Economic Advice Services Framework for Invest Northern Ireland

Invest Northern Ireland
Bedford Square, Bedford Street
For the attention of: Louise Jamison
BT2 7ES Belfast
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 2890816346
E-mail: louise.jamison@dfpni.gov.uk

Internet address(es):

General address of the contracting authority: www.investni.com

Address of the buyer profile: http://e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml

Electronic access to information: http://e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml

Electronic submission of tenders and requests to participate: http://e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml

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)

Body governed by public law

General public services

The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: no

Invest NI — Framework for Provision of ‘Economic Advice’ and ‘Economic Appraisal and Evaluation’ Services (2015-2018).

Services
Service category No 11: Management consulting services [6] and related services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Northern Ireland.

NUTS code UKN0

The notice involves the establishment of a framework agreement

Framework agreement with several operators

Duration of the framework agreement

Duration in months: 36

Estimated total value of purchases for the entire duration of the framework agreement

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 500 000 and 1 000 000 GBP

As part of this Framework, Invest NI wishes to appoint Contractors to deliver on 2 separate lots. Tenderers to this Framework may bid for Lot 1 or Lot 2, or both lots. Each Lot will be evaluated independently. A Tenderer may be awarded more than 1 of the framework lots on the basis of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The Lots under this Framework are as follows:
Framework Lot 1: Economic Advice for Casework;
Framework Lot 2: Economic Appraisals and Evaluations.

79412000, 79419000

The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): yes

This contract is divided into lots: yes
Tenders may be submitted for one or more lots

Variants will be accepted: no

As part of this Framework, Invest NI wishes to appoint Contractors to deliver on 2 separate lots. Tenderers to this Framework may bid for Lot 1 or Lot 2, or both lots. Each Lot will be evaluated independently. A Tenderer may be awarded more than 1 of the framework lots on the basis of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The Lots under this Framework are as follows:
Framework Lot 1: Economic Advice for Casework;
Framework Lot 2: Economic Appraisals and Evaluations.
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 500 000 and 1 000 000 GBP

This contract is subject to renewal: no

Duration in months: 36 (from the award of the contract)

Provision of economic advice papers as part of the casework approval process.

79412000

Duration in months: 36 (from the award of the contract)

Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender: 1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once): https://e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk and click the link to register — Accept the terms and conditions and click ‘I agree’ — Enter your correct business and user details — Note the username you chose and click ‘Save’ when complete — You will shortly receive an e-mail 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/ITTs Open To All Suppliers’ link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) — Click on the relevant PQQ/ITT to access the content. — Click the ‘Express Interest’ button at the top of the page. — This will move the PQQ/ITT into your ‘My PQQs/My ITTs’ page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only) — You can now access any attachments by clicking ‘Buyer Attachments’ in the ‘PQQ/ITT Details’ box 3. Responding to the tender — Click ‘My Response’ under ‘PQQ/ITT Details’, you can choose to ‘Create Response’ or to ‘Decline to Respond’ (please give a reason if declining) — You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification — Note the deadline for completion, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the PQQ/ITT — There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available). You must then submit your reply using the ‘Submit Response’ button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.

Stage 1 — Selection Criteria for Lot 1 — Economic Advice for Casework.
Minimum Standards of Professional Ability (Pass/Fail).
(SC1) Account Manager — Tenderers must nominate 1 named account manager, who will be directly responsible for ensuring all contractual obligations are met and managing the contractor’s relationship with Invest NI under the terms of Lot 1 of this Framework Agreement.
(SC2) Proposed Team Experience — Tenderers must propose a team that will be responsible for providing the economic advice for casework under Lot 1. The proposed team must comprise of a minimum of 2 individuals.
(In the event that sole traders want to bid, they may wish to partner/subcontract with other contractors to meet the desired criteria. A minimum team size is required to ensure business continuity).
At least half of the Tenderer’s proposed team (defined as 50 % or above of the individuals put forward) must demonstrate the minimum standard of experience as defined below:
For an individual team member to demonstrate the minimum standard of experience they must provide 3 examples of undertaking economic impact assessments or cost benefit analysis assignments (e.g. Economic Appraisals, Business Cases, Economic Advice papers, etc.) of economic development programmes/projects aimed at improving private sector productivity and/or increasing employment. Each example must:
— Be of a project/programme where the totality of funding was 1 000 000 GBP or more;
— Have been completed and accepted by the client within the last 3 years.
Each example provided must include the following:
— Assignment title.
— Client.
— Total value of the project/programme that was the subject of the assignment.
— Start/end dates, and duration of the assignment.
— Summary of the assignment and its relevance to the area of improving private sector productivity and/or increasing employment.
— Specific roles/duties of team member.
Each example must be completed on the attached ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 1 — SC2’ and must not exceed 1 A4 page. Responses must be completed in Arial font size 12. (Any additional information outside of the A4 page limit per example or the ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 1 — SC2’ will not be evaluated).
(SC3) Proposed Team Qualifications — At least half of the proposed team (defined as 50 % or above of individuals put forward) must have attained a third level qualification or above in Economics e.g. BSc/MSc/BA Economics, in which at least half (50 % or above) of the content/modules is in Economics. Tenderers must confirm that they can comply with this requirement and name the individuals proposed and provide details of the qualification held.
Tenderers must complete the attached ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 1 — SC3’.
Copies of certificates will be requested pre award for the named individuals.

i. Undertake Economic Appraisals as part of the programme and project casework approval process; and
ii. Undertake Evaluations — Programme Evaluations as well as Post Project Evaluations (PPEs).

79412000, 79419000

Duration in months: 36 (from the award of the contract)

Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender: 1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once): https://e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk and click the link to register — Accept the terms and conditions and click ‘I agree’ — Enter your correct business and user details — Note the username you chose and click ‘Save’ when complete — You will shortly receive an e-mail 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/ITTs Open To All Suppliers’ link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) — Click on the relevant PQQ/ITT to access the content. — Click the ‘Express Interest’ button at the top of the page. — This will move the PQQ/ITT into your ‘My PQQs/My ITTs’ page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only) — You can now access any attachments by clicking ‘Buyer Attachments’ in the ‘PQQ/ITT Details’ box 3. Responding to the tender — Click ‘My Response’ under ‘PQQ/ITT Details’, you can choose to ‘Create Response’ or to ‘Decline to Respond’ (please give a reason if declining) — You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification — Note the deadline for completion, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the PQQ/ITT — There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available). You must then submit your reply using the ‘Submit Response’ button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.

Stage 1 — Selection Criteria for Lot 2 — Economic Appraisals and Evaluations.
Minimum Standards of Professional Ability (Pass/Fail).
(SC1) Account Manager — Tenderers must nominate 1 named account manager, who will be directly responsible for ensuring all contractual obligations are met and managing the contractor’s relationship with Invest NI under the terms of Lot 2 of this framework agreement.
(SC2) Proposed Team Experience in Economic Appraisals and Evaluations — Tenderers must propose a team comprising of a minimum of 2 individuals. The team must include a minimum of 1 Lead Consultant. The nominated Lead Consultant(s) will be required to lead the team on each individual assignment awarded under Lot 2 of the Framework.
(In the event that sole traders want to bid, they may wish to partner/sub contract with other contractors to meet the desired criteria. A minimum team size is required to ensure business continuity).
At least half of the Tenderer’s proposed team (defined as 50 % or above) must demonstrate the minimum standard of experience as defined below:
For an individual team member to demonstrate the minimum standard of experience they must provide 3 examples of assignments completed within the last 3 years. One example must represent an economic appraisal, one example must represent an evaluation, and the third example can represent either an economic appraisal or an evaluation. The examples must relate to the appraisal and evaluation of projects/programmes aimed at improving private sector productivity and/or increasing employment. In respect of the examples submitted for the Lead Consultant(s), tenderers must make clear that this person(s) has led the project team on each project example submitted.
Each economic appraisal example must:
— Be of a project/programme where the totality of funding was 1 000 000 GBP or more;
— Have been completed and accepted by the client within the last 3 years.
Each evaluation example must:
— Be for a project/programme of at least 1 000 000 GBP budget;
— Represent an evaluation of a project/programme of at least 3 years duration;
— Have been completed and accepted by the client within the last 3 years.
For each example, the following information must be provided:
— Assignment title (identifying if it is an evaluation or economic appraisal);
— Client;
— Total value of the project/programme, that was the subject of assignment;
— Duration of project/programme funding period;
— Start/end dates and duration of the assignment;
— Summary of the assignment scope and its relevance to the area of improving private sector productivity and/or increasing employment;
— Specific roles / duties of team member.
Each example must be completed on the attached ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 2 — SC2’ and must not exceed 1 A4 page. Responses must be completed in Arial font size 12 (Any additional information outside of the 1 A4 page limit per example or the ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 2 — SC2’ template will not be evaluated).
(SC3) Proposed Team Qualifications — At least half of the proposed team (defined as 50 % or above of individuals put forward) must have attained a third level qualification or above in Economics e.g. BSc/MSc/BA Economics, in which at least half (50 % or above) of the content/modules is in Economics. Tenderers must confirm that they can comply with this requirement and name the individuals proposed and provide details of the qualification held.
Tenderers must complete the attached ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 2 — SC3’.
Copies of certificates will be requested pre award for the named individuals.

N/a.

As per the tender documents.

N/a.

The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: no

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: As per the tender documents.

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: As per the tender documents.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: As per the tender documents.

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met:
As per the tender documents.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:
Lot 1 — (SC1) Account Manager —Tenderers must nominate 1 named account manager, who will be directly responsible for ensuring all contractual obligations are met and managing the contractor’s relationship with Invest NI under the terms of Lot 1 of this Framework Agreement.
Lot 1— (SC2) Proposed Team Experience — Tenderers must propose a team that will be responsible for providing the economic advice for casework under Lot 1. The proposed team must comprise of a minimum of 2 individuals.
(In the event that sole traders want to bid, they may wish to partner/subcontract with other contractors to meet the desired criteria. A minimum team size is required to ensure business continuity).
At least half of the Tenderer’s proposed team (defined as 50 % or above of the individuals put forward) must demonstrate the minimum standard of experience as defined below:
For an individual team member to demonstrate the minimum standard of experience they must provide 3 examples of undertaking economic impact assessments or cost benefit analysis assignments (e.g. Economic Appraisals, Business Cases, Economic Advice papers, etc.) of economic development programmes/projects aimed at improving private sector productivity and/or increasing employment. Each example must:
— Be of a project/programme where the totality of funding was 1 000 000 GBP or more;
— Have been completed and accepted by the client within the last 3 years.
Each example provided must include the following:
— Assignment title.
— Client.
— Total value of the project/programme that was the subject of the assignment.
— Start/end dates, and duration of the assignment.
— Summary of the assignment and its relevance to the area of improving private sector productivity and/or increasing employment.
— Specific roles / duties of team member.
Each example must be completed on the attached ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 1 — SC2’ and must not exceed 1 A4 page. Responses must be completed in Arial font size 12. (Any additional information outside of the A4 page limit per example or the ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 1 — SC2’ will not be evaluated).
Lot 1 — (SC3) Proposed Team — At least half of the proposed team (defined as 50 % or above of individuals put forward) must have attained a third level qualification or above in Economics e.g. BSc/MSc/BA Economics, in which at least half (50 % or above) of the content/modules is in Economics. Tenderers must confirm that they can comply with this requirement and name the individuals proposed and provide details of the qualification held.
Tenderers must complete the attached ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 1 — SC3’.
Copies of certificates will be requested pre award for the named individuals.
Lot 2 — (SC1) Account Manager — Tenderers must nominate 1 named account manager, who will be directly responsible for ensuring all contractual obligations are met and managing the contractor’s relationship with Invest NI under the terms of Lot 2 of this framework agreement.
Lot 2 — (SC2) Proposed Team Experience in Economic Appraisals and Evaluations — Tenderers must propose a team comprising of a minimum of 2 individuals. The team must include a minimum of 1 Lead Consultant. The nominated Lead Consultant(s) will be required to lead the team on each individual assignment awarded under Lot 2 of the Framework.
(In the event that sole traders want to bid, they may wish to partner/sub contract with other contractors to meet the desired criteria. A minimum team size is required to ensure business continuity).
At least half of the Tenderer’s proposed team (defined as 50 % or above) must demonstrate the minimum standard of experience as defined below:
For an individual team member to demonstrate the minimum standard of experience they must provide 3 examples of assignments completed within the last 3 years. One example must represent an economic appraisal, one example must represent an evaluation, and the third example can represent either an economic appraisal or an evaluation. The examples must relate to the appraisal and evaluation of projects/programmes aimed at improving private sector productivity and/or increasing employment. In respect of the examples submitted for the Lead Consultant(s), tenderers must make clear that this person(s) has led the project team on each project example submitted.
Each economic appraisal example must:
— Be of a project/programme where the totality of funding was 1 000 000 GBP or more;
— Have been completed and accepted by the client within the last 3 years.
Each evaluation example must:
— Be for a project/programme of at least 1 000 000 GBP budget;
— Represent an evaluation of a project/programme of at least 3 years duration;
— Have been completed and accepted by the client within the last 3 years.
For each example, the following information must be provided:
— Assignment title (identifying if it is an evaluation or economic appraisal);
— Client;
— Total value of the project/programme, that was the subject of assignment;
— Duration of project/programme funding period;
— Start/end dates and duration of the assignment;
— Summary of the assignment scope and its relevance to the area of improving private sector productivity and/or increasing employment;
— Specific roles/duties of team member.
Each example must be completed on the attached ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 2 — SC2’ and must not exceed 1 A4 page. Responses must be completed in Arial font size 12 (Any additional information outside of the 1 A4 page limit per example or the ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 2 — SC2’ template will not be evaluated).
Lot 2 — (SC3) Proposed Team Qualifications — At least half of the proposed team (defined as 50 % or above of individuals put forward) must have attained a third level qualification or above in Economics e.g. BSc/MSc/BA Economics, in which at least half (50 % or above) of the content/modules is in Economics. Tenderers must confirm that they can comply with this requirement and name the individuals proposed and provide details of the qualification held.
Tenderers must complete the attached ‘Appendix 1 — Lot 2 — SC3’.
Copies of certificates will be requested pre award for the named individuals.

Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession: no

Open

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

An electronic auction will be used: no

Project_18176

no

Time limit for receipt of requests for documents or for accessing documents: 4.12.2014 – 15:00
Payable documents: no

4.12.2014 – 15:00

English.

in days: 90 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)

Date: 4.12.2014 – 15:01
Persons authorised to be present at the opening of tenders: yes
Additional information about authorised persons and opening procedure: Only CPD procurement staff with access to the project on eSourcing.

This is a recurrent procurement: no

The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no

Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender: 1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once): https://e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk and click the link to register — Accept the terms and conditions and click ‘I agree’ — Enter your correct business and user details — Note the username you chose and click ‘Save’ when complete — You will shortly receive an e-mail 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/ITTs Open To All Suppliers’ link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) — Click on the relevant PQQ/ITT to access the content. — Click the ‘Express Interest’ button at the top of the page. — This will move the PQQ/ITT into your ‘My PQQs/My ITTs’ page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only). — You can now access any attachments by clicking ‘Buyer Attachments’ in the ‘PQQ/ITT Details’ box 3. Responding to the tender — Click ‘My Response’ under ‘PQQ/ITT Details’, you can choose to ‘Create Response’ or to ‘Decline to Respond’ (please give a reason if declining) — You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification — Note the deadline for completion, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the PQQ/ITT — There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available). You must then submit your reply using the ‘Submit Response’ button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.

Central procurement Directorate
Clare House, 303 Airport Road West
BT3 9ED Belfast
UNITED KINGDOM
Internet address: www.dfpni.gov.uk/cpd

Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: CPD will incorporate a standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the award decision. The standstill period, which will be for a minimum of 10 calendar days, provides time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into.
The Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No 5) provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland).

17.10.2014