Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
General Optical Council
10 Old Bailey
London
EC4M 7NG
Contact
Louise Hall
Telephone
+44 2078710416
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKI31 - Camden and City of London
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
https://www.mytenders.co.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA14321
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://www.optical.org/en/about_us/working_for_us/goc-tenders-.cfm
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Other activity
Healthcare Regulator
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Legal Support Services (Fitness to Practise)
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79100000 - Legal services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The requirements of the service are:
- conduct of investigative work on the General Optical Council's behalf in relation to fitness to practise allegations relating to registered opticians and optical businesses
- preparation for, and presentation of, the GOC's case at substantive Fitness to Practise Committee hearings
- occasional preparation for, and presentation of the GOC's case at non-substantive hearings (interim order applications/reviews/extensions, substantive order reviews) and Registration Appeal Committee hearings
- provision of advice relating to the conduct of individual investigations into the fitness to practise of GOC registrants, and relating to interpretation of GOC legislation and rules
- provision of training to Committee members, Case Examiners and GOC staff.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £611,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKI31 - Camden and City of London
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The full description document (including expression of interest assessment criteria) is available at: https://www.optical.org/en/about_us/working_for_us/goc-tenders-.cfm
The value of this contract as stated is its total value - please note that we anticipate appointing up to two suppliers to provide the service (meaning that the value of the contract would be approximately half its stated total value if two providers are appointed).
We are the regulator for the optical professions in the UK. Our purpose is to protect the public by promoting high standards of education, performance and conduct amongst opticians. We currently register around 30,000 optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians and optical businesses.
A brief description of our four core regulatory functions is:
- Setting standards for optical education and training, performance and conduct.
- Approving qualifications leading to registration.
- Maintaining a register of individuals who are qualified and fit to practise, train or carry on business as optometrists and dispensing opticians.
-Investigating and acting where registrants' fitness to practise, train or carry on business is impaired.
Our website is at: www.optical.org
We are seeking to procure legal support services for our Fitness to Practise (FTP) directorate, with effect from 1 April 2022.
This year (2021-22) it is forecast that we will open approximately 120 fitness to practice investigations. Currently, approximately 45 per cent of investigation cases are being referred to our Fitness to Practise Committee. We expect to instruct up to half of these referred cases out to the appointed provider(s), either for advocacy only, or for investigation and advocacy (for the sake of clarity, we expect to manage the other half in-house). We also expect to instruct appointed providers to undertake initial-stages investigations in a (total) maximum of 10 cases per annum. We expect these current case numbers to broadly continue through the period of the contract.
The provision of legal services will be governed by an agreement commencing 1 April 2022 and concluding 31 March 2024, but with an option for the GOC to extend for 12 months to 31 March 2025.
The requirements of the service are:
- conduct of investigative work on the GOC's behalf in relation to fitness to practise allegations relating to registered opticians and optical businesses
- preparation for, and presentation of, the GOC's case at substantive Fitness to Practise Committee hearings
- occasional preparation for, and presentation of the GOC's case at non-substantive hearings (interim order applications/reviews/extensions, substantive order reviews) and Registration Appeal Committee hearings
- provision of advice relating to the conduct of individual investigations into the fitness to practise of GOC registrants, and relating to interpretation of GOC legislation and rules
- provision of training to Committee members, Case Examiners and GOC staff.
Note: Fitness to Practise Committee in-person hearings are held in London.
This procurement process is being undertaken as a two-stage restricted tender procedure, pursuant to section 6.2 (ii) of the GOC Contracts and Procurement Policy: https://www.optical.org/download.cfm?docid=4E059864-DC2B-4A6C-A0F5350B72A6AF34
Before applying, please ensure you are familiar with the fitness to practise function of the General Optical Council:
https://www.optical.org/en/Investigating_complaints/index.cfm
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT: £611,000
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Start date
1 April 2022
End date
31 March 2024
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
Option for the GOC to extend for 12 months from 1 April 2024.
two.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
Envisaged minimum number: 5
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 three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information
three.1) Conditions for participation
three.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.2) Conditions related to the contract
three.2.1) Information about a particular profession
Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession
Reference to the relevant law, regulation or administrative provision
The service is a legal service.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they (or their organisation/team) possess the appropriate legal qualifications/authorisation to permit them to provide legal services.
The service is governed by the Opticians Act 1989 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/44/contents) and by the Legal Services Act
2007 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/29/contents)
three.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract
Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted 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.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
31 December 2021
Local time
5:00pm
four.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
7 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: 3 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: Yes
Estimated timing for further notices to be published: Future recurrence of this procurement is unlikely to happen before October 2023.
six.3) Additional information
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the myTenders Web Site at https://www.mytenders.co.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=224594.
The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.mytenders.co.uk/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx.
Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems.
(MT Ref:224594)
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Public Procurement Review Service
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Telephone
+44 3450103503
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit
six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Public Procurement Review Service
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Telephone
+44 3450103503
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit