.
DEFRA reserves the right to withdraw certain part(s) of the services for the scope of this procurement, including, for the avoidance of doubt, the services of recruitment of farms into the FBS services. Exercise of this reserved right is at DEFRAs discretion and the relevant services may be subject to a separate procurement or taken in-house. DEFRA will notify bidders if this right is exercised.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Start date
1 July 2022
End date
31 January 2027
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
Option to extend for 12 months
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
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
Competitive dialogue
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.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Originally published as:
Date
20 December 2021
Local time
5:00pm
Changed to:
Date
21 December 2021
Local time
5:00pm
See the change notice.
four.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
13 January 2022
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
four.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: Yes
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court
London
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
The contracting authority will operate a minimum 10 calendar day standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers to provide time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into. Unsuccessful tenderers shall be notified by the contracting authority as soon as possible after the decision is made as to the reasons why they were unsuccessful. The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Regulations) provide that aggrieved parties who have been harmed, or are at risk of harm, by breach of the rules are to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The Regulations set out the requirements on information to be provided prior to award of the contract and the procedures to be followed for bringing proceedings for breaches or alleged breaches of the Regulations.