Defence Online

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Ref: (2021/S 000-009767/EN)
Nature of contract:
Procedure: Not applicable
Regulation of procurement: Not applicable

Section I: Contracting authority
I.1) Name addresses and contact point(s):
Ministry of Defence
NBC(D) Commercial, Naval Base HQ, HMNB Devonport
Plymouth
Postal code: PL2 2BG
United Kingdom
For the attention of: Miss H. R. Zubka-Hill
Phone: +44 3001699909
Email: Hana.Zubka-Hill100@mod.gov.uk
Internet Address(es):
General address of the contracting authority: www.contracts.mod.uk
Electronic access to information: www.contracts.mod.uk
Electronic submission of tenders and requests to participate: www.contracts.mod.uk
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)
I.2) Type of the contracting authority:
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local sub-divisions
I.3) Main activity:
Defence
I.4) Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities/entities:
The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: No
Section II: Object of the contract:
II.1) Description:
II.1.1) Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority/entity: Provision of Nuclear Site Safety Justification (NSSJ) Services based at HMNB Devonport, Plymouth, Devon, UK.
II.1.2) Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance:
Services
Service category No 3: Air transport services of passengers and freight, except transport of mail
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: HMNB Devonport, Plymouth, Devon, UK.
Nuts code: UKK41
II.1.3) Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)
II.1.4) Information on framework agreement
II.1.5) Short description of the specific contract:Please refer to Section II.2) Quantity or scope of the contract of this notice.
II.1.6) Common procurement vocabulary (CPV): 98113100, 44421722, 71356300, 72224000,
II.1.7) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA):
The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA):
II.1.8) Lots:
The contract is divided into lots: No
II.1.9) Information about variants:
Variants will be accepted: YES
II.2) Quantity or scope of the contract:
II.2.1) Total quantity or scope:
The fundamental aim of the NSSJ contract is to procure the provision of a Project Management Service (PMS) which will deliver: Project Management, Nuclear Advice, defined Safety Case and Periodic Review of Safety (PRS) work, and other associated work under a milestone-based arrangement. These services will maintain the authorisation of the Naval Base Site through the provision of specialist nuclear advice, which reflects modern civil nuclear practice to Naval Base staff and ensures the Naval Base Commanders Site Safety Justification documentation suite remains current and fully compliant with MoD Authorisation Conditions, MoD Naval Nuclear Safety Principles (NNSP) and other standards imposed by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR). In parallel, the contract shall support knowledge share/transfer that develops the Authority’s Intelligent Customer (IC) function.
It is anticipated that a core team to provide the service shall be embedded within the HMNB Devonport delivery location; the Home Base. The estimated contract duration shall be for a period of three (3) years. The contract shall include the option to extend at the Authority’s sole discretion the contract duration by a further two (2) years which will be constructed as two discrete one (1) year option periods; each option shall be severable from the other. The contract shall also include options for emergent work and resource ‘re-sizing’ as may be reasonably required by the Authority in the contract life.
This tender is operating under the DSPCR (2011) Restricted Procure in accordance with Regulation 17. Therefore, tenderers are required to respond to the DPQQ attached to this notice. A copy of the draft ITT has also been attached, to enable potential providers to self-assess their suitability to the requirement. The final ITT and suite of contract documents shall only be made available to potential providers, who are successful at Phase 1 (DPQQ stage) and have been formally notified and invited to participate in the next phase of the procurement process.
The aim of Phase 1 (DPQQ) is to arrive at a short list of no more than four (4) qualified potential service providers who are eligible to participate; fulfil any minimum economic, financial, professional and technical standards, and best meet in terms of capacity and capability the selection criteria set out in the DPQQ. Full details of the method of choosing the Tenders are set out in the DF47. Each response must achieve Technical Envelope compliance at 70% or higher to be considered for phase 2. If a potential service provider receives a fail to any Pass/Fail question within the PQQ, they will automatically fail the evaluation and not be invited to participate further. Where more than one potential service provider scores the same (and both responses are technically compliant), then the response which achieves the highest score against criterion with the greater weighting shall progress to phase 2. If following this granulated assessment responses remain on equal scores, the Authority at its sole discretion may invite up to a maximum of six (6) technically compliant potential service providers to phase 2.
Potential Providers/Tenderers are invited to note the following:
1. Following an initial assessment, the Authority believe IR35 may apply. The final status of IR35 will only be known, following final assessment of the winning tenderers’ solution and specifically how the winning tenderer proposes to provide personnel. Any formal CEST/Status Determination Statement (SDS) letters will then be provided as necessary.
2. Attention is drawn to the Security Aspects Letter (SAL) attached as part of the Draft Contract, which details key criteria for eligibility. In accordance with Regulation 6 (3A)(a) – ‘Security of Information’, and read in conjunction with Regulation 7 of The Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019; this requirement is open to National eyes-only. Meaning, only economic operators established in the UK and Gibraltar shall be eligible to tender for this requirement.
3. The Cyber risk has been considered and in accordance with the Cyber Security Model resulted in a Cyber Risk Profile of ‘Low’.
Estimated value excluding VAT:
9500000 GBP
II.2.2) Information about options:
Options: yes
The contract shall include the option to extend at the Authority’s sole discretion the contract duration by a further two (2) years which will be constructed as two discrete one (1) year option periods; each option shall be severable from the other. The contract shall also include options for emergent work and resource ‘re-sizing’ as may be reasonably required by the Authority in the contract life.
II.2.3) Information about renewals:
II.3) Duration of the contract or time limit for completion
Starting: 1.11.2021
Ending: 31.10.2024

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions relating to the contract
III.1.1) Deposits and guarantees required:
An indemnity, guarantee or bank bond may be required to support the contract. The Authority reserves the right to ask for an indemnity, (parent company) guarantee or bank bond if the supplier does not meet the required standard for economic and financial standing.
III.1.2) Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
Tasks will be payable either upon successful completion of individual tasks/core deliverables or via an agreed milestone payment arrangement.
III.1.3) Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:
If a group of economic operators submits a bid, the group must nominate a lead organisation to deal with the Authority. The Authority shall require the group to form a legal entity before entering into the contract.
III.1.4) Other particular conditions
The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: yes
Description of particular conditions:
The Authority reserves the right to amend any condition related to security of information to reflect any changes in National Law or Government Policy. If any contract documents are accompanied by a Security Aspects Letter, the Authority reserves the right to amend the terms of the Security Aspects Letter to reflect any changes in National Law or Government Policy whether in respect of the applicable protective marking scheme, specific protective markings given, the aspects to which any protective marking applies or otherwise.
Attention is drawn to the Security Aspects Letter (SAL) attached as part of the Draft Contract, which details key criteria for eligibility. In accordance with Regulation 6 (3A)(a) – ‘Security of Information’, and read in conjunction with Regulation 7 of The Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019; this requirement is open to National eyes-only. Meaning, only economic operators established in the UK and Gibraltar shall be eligible to tender for this requirement.
The maximum level of protective marking is Official-Sensitive.
Following an initial assessment, the Authority believe IR35 may apply. The final status of IR35 will only be known, following final assessment of the winning tenderers’ solution and specifically how the winning tenderer proposes to provide personnel. Any formal CEST/Status Determination Statement (SDS) letters will then be provided as necessary.
Cyber risk has been considered and in accordance with the Cyber Security Model resulted in a Cyber Risk Profile of ‘Low’. The Risk Assessment Reference is [RAR-427K6FJB].

III.2) Conditions for participation
III.2.1) Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

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.

III.2.2) Economic and financial ability

Two Years Audited Accounts will be required as part of any Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) response.
The estimated annual contract value for the Provision of Nuclear Site Safety Justification (NSSJ) Services is £3,166,666. If the estimated annual contract value is greater than “40%” of the supplier’s turnover, the Authority reserves the right to exclude the supplier from being selected to tender except where the supplier provides, to the satisfaction of the Authority, evidence showing it has sufficient economic and financial capability, e.g. such evidence may include:
(1) Any additional information proving it has sufficient economic and financial resources to deliver the requirement; and
(2) State whether the supplier is willing to provide the Authority with an indemnity, guarantee or bank bond.
A financial assessment that is proportionate to the proposed contract will be undertaken on the supplier’s financial status. An overall pass / fail judgement will be made after considering areas such as turnover, profit, net assets, liquidity, gearing and capacity. This assessment will include the Parent company, where applicable. An independent financial assessment obtained from a reputable credit rating organisation may be utilised as part of this process.
A Statement of Good Standing will be required as part of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire response.

Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:

Two Years Audited Accounts will be required as part of any Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) response.
The estimated annual contract value for the Provision of Nuclear Site Safety Justification (NSSJ) Services is £3,166,666. If the estimated annual contract value is greater than “40%” of the supplier’s turnover, the Authority reserves the right to exclude the supplier from being selected to tender except where the supplier provides, to the satisfaction of the Authority, evidence showing it has sufficient economic and financial capability, e.g. such evidence may include:
(1) Any additional information proving it has sufficient economic and financial resources to deliver the requirement; and
(2) State whether the supplier is willing to provide the Authority with an indemnity, guarantee or bank bond.
A financial assessment that is proportionate to the proposed contract will be undertaken on the supplier’s financial status. An overall pass / fail judgement will be made after considering areas such as turnover, profit, net assets, liquidity, gearing and capacity. This assessment will include the Parent company, where applicable. An independent financial assessment obtained from a reputable credit rating organisation may be utilised as part of this process.
A Statement of Good Standing will be required as part of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire response.

III.2.3) Technical capacity
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: As detailed within the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire and associated documentation.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:
III.2.4) Information about reserved contracts
III.3) Conditions specific to services contracts
III.3.1) Information about a particular profession
Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession:
Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession: yes
Reference to the relevant law, regulation or administrative provision:
III.3.2) Staff responsible for the execution of the service
Legal persons should indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff responsible for the execution of the service: YES
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Type of procedure
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted
IV.1.2) Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate
Envisaged number of operators:4
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:
The aim of the DPQQ (Phase 1) is to arrive at a short list of no more than four (4) qualified potential service providers, owing to the technical complexities and specialist nature of the requirement. If, following this granulated assessment responses remain on equal scores, the Authority at its sole discretion may invite up to a maximum of six (6) technically compliant potential service providers to ITT (Phase 2).
IV.1.3) Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue
IV.2) Award criteria
The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document
IV.2.2) Information about electronic auction

IV.3) Administrative information
IV.3.1) File reference number attributed by the contracting authority/entity
701551834-DPQQ (Phase 1)
IV.3.2) Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

IV.3.3) Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document
Payable documents: Yes
IV.3.4) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
18.6.2021 – 17:00
IV.3.5) Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
23.6.2021
IV.3.6) Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up
EN
IV.3.7) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
In days:
IV.3.8) Conditions for opening of tenders

Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
VI.2) Information about European Union funds
The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
VI.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.
VI.4) Procedures for appeal
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice:
5.5.2021