Contract

A9 Dualling - Tomatin to Moy - Archaeological Investigation

  • Transport Scotland

F03: Contract award notice

Notice identifier: 2021/S 000-031948

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-029ba8

Published 21 December 2021, 3:54pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Transport Scotland

Buchanan House, 58 Port Dundas Road

Glasgow

G4 0HF

Contact

Nick Conroy

Email

pdc@transport.gov.scot

Telephone

+44 7817950540

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKM82 - Glasgow City

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://www.transport.gov.scot

Buyer's address

https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00099

one.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

National or federal Agency/Office

one.5) Main activity

Other activity

Transport


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

A9 Dualling - Tomatin to Moy - Archaeological Investigation

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 71351914 - Archaeological services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

Transport Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, has identified the need to appoint a suitably experienced archaeological contractor (“Contractor”) to carry out non-invasive and invasive pre-construction archaeological investigations for the A9 Dualling – Tomatin to Moy Scheme.

The main objective to be delivered by the Contractor will be to reduce the effect of the A9 Dualling Programme on the archaeological resource through the acquisition of a full archaeological record and an evidence based interpretation of that record. As a minimum this will include non-invasive and invasive archaeological investigations, earthwork and landscape surveys, metal detector survey, building survey, a programme of trial trenching, followed by a post-excavation assessment and reporting, with potential strip, map and excavations, and further post excavation assessment and reporting.

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: £632,022.30

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 45112450 - Excavation work at archaeological sites

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKM62 - Inverness & Nairn and Moray, Badenoch & Strathspey
Main site or place of performance

A9 Tomatin to Moy

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Transport Scotland is an agency of the Scottish Government and contracts in the name of and on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. Transport Scotland has identified the requirement to appoint a suitably experienced Contractor to undertake non-invasive and invasive pre-construction archaeological investigations for the A9 Dualling – Tomatin to Moy scheme.

It is intended that the contract will be in place for a period of approximately 25 months covering two main phases of work:

(i) Phase 1 – Archaeological Trial Trenching, Surveys, Reporting and Archiving, estimated to approximately 5 months.

(ii) Phase 2 (if required following Phase 1) – Archaeological Strip, Map and Excavation, Reporting, Post-Excavation Analysis, and Publication, estimated to approximately 20 months.

Transport Scotland will manage the proposed procurement process for the non-invasive and invasive pre-construction archaeological investigation contract (the “Contract”) on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. In the event of the contract award, the Contract will be entered into between the Scottish Ministers and the successful tenderer.

The contract terms and conditions will be based on Infrastructure Conditions of Contract Archaeological Investigation Version August 2011. Each selected economic operator shall be invited to submit a Tender on the same contract terms.

The Contractor will be procured through a competitive tender procedure, in accordance with the restricted procedure as stated in the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. This is a two-stage procedure, comprising a prequalification stage and a tender stage. Section II.2.9 of this Contract Notice describes the criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates. In order to be considered for the prequalification stage, economic operators are required to complete and submit an SPD, which can be downloaded via the Public Contracts Scotland portal (www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk). It is anticipated that a total of 5 economic operators will be invited to tender stage.

Due to the specialist archaeological expertise required for this project, the non-invasive archaeological investigations, the archaeological trial trenching, post-excavation assessment and reporting, any potential archaeological strip, map and excavation, associated post-excavation assessment and reporting are to be performed under a single contract and as such shall not be divided into lots.

Requirement:

The requirement for archaeological investigation is evaluated in the Environmental Statement (ES) for Scottish Trunk Road schemes. It was identified in the cultural heritage chapter and the Schedule of Environmental Commitments in the A9 Dualling – Tomatin to Moy Environmental Statement (ES) that archaeological investigations would be required for the scheme. The investigation is required in order to reduce the effect of the scheme on the archaeological resource through the acquisition of a full archaeological record and an evidence based interpretation of that record.

The services required are likely to include: non-invasive and invasive archaeological investigations, and post-excavation assessment, analysis, reporting and publication. The non-invasive archaeological investigations are likely to include: earthwork and landscape surveys, metal detector survey, and a building survey. The invasive archaeological investigations are likely to include: trial trenching, followed by potential strip, map and excavation, with subsequent post-fieldwork assessment, analysis, and reporting.

two.2.5) Award criteria

Quality criterion - Name: Quality criterion: Execution of services; comprehension of risks associated with services; management methodology; and programming of the works / Weighting: 40%

Cost criterion - Name: Cost criterion: Final tenders will be assessed against evaluation criteria to determine the most economically advantageous submission. / Weighting: 60%

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

Restricted procedure

four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system

The procurement involves the setting up of a dynamic purchasing system

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: 2021/S 000-005175


Section five. Award of contract

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

20 December 2021

five.2.2) Information about tenders

Number of tenders received: 4

Number of tenders received from SMEs: 4

Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 0

Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 4

Number of tenders received by electronic means: 4

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: Yes

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

AOC Archaeology

Edgefield Industrial Estate

Loanhead

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UK - United Kingdom
The contractor is an SME

Yes

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

CFA Archaeology Ltd

The Old Engine House, Eskmills Business Park, Station Road

Musselburgh

EH21 7PQ

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UK - United Kingdom
The contractor is an SME

Yes

five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)

Total value of the contract/lot: £632,022.30


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

For full additional information please refer to document - VI.3) Supplementary Additional Information saved in additional documents.

The Scottish Ministers shall not evaluate any SPD submission received past the specified deadline, unless the delay is caused by a situation out with the control of the economic operator, the determination of which shall be at the sole discretion of the Scottish Ministers. Compliance in achieving the specified deadline is the sole responsibility of the economic operator. 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.

Economic operators which alter their composition after making a submission or whose position has materially changed will be the subject of re-evaluation. Transport Scotland reserves the right, at any point, to request current and up-to-date information to enable re-evaluation of any economic operator. As set out in accordance with section II.2.9 above, an economic operator who no longer has the requisite: technical or professional ability; human resources; or economic and financial standing, as required under this Contract Notice shall be excluded from this procurement competition.

Any request by economic operator’s for clarification of any part of the documentation shall be made using the Question and Answer feature on the Public Contract Scotland portal. If the query is commercially sensitive then it should be made to the following email address:

andy.anderson@transport.gov.scot.

The decision whether a request for clarification shall be considered commercially sensitive or not rests solely at the absolute discretion of the Scottish Ministers. The deadline to submit questions relating to the submission is 12pm GMT on 31 March 2021.

(SC Ref:678013)

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Sheriff Clerk’s Office

PO Box 23, 1 Carlton Place

Glasgow

Email

Glasgow@scotcourts.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom