Contract

DoJ - Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) NI

  • The Department of Justice

F03: Contract award notice

Notice identifier: 2023/S 000-036961

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-040363

Published 15 December 2023, 12:57pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

The Department of Justice

c/o CPD, 303 Airport Road West

BELFAST

BT3 9ED

Email

Justice.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/

Buyer's address

https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/topics/procurement

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

DoJ - Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) NI

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

The Department of Justice (DoJ) coordinates the Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme which is the Executive’s response to its commitment made under the Fresh Start agreement of November 2015 and the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) document of 2020. It is reflected in the Programme for Government / Outcomes Delivery Plan and DoJ Corporate Plan for 2022-25. The Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality, and Organised Crime Programme is a collaborative, Executive-wide approach which has the outcome of ‘safer communities, resilient to paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control’. It was initially established in 2016 as a result of the Fresh Start Agreement as a means of implementing the Independent Panel’s Report on the Disbandment of Paramilitary Groups. So far, Programme data confirms the findings of other studies that point to significant levels of trauma in communities where paramilitary activity is prevalent, and among those who are receiving or seeking support from the Programme. For that reason, the Programme is seeking to be trauma informed in all that it does; this means giving due consideration to the impact that trauma has on victims of paramilitarism, as well as those who help and support them. To support this goal, and to better understand need to improve service delivery, the Programme seeks to understand the prevalence of trauma, with the target of establishing a comprehensive baseline of levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACES), childhood trauma and exposure to violence in Northern Ireland. To do so, the Programme wishes to engage a contractor to complete an action research requirement to generate data and produce an associated research report to evidence the prevalence of ACEs, childhood trauma and exposure to violence in Northern Ireland.

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: £150,000

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKN - Northern Ireland

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The Department of Justice (DoJ) coordinates the Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime Programme which is the Executive’s response to its commitment made under the Fresh Start agreement of November 2015 and the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) document of 2020. It is reflected in the Programme for Government / Outcomes Delivery Plan and DoJ Corporate Plan for 2022-25. The Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality, and Organised Crime Programme is a collaborative, Executive-wide approach which has the outcome of ‘safer communities, resilient to paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control’. It was initially established in 2016 as a result of the Fresh Start Agreement as a means of implementing the Independent Panel’s Report on the Disbandment of Paramilitary Groups. So far, Programme data confirms the findings of other studies that point to significant levels of trauma in communities where paramilitary activity is prevalent, and among those who are receiving or seeking support from the Programme. For that reason, the Programme is seeking to be trauma informed in all that it does; this means giving due consideration to the impact that trauma has on victims of paramilitarism, as well as those who help and support them. To support this goal, and to better understand need to improve service delivery, the Programme seeks to understand the prevalence of trauma, with the target of establishing a comprehensive baseline of levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACES), childhood trauma and exposure to violence in Northern Ireland. To do so, the Programme wishes to engage a contractor to complete an action research requirement to generate data and produce an associated research report to evidence the prevalence of ACEs, childhood trauma and exposure to violence in Northern Ireland.

two.2.5) Award criteria

Quality criterion - Name: Proposed Team Experience / Weighting: 24

Quality criterion - Name: Proposed Methodology / Weighting: 18

Quality criterion - Name: Contract Management and Contingency Arrangements / Weighting: 3

Quality criterion - Name: Information Security / Weighting: 3

Quality criterion - Name: Social Value / Weighting: 12

Price - Weighting: 40

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

Open procedure

Accelerated procedure

Justification:

The Open Procedure was used for this procurement exercise. It was advertised for 35 days. The opportunity was published on 25 September 2023 and the deadline for receipt was 30 October 2023.

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: 2023/S 000-028199


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

11 December 2023

five.2.2) Information about tenders

Number of tenders received: 2

Number of tenders received from SMEs: 0

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: 2

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

Withheld for security reasons

Withheld for security reasons

Email

Justice.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UK - United Kingdom
Internet address

https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps

The contractor is an SME

No

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

Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £150,000

Total value of the contract/lot: £150,000


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

Please note that information relating to contractors engaged by the Northern Ireland Department of Justice, and associated bodies is not published in any publicly accessible forum or publication. This is to protect such contractors, whose security and safety could be threatened by dissident terrorist organisations still active in Northern Ireland if their details became known. This is consistent with Regulation 50(6)(a). CPD nor the Department of Justice can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The estimates are not deemed to be a condition of contract nor a guarantee of minimum demand or uptake. No compensation will be payable to a contractor should the actual demand be less than that stated. 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 CPD for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, it may be regarded as an act. of grave professional misconduct and they may be issued with a notice of written warning and notice of unsatisfactory performance, and this contract may be terminated. The issue of a notice of written warning and notice of unsatisfactory performance will result in the Contractor being excluded from all procurement competitions being undertaken by Centres of Procurement Expertise on behalf of bodies covered by the Northern Ireland Procurement Policy for a period of up to 3 years from the date of issue of the notice.

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

The UK does not have any special review body with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures in public procurement competitions

N/A

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 (i.e. a minimum of 10 calendar days) at the point information on the award of contract was communicated to tenderers. That notification provided full information on the award decision. This provided time for the unsuccessful. tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract was entered into.