20Software%20ITT%20Final

INVITATION TO TENDER

NORTHWEST DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

CONSULTATION SOFTWARE

NWDA00264

Invitation to Tender/MB of 29Version 1Issue date

04 August 2008

Dear Sirs

INVITATION TO TENDERTITLE OF TENDER: Consultation SoftwareNWDA REF: NWDA00264

You are hereby invited by the Northwest Development Agency (“the Agency”) to submit a tender for the above services.

Tender Timetable

Tenderers’ clarification questions to be submitted by 18th August 2008 The return date for this tender is 10.00 o’clock 26th August 2008Interview w/c 8th September 2008Presentations w/c 8th September 2008Post Bid Clarifications w/c 22nd September 2008 The anticipated contract award date is 6th October 2008 Documentation

You are required to return one original hardcopy proposal, one electronic version on CD or DVD plus 2 copies of the response to the Invitation to Tender Document, clearly marked as such. Please note memory sticks are not accepted.

Please ensure all documents on the cd or dvd have your organisation’s name in the title.

Tenders must be returned using the enclosed return label and in accordance with the ‘Instructions and Information for Tenderers’ in particular point 6, to:

TENDER BOARDNorthwest Development AgencyBrew HouseWilderspool ParkGreenalls AvenueWarringtonWA4 6HL

Whilst Tenderers are preparing their responses, questions will inevitably arise. It is requested that all queries be referred in writing to Mandy Beames, Senior Contracts


Manager, telephone 01925 644259, email: [email protected] at the above address. In order to allow the Agency time to offer appropriate answers, Tenderers must submit any queries in writing to Mandy Beames by the date specified in the table above.

We look forward to receiving your tender response.

Yours faithfully

Mandy BeamesSenior Contracts Manager


mailto:[email protected]

A. INSTRUCTIONS & INFORMATION FOR TENDERERS

1. Tenders must be submitted in accordance with these instructions and any further instructions contained in other documentation issued by the Agency.

2. Tenderers who do not wish to submit a tender should state their reasons for not tendering, although there is no obligation to do so.

3. Alterations: The Tenderer may not alter this document. Any proposed alteration is to be given in a separate letter accompanying the tender.

4. Non-compliant or incomplete tenders: Tenders may be rejected if any of the requested information is not supplied with the tender or if the submission fails to comply with the format and presentation guidance in Section C

5. The address label attached must be used for the return of the tender. Envelopes/packages should be plain and must not show any reference to the Tenderer’s identity. Please place the Tender Number label on the front of the return envelope. Tenderers should note that this also applies to any tenders sent via courier. Tenders without the label or in envelopes which in any way identify the Tenderer, may be rejected.

6. The date and time for return of tenders is shown on the Invitation Letter and the address label. Tenders will be received up to the time and date stated. It is the Tenderers’ responsibility to ensure that their tender is received on time. The Agency does not undertake to consider tenders received after that time unless there is sufficient evidence to pre-suppose its due delivery.

7. The Agency does not acknowledge receipt of tender documents and accepts no responsibility for loss or non-receipt of applications.

8. The Agency expressly reserves the right not to award any contract as a result of this procurement process and it shall not be liable for any costs incurred by Tenderers. The Agency also reserves the right to accept all or any part of a tender.

9. Prices shown must be exclusive of VAT.

10. Confidentiality of tenders: The Tenderer must not inform anyone else of their tendered price. The only exception is if the Tenderer is required to obtain an insurance quotation to calculate the tender price then the Tenderer may give details of their bid to the insurance company or brokers, if requested.

11. The Tenderer must not try to obtain any information about any other party’s tender or proposed tender before the contract is awarded.


12. The Tenderer must not arrange with any other party the submission of a tender, except in the circumstances where sub-contracting and/or joint ventures are applicable.

13. Trading names/invoicing: Where invoices will be rendered by, or payments made to, an entity whose title differs in any respect from the title in which the tender is submitted, full details must be provided in a letter accompanying the tender. Successful Tenderers who fail to provide this will experience non payment of their invoices.

14. Except where the Agency considers that questions are not material to the procurement process and the fullest understanding of its objectives, such questions and their subsequent replies will be disseminated to all Tenderers. Tenderers should note in relation to all responses to questions in connection with this Invitation to Tender that the Agency makes no guarantee that such information in response to questions will be made available and are not warranting its accuracy.

15. If the Agency considers any question or request for clarification to be of material significance, both the query and the response will be posted on the Agency's website at www.nwda.co.uk/tenders in an anonymous form. It is the responsibility of Suppliers to check this website periodically before the submission date to check for any updates and to incorporate these updates into its submission. All questions must be addressed to [email protected] and be received at least 5 working days before the submission date, otherwise a response cannot be guaranteed.

16. Tenderers should note that during this tender process they should not contact any of the Agency’s respective Board Members, Executive Directors, employees or advisers or any third parties connected to the Agency or any advisers to this procurement, outside of the process outlined within this section and elsewhere within this document.

17. All responses to this Invitation to Tender must be in English.

18. The Agency reserves the right, at its discretion, to request clarification in writing, or further relevant information, from any Tenderer post submission of the tender response by such Tenderer.

19. Eligibility of prospective Contractors: Any change that is considered material by the Agency as to the identity or control of a Tenderer, or in the eligibility of a Tenderer, happening before or after the Tenderer has submitted its response to the Invitation to Tender, will lead to its disqualification. Where the Tenderer is a consortium, the lead consortium member must remain the same as when originally short listed. The full consortium membership must be disclosed and set at the time of submission of the Invitation to Tender response and there must be no material changes in the consortium after the tender submission. The Agency must be advised of any change in the consortium membership or in the principal relationships between members of the consortium. Any change which is considered material will lead to the Tenderer’s disqualification.


mailto:[email protected]

20. Freedom of Information Legislation

i. The Agency may be obliged to disclose information provided by Tenderers in response to this Invitation to Tender under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, all subordinate legislation made under this and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“the Freedom of Information Legislation”).

ii. Tenderers should be aware that the information they provide could be disclosed in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Legislation. The Agency will proceed on the basis of disclosure unless an appropriate exemption applies. Tenderers should be aware that despite the availability of some exemptions, information may still be disclosed if the public interest in its disclosure outweighs the public interest in maintaining the exemption. No response to this Tender should be covered by a general statement regarding its overall confidentiality; instead any specific areas of confidential information should be highlighted in accordance with paragraph 3 below. The Agency accepts no liability (including for negligence) for loss as a result of any information disclosed in response to a request under the Freedom of Information legislation.

iii. Tenderers should highlight information in their responses which they consider to be commercially sensitive or confidential in nature, and should state the precise reasons why they consider this.

iv. The Agency will use reasonable endeavours to consult with Tenderers over the release of information which is highlighted by them as commercially sensitive or confidential.


B. INVITATION TO TENDER

Background Information

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) in one of nine regional development agencies established by the government to develop the English regions. The Agency leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest, covering the 5 sub-regions of Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria and Cheshire and is responsible for:

Supporting business growth and encouraging investment Matching skills provision to employer needs Creating the conditions for economic growth Connecting the region through effective transport and communication

infrastructure Promoting the region's outstanding quality of life

With a budget of £1.5 billion between 2007 and 2010, the Agency is responsible for directly influencing £1.2 billion of other public and private sector investment into the region to support the delivery of the Regional Economic Strategy (RES).

The RES sets out a clear and measurable vision for the region, outlines to deliver this vision details the actions required. It will continue to address the key issues that affect the economic performance of the Northwest.

For further details of the NWDA’s role and activities visit www.nwda.co.uk.


http://www.nwda.co.uk/

SPECIFICATION AND SCOPE OF WORKS

Executive SummaryDuring the formal three months of public consultation undertaken on a draft Regional Economic Strategy in 2005 (the predecessor document to the single Regional Strategy), over 6,000 copies of the document were distributed, 90 presentations undertaken and nearly 250 replies received. Many of these were composite replies representing several hundred organisations. All information was on the NWDA’s website which was heavily accessed. There was a high quality debate about the key priorities to achieve high levels of sustainable growth across the region.

As the NWDA will be required to prepare numerous strategies in consultation with partners and stakeholders, we wish to implement a web-based software solution to facilitate the consultation process.

Background to ProjectThis software is commissioned with the intention of producing a Regional Strategy as recently agreed with Government.

The preparation of a Regional Strategy for the Northwest of England may become a statutory requirement, as indicated in the Government’s Sub-National Review of 2007, subject to Government consultation. If so, the development of this document will be led by the Northwest Development Agency, assisted by an advisory group of the private, public and voluntary sectors and necessitating wide consultation in the region. The Regional Strategy will set out a twenty year strategy for regional partners, with a focus on specific actions required in the next five years in economic growth and development, spatial and land use planning, housing, transport, education and skills and other public and private sector investments.

Work to develop an evidence base is now underway and final publication of the Regional Strategy is due in 2010. Regional organisations will have their own responsibilities with NWDA leading authorship and co-ordination. NWDA will involve and engage the private sector and other stakeholders early in development stages.

Aims and ObjectivesOur aim is to adopt a web based software solution to provide an integrated system to develop strategies, facilitating the involvement of stakeholders through consultation and providing an effective web and print publication process.

Three key functions are required of the software:-

- Authorship collaboration: control and manage multiple authors at any one time, both within the NWDA and using external authors. We would like to track versions and changes within one system. We need to be able to see what is missing; to be able to change the structure once set up; to generate new tasks and ask authors to complete them; and for one owner to confirm a section as completed and prevent any more changes.

- Regional consultation: manage the consultation process; enable an accountable and visible consultation process with a central consultation


portal. Provide an efficient way of collecting and managing responses; stakeholder details and enable report back on any aspect of the consultation at the conclusion.

- Document publishing: reduce the need for external design services while still enabling a strong NWDA and regional branding for the drafts and final document. We want to reduce the time it takes to output the document in print and web enabled formats. We need to include photographs, diagrams and GIS-generated visuals in the drafts and final publication.

Technical Specification

The solution should be compatible with NWDA’s existing ICT infrastructure, which is outlined below.

ICT Technical InfrastructureThe NWDA comprises ten sites within the North West of England which are all connected to a single domain by a wide area network (WAN). The connections to the WAN cloud vary from 2mbps to 8mbps depending on the volume of traffic for the particular site. Each site has its own Local Area Network which is 100mpbs at all sites except Renaissance House, Warrington and Wavertree, Liverpool which are 1gbps.

The vast majority of the Agency’s core corporate information system servers (DELL) are located at Renaissance House. Each site, however, has its own file and print server. All servers run Windows Server 2000 and 2003. The core information systems are Exchange 2003, PMS (programme management system), APTOS (financial system) and Snowdrop (HR system). All databases are SQL Server 2000 or 2005. A data warehouse, which is updated overnight, has been implemented to hold key corporate data from the core systems. The Agency is currently implementing the Opentext Document Management System.

There are approximately 600 devices connected to the network, about a third of which are laptops (DELL) with the remainder being desktops (HP). All devices run Windows XP SP2 and Office 2003 and are locked down. Only the ICT department is authorized to install software. The Agency uses Blackberries, HP printer and Canon printers/photocopiers.

A significant number of employees connect to the Agency’s network using VPM technology over broadband and 3G cards. The Agency has 2 x 2 mbps internet connections – one at Warrington and one at Wavertree – which are load balanced.

System Design

Outlined below are the key design elements that must be incorporated in the system, however, it should be noted that the list is not exhaustive:-

- the system must be configured in accordance with the NWDA’s branding guidelines;


- the system should conform to current E-Gov standards, be browser independent and meet, as a minimum, AA rated HTML;

- the system should incorporate statistical reporting functionality to enable analysis, for example, by:o organisation / individual to identify how often they respondo breakdown of feedback/responses to a consultation or elements of

- a user friendly administrative system to enable the system administrator(s) to upload documents; amend pages; assign tasks, create users and manage roles etc.,

- the system should automatically manage document version control;

- functionality should include:

o link back to NWDA’s corporate website – www.nwda.co.uk;o include help screens or buttonso a calendar view which links to timescales and status of consultations;o users should be able to search the site by date; organisation; individual

and consultation document as a minimum;o users should be able to print consultation documents;o ability to publish documents/reports in multiple formats quickly and easily;o a log-in screen is to be included on the home page so that new users can

register and existing users can log-in.

Data Security

- Consultees will be required to provide their details, including name, e-mail address and organisation. This information should be captured separately to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

- The system will need to incorporate roles, i.e., administrators and users. Details of how permissions will be handled to be provided.

- Submission to include details on procedures for back-up procedures and business continuity.

Project Management

Tender submissions should detail the proposed project management approach and where appropriate refer to formal methodology used. As a minimum, the successful bidder will be required to include the following in their project management approach:

- Project plan including timescales for each stage of the project- milestones and payments- implementation plan- reporting- risk log- change request procedure



- systems acceptance criteria

Personnel

Details of the project team are to be included in your submission, together with curriculum vitae and relevant experience for each member. Please include links to relevant active sites.

Critical Issues

- Tender submissions should include timescales for delivery of each stage of the project. The timescales will need to factor in a requirement for systems acceptance testing, which will be carried out by NWDA prior to system acceptance sign-off.

- The system needs to be configurable to ensure that each consultation process is tailored to reflect specific requirements, for example, the Agency’s obligations as Statutory Consultee for planning.

- The system should be capable of logging and tracking internal and external consultations.

Outputs

- successful implementation of a web based system, configured in accordance with the Agency’s branding guidelines;

- the system will be used by a cross section of Agency staff and should be as intuitive as possible.


Evaluation Criteria

The Agency will evaluate all Tenders on the basis of the “most economically advantageous tender”.

The overall evaluation process will be conducted in a fair and equitable manner, so that the Agency is able to consider the value for money of each proposal. This means that different clarification/information may be sought from different Tenderers.

The Agency will take up references and reserves the right to pay due heed to the Tenderer’s performance elsewhere and any past experience from the Agency or its staff.

Tenderers may be required to make presentations on elements of their submission to a wide range of Agency staff and any such presentations will form part of the evaluation process.

The evaluation criteria described in this Invitation to Tender document will be used to inform the final decision as to which Tenderers will be awarded a Contract, in order to ensure the public sector obtains the most appropriate range of services and best value for money with ease of use.

Evaluation of tenders is split between (a) to (l) and (1) to (28) of Section C. Each section has an overall weighting reflecting the relative importance of each section to the Agency. The sub-total of marks for each section will be added together to produce a final score for each Tenderer.

Scoring Mechanism

Each question within the Invitation to Tender will be marked as follows:

2 – response exceeds requirement, appearing to offer improved value for money1 – response appears to meet requirement0 – response does not appear to meet requirement

Weighting Mechanism

5 – is perceived as an essential requirement2 – is perceived as a preferred/minimum requirement 1 – is perceived as a desirable requirement or is for information only (i.e. no impact)FI – is for information only and will have no impactIn/Out – perceived as mission-critical requirements and thus will not attract a score or weighting, but will determine whether a Tenderer remains in the process.


Table 1: Overall Weightings/Sections

Evaluation Criteria Criteria Weighting1 Section C Questions (a), (c), (h), (i), (k), (21), (27),

(28) Weight 2

2Section C Questions (b), (d), (e), (f), (g), (l), (1), (2), (4-20), (22-26)

Weight 5

3 Section C Questions (j), (3) In / Out4 Cost and value for money offered 55 Tenderer interviews/presentations conducted as part

of this tender process 5

6 References 57 Financial and Economic Capacity In / Out

The Agency reserves the right to take into account any other relevant considerations that, in its absolute discretion, it may deem are appropriate.


C. TENDER DOCUMENTS

Structure of Proposal

The proposal should be structured as follows:

Introduction/covering letter Response to Section C, questions (a) to (l) and (1) to (28). Completed Form of Tender Pricing Schedule

Format & Presentation of Proposal

Tenderers must ensure that their Tender response is submitted in the format described in this document. Tenderers must follow the numbering system provided. All submissions must be bound appropriately and any appendices must be clearly indexed or labelled.

Response

Please reply to each point, stating ‘Noted’ or ‘Agreed’, as appropriate, where no specific response is required.

Where responses are not offered or further information (e.g. an attachment) is missing, an evaluation rating of zero may be recorded.

All tenders must be complete and should offer the most economically advantageous bid available to the Agency.

Please provide no more than half a page of narrative in response to each question (a) to (l) below. If you wish, you may provide additional information, e.g. copies of policies etc, in an Appendix.

General Questions

(a) Tenderers must be able to provide expert resources as backup to consultants engaged in customer assignments.

(b) Tenderers should describe the methods by which their staff acquire and maintain a high level of subject matter knowledge, expertise and use of industry best practice techniques relevant to the contract. (Responses should also address the methods applied by sub-contractors and/or associates, where they are to be used to provide any of the services).


(c) Tenderers should advise how they ensure that work is delivered to tight timescales.

(d) Tenderers must have policies, procedures and resources for dealing with customer dissatisfaction and/or complaints. Tenderers should describe their procedures in this respect (including escalation procedures).

(e) As an integral part of an assignment some projects may require skills transfer to Agency staff. Tenderers must be willing to accommodate such requirements within their tendered rates and should describe their approach to providing such skills transfer.

(f) Tenderers should ensure that up-to-date management information is available to the Agency regarding the status of the system and the Tenderers’ performance (or the performance of their consultants, sub-contractors or associates). The Tenderer must be willing to tailor reports to meet individual customer requirements. Sample reports must be provided.

(g) Tenderers should set out their plans for managing risks and contingencies that

may arise during the contract. Tenderers should also indicate how they will assist the Agency in managing and minimising its business risks.

(h) Please comment on any innovative aspects that you will be capable of offering and explain what sets your organisation apart from others.

(i) Tenderers should describe the process by which their staff acquire and maintain their Public Sector Knowledge. Responses should also address the processes used or applied by sub-contractors and/or associates where they are used to provide any of the services.

(j) Tenderers must provide their plans for complying with the provision of the proposed services with regard to equal opportunities, discrimination, health and safety, race relations and any other legal requirements.

(k) Tenderers should describe how they assess and ensure that their staff deliver added value and customer satisfaction throughout the Contract. Responses should address (but not be limited to) issues such as:

the suitability of individuals for the assignment; the deployment of appropriate skills; the use of best practice; the use of innovation; the efficient use by the consultant of his/her time on the assignment.

(l) Tenderers should advise an exit strategy for deployment at the end of the contract period, including arrangements for the transfer of documents and any other property belonging to the Agency, the maintenance of commercial confidentiality thereafter, and any other issues considered relevant.

Technical Questions


Question Response1) The system will be compatible with NWDA’s existing ICT Infrastructure.

Y/N

2) The system will be configured in accordance with the NWDA’s branding guidelines.

Y/N

3) The system will conform to current E-Gov standards, be browser independent and meet, as a minimum, AA rated HTML.

Y/N

4) The system will automatically manage document version control.

Y/N

5) Functionality will include a link back to NWDA’s corporate website – www.nwda.co.uk;

Y/N

6) Functionality will include help screens or buttons. Y/N

7) Functionality will include a calendar view which links to timescales and status of consultations.

Y/N

8) Functionality will enable users to search the site by date; organisation; individual and consultation document as a minimum.

Y/N

9) Functionality will enable users to print consultation documents. Y/N

10) Functionality will include the ability to publish documents/reports in multiple formats quickly and easily.

Y/N

11) Functionality will include a log-in screen on the home page to enable new users to register and existing users to log-in.

Y/N

Please provide no more than half a page of narrative in response to each question (12) to (28) below. If you wish, you may provide additional information, e.g. copies of policies etc, in an Appendix.

12) Infrastructure: tenderers should provide details of the required infrastructure, including hardware and software.

13) Hosting: tenderers should outline how the web application will be hosted.

14) Support & Maintenance: tenderers should set out their plans for ongoing support and maintenance of the system for a 3-year period, including service level agreement details. Please attach a copy of your standard Support and Maintenance agreement.

15) Licensing: tender submissions should propose a recommended number of users and their specific roles, together with a comprehensive explanation of role functions. Please attach a copy of your standard Licensing agreement.



16) Statistical analysis: there is a requirement to analyse how representative feedback has been, for example, by organisation; individual; consultation or elements of. Tenderers should detail how information will be captured for analysis purposes, their proposals for the user interface and how the analysis will be downloaded.

17) System administration: tenderers should outline how system administration will be incorporated into the solution, taking into consideration the requirements for a user friendly system which will facilitate uploading of documents, amending pages, assigning tasks, creation of users and management of roles, etc. 18) Authorship collaboration: one of the key requirements is for the system to control and manage multiple authors, track changes, manage version control and generate, assign and monitor tasks. Authors will also need to be able to change the structure of the system once it is set up and to confirm a section is completed and prevent any further alterations being made. Tenderers should detail how these requirements will be incorporated into the system and highlight which role functions they apply to.

19) Document publishing: the Agency wishes to reduce the need for external design services while maintaining the ability to publish documents in accordance with the Agency’s branding guidelines. Tenderers should outline how the system will be configured to capture design requirements and what formats the documents/reports can be printed in.

20) The system should enable an accountable and visible consultation process via a central consultation portal. Tenderers should detail how responses to consultations will be collected and managed and outline what functionality will be built-in to facilitate reporting on completed consultations.

21) Help functionality: the system should incorporate help functionality for all levels of users. Tender submissions should detail their proposals for incorporating help functionality.

22) Log-in functionality: there is a requirement for all consultees to sign into the system using a username and password. Tenderers should detail how the system will handle account requests.

23) Data security: tenderers should outline what measures will be implemented to ensure that the Agency complies with the Data Protection Act 1998 when capturing and storing consultees personal data.

24) Back-up procedures: tender submissions should outline what back-up procedures will be put in place and how frequently the system will be backed up. Tenderers should also outline their business continuity procedure.

25) Tenderers should outline what project management approach will be used. Links to relevant active websites should be provided together with details of the project team.Tenderers are required to submit a project plan including timescales for each stage of the project; milestones and payment, implementation plan, reporting details, risk log, change request procedure and systems acceptance criteria.


26) The software solution needs to be configurable to ensure that each consultation process is tailored to reflect specific requirements, for example, the Agency’s obligations as Statutory Consultee for planning. Tender submissions should detail how configuration requirements will be addressed.

27) Tenderers submissions should explain how the system logs and tracks internal and external consultations.

28) The system will need to incorporate different roles, i.e. administrators and users. Tenderers submissions should explain how permissions are to be handled for the different roles.

D FORM OF TENDER

Please ensure this Form of Tender is completed carefully and signed before returning as part of your submission.


TENDER FOR: Consultation Software NWDA00264

1. I/We agree and/or certify that this offer and any Framework Agreement or Contract arising from it shall be bound by the Invitation to Tender Documentation

Yes/No*

2. I/We agree and/or certify to supply goods/services of the exact quality, sort and price specified in the Pricing Schedule(s) in such quantities and to such extent and at such times and locations as the Northwest Development Agency (the “Agency”) may direct;

Yes/No*

3. I/We agree and/or certify that this offer is made in good faith and that we have not fixed or adjusted the amount of the offer by or under or in accordance with any agreement or arrangement with any other person;

Yes/No*

4. I/We agree and/or certify that we will not communicate to any person other than the person inviting these offers the (or approximate amount of) offer, except where the disclosure, in confidence of the approximate amount of the offer was necessary to obtain quotations required for the preparation of the offer, for insurance purposes or for a contract guarantee bond;

Yes/No*

5. I/We agree and/or certify that we will not enter in to any arrangement or agreement with any other person that s/he shall refrain from making an offer or as to the amount of any offer to be submitted;

Yes/No*

6. I/We agree and/or certify that we will not pay give or offer or agree to pay or to give any sum of money or other valuable considerable directly or indirectly to any person for doing or having done or causing or having caused to be done in relation to any offer or proposed offer for the goods/services any act or thing of the sort described in 3, 4, or 5 above.

Yes/No*

7. I/We acknowledge that if I/we have acted or shall act in contravention of this Form of Tender, the Agency will be entitled to cancel the contract and to recover from ourselves the amount of any loss and expense resulting from such a cancellation.

Yes/No*

8. I/We agree that this tender and any contract which may result from it shall be based on this Form of Tender, Terms and Conditions, Specification / Brief attached, Pricing Schedule attached, and our response to this invitation to tender (to the extent to which the Agency may determine in accepting the tender).

Yes/No*


9. I/We agree that any other terms and conditions of contract or any general reservations, which may be printed on any correspondence, issued by us shall not be applicable to any contract resulting from this tender.

Yes/No*

10. I/We agree to carry out all contracts and/or other awards of business in accordance with the Agency’s standard Terms and Conditions of Contract

Yes/No*

11. I/We agree that the rates provided shall be held firm for the full duration of the contract period.

Yes/No*

12. Are you aware of any conflicts of interest between your company and the Agency?

A Conflict of interest is where a person who is involved in the procurement has or may be perceived to have a personal interest in ensuring that a particular supplier is successful. Actual and potential conflicts of interest must be declared by a person involved in a tender process.

Where there is any indication that a conflict of interest exists or may arise, then it shall be the responsibility of the Tenderer to inform the Agency, detailing the conflict in writing as an attachment to this tender.

The Agency will be the final arbiter in cases of potential conflicts of interest. Failure to notify the Agency of any potential conflict of interest will invalidate any verbal or written agreement.

Yes/No*

* Please delete one

NoteIn this Form of Tender, the word 'person' includes any person and any body or association, corporate or unincorporated; 'any agreement or arrangement' includes any transaction, formal or informal and whether legally binding or not.

TENDERERS MUST RESPOND TO ALL QUESTIONS IN THIS FORM OF TENDER, OTHERWISE THE TENDER RESPONSE WILL BE CONSIDERED INVALID.

Signed _________________________________________________________

Full Name (print) _________________________________________________


On Behalf of_____________________________________________________

Position in Company______________________________________________

Date___________________________________________________________


E PRICING SCHEDULE

1. The Pricing Schedule contains the Contractor’s tendered rates.

2. All prices quoted shall be fixed and firm and shall apply during the whole of the Contract period.

3. The prices in the Pricing Schedule shall include for all services shown or described in the Contract as a whole and for all services not described but apparent as being necessary for the complete and proper execution of the provision of the Services.

4. No quantity or continuity of work is guaranteed to the successful Contractor and this should be taken into account when completing the Pricing Schedule. Unless expressly stated to the contrary, any quantities given in this ITT are for information only.

5. Each item in the Pricing Schedule must be fully priced, with insertions for each item. If any item is un-priced (whether by leaving the rate and/or amount space blank or by entering “included” or otherwise), that item shall be deemed to be free of charge.

6. Applications for payment shall be made in accordance with the procedures described in the Agency’s Standard Terms and Conditions of Contract.

7. All prices quoted shall be exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT).

8. The daily rate indicated in the Schedule of Rates is for an 8 hour working day, during a normal working week (Monday to Friday).

10. The Contractor will not charge the Agency for travelling time in addition to daily fees. Any travelling time at the start or end of the working day is at the Contractor’s cost.

11. Tenderers must complete the Schedule of Rates with details of all applicable personnel to this contract by denoting job title, function (brief overview of the role) and daily rate. Tenderers must ensure that all relevant personnel are detailed, as no other rates offered during the contract will be applicable.

12. Figures inserted into the Schedule of Rates must be a single figure and not a range of figures. A range of fees per job title will not be accepted. Where a range of fees are submitted, the Agency will evaluate this offer on the basis of the highest fee quoted within the range, thus attracting the lowest possible score.


13. Expenses

Business Mileage:Business mileage will be reimbursed at a rate of £0.40 per mile.Business mileage will only be paid from the Contractor’s nearest office to the Agency’s Head Office or place of arranged meeting, and must be agreed in advance.

Accommodation:Any requirement for accommodation must be agreed with the Agency prior to occurrence, otherwise the Agency reserves the right not to reimburse the Contractor.Accommodation will be reimbursed by the Agency upon production of an authenticated VAT receipt.Accommodation costs must be kept to a minimum through the use of budget hotels (e.g. travel lodges), where available. Accommodation will be on a bed and breakfast basis and will be refunded up to a maximum of £70 per night.

MealsLunch will not be provided by the Agency or reimbursed to the Contractor. When residing in a hotel, the cost of a reasonable breakfast (if not booked on a bed and breakfast basis) and/or evening meal taken in the hotel will be met. Costs including light meals and beverages will be reimbursed, up to a maximum of £18 per day whether the meals are purchased at the hotel or out of the hotel. Reimbursement is subject to provision of supporting receipts.

No other expenses will be reimbursed.

The Contractor shall be responsible for making its own travel and accommodation arrangements.

Pricing

Tenderers should complete the Pricing Schedule below.

Description £1. Program Implementation and configuration2. Cost per Document / Consultation3. Infrastructure4. Cost of all Licences5. Support & Maintenance6. Training

7. Ancillary

Total Fixed price


1. Program Implementation and configuration

Resource breakdown

Please complete the below table to provide the Agency with a breakdown of key elements of the project.

Task Description Man days Rate Contingency

Payments

Tenderer to complete the below table

Milestone Name % Date Estimated payment

1 Configuration and Implementation

30

4 Go live 505 Retention 20

Day work Rates

The day rates shall be payable for each full day worked by the Contractor / Consultants and no payment shall be made for additional hours worked in excess of the normal working day.

The day rates shall be fixed for the duration of the contract.

Contractor shall invoice the Company on a monthly basis for all Consultancy Services authorised by the Company, with all applications for payment being supported by authorised/signed timesheets

Tenderer to complete the table below.

Job Title Description £ day rate at NWDA site

£ day rate at contractor site


2. Cost per document and per consultation.

Tenderer to provide below details of cost per document and cost per consultation event.

Cost £ Cost Basis (fixed /sliding scale)

Cost Per Consultation EventCost per Document

3. Infrastructure

Tenderer to provide comprehensive and accurate costs for the infrastructure required, including any hardware and software.

Description Cost

4. Cost of all Licences

Tenderer to detail all licences including third party that are required for successful implementation of this project.

Licence No of users Type Cost

5. Support Maintenance (and Hosting)

Tenderer shall price for support and maintenance as per the pricing details below and in accordance with the Preamble to the “Schedule of Prices”.

Description Period Price

Software Maintenance and support 36 monthsHosting 36 months


6. Training

The Tenderer shall price for the Training as per the pricing details below.

The Tenderer shall insert costs associated with the provision of training courses as specified within the contract document.

Costs are required per course and/or per delegate.

Costs shall be provided for provision of the courses at Agency premises and at the Tenderer’s Offices. Where training is provided at Agency premises the Tenderer shall assume that the company will provide accommodation and training facilities free of charge to the Tenderer and the Tenderer shall insert a day rate for trainers who will provide this training at the Agency Site.

All costs inserted for training shall include for everything necessary for the provision of the courses and the accompanying documentation and certification.

Training course required

Location Duration Cost per course

Cost per delegate

7. Ancillary

In addition to the above fees the Tenderer shall identify below any additional items/services/software/ hardware considered necessary for the successful operation of the Programs and the appropriate costs.

Description Cost £


F REFERENCES

1. Details of three recent private sector contracts you have been awarded for the provision of services similar to those required by the Agency

Customer name and address

Contact name and Telephone number

Date contract awarded

Contract reference and brief description of service undertaken

Names of subcontractors and/ or consortium members and their role

1. 2. 3. 4. Details of any recent contracts you have been awarded by organisations in the wider public

sector (e.g. government departments, local authorities, NHS trusts, RDAs) for the provision of services similar to those required by the Agency

Customer name and address

Contact name and Telephone number

Date contract awarded

Contract reference and brief description of service undertaken

Names of subcontractors and/ or consortium members and their role

1. 2. 3.


G GENERAL SUPPLIER DETAILS

1 Is your organisation: i) a public limited company?

Yes/No

ii) a limited company? Yes/Noiii) a sole trader? Yes/Noiv) a partnership? Yes/No

2 Is your company a subsidiary of another company?

Yes/No

3 Name of holding or parent company4 Name of ultimate parent company (if

applicable)

5. Has your organisation made any application for third party funding – including State Aid assistance – in relation to the services you are intending to provide?

Yes/No

6. Is your organisation registered under the Data Protection Act 1998?

Yes/No

7. If yes, registration number:

8. Please give address to which Payment/Remittances should be sent:

9. Please also advise if your invoice address is different from the above:

10. Please provide details if during the last 3 years, there have been any of contracts where there has been a failure to complete the contract on time or at all, or where there have been claims for damages, or where damages have been deducted or recovered.

11. Details of any contracts which have been terminated during the last 3 years.

12. Are there any court actions and/ or significant employment tribunal hearings outstanding against your organisation?If yes, please provide details

Yes/No

13. Has your organisation been involved in any court action and/ or significant employment tribunal over the last 3 years?If yes, please provide details

Yes/No


14. Please provide details of any quality assurance certification that your company holds e.g. IS0 9000 or equivalent standard. Please include a copy of any certificate.

If no accreditation held, please attach an outline of your quality assurance policy.

15. Please provide details of any project management methodologies, e.g. PRINCE2, enclosing any relevant documents

H FINANCIAL INFORMATION

16. A copy of the most recent audited accounts for your organisation must be provided that cover the last two years of trading or for the period that is available if trading for less than two years.

Is this enclosed?

Y/N

17. A statement of the organisation’s turnover, Profit & Loss and cash flow position for the most recent full year of trading (or part year if full year not applicable) and an end period balance sheet, where this information is not available in an audited form at (1).

18. Where (2) cannot be provided, a statement of the organisation’s cash flow forecast for the current year and a bank letter outlining the current cash and credit facility position.

19. If your company is a subsidiary of another company, parent company and/or other guarantees of performance and financial standing may be required. Please confirm that you will provide this, if required.

Y/N


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