External Legal Provider to Advise on Debt Recovery Services

Legal services for the recovery of debts owed to Camden Council.

United Kingdom-London: Legal services

2019/S 070-165400

Contract notice

Services

Legal Basis:

Directive 2014/24/EU

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1)Name and addresses

London Borough of Camden
n/a
5 Pancras Square
London
N1C 4AG
United Kingdom
Contact person: Stephen Spencer
Telephone: +44 2079744444
E-mail: stephen.spencer@camden.gov.uk
NUTS code: UKI

Internet address(es):Main address: www.camden.gov.uk

Address of the buyer profile: https://uk.eu-supply.com/ctm/Company/CompanyInformation/Index/28

I.2)Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

I.3)Communication

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=27993&B=LBCAMDEN

Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via: https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=27993&B=LBCAMDEN

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the abovementioned address

I.4)Type of the contracting authority

Regional or local authority

I.5)Main activity

General public services

Section II: Object

II.1)Scope of the procurement

II.1.1)Title:

Provision of an External Legal Provider to Advise on Debt Recovery Services

II.1.2)Main CPV code

79100000

II.1.3)Type of contract

Services

II.1.4)Short description:

Legal services for the recovery of debts owed to Camden Council. The service will provided to the Credit Control and Leaseholder departments within the Council.

II.1.5)Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: 1 665 500.00 GBP

II.1.6)Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: no

II.2)Description

II.2.1)Title:

II.2.2)Additional CPV code(s)

79111000

II.2.3)Place of performance

NUTS code: UKI

Main site or place of performance:

Offices of the London borough of Camden.

II.2.4)Description of the procurement:

The service will provided to the Credit Control and Leaseholder departments within the Council.

The service will provide advice on the following debt types:

— sundry debtors,

— adult social care,

— housing benefit overpayments,

— Leaseholders Services,

— former tenants arrears,

— current tenants arrears,

— commercial and residential rent,

— management and recovery of costs from deceased estates,

— housing investigations.

The provider will also be required to provide specialist legal advice in complex cases and provide training and training materials to staff within the Council.

The expiry date of the current contract is 8.7.2019 and the new service and contract will commence from 9.7.2019.

To ensure there is continuity of service, the 2-step approach outlined below has been agreed by the Council:

Step 1:

Should the incumbent provider be successful in the tendering process, the new service and contract will commence on 9.7.2019, as I.T. requirements will remain unchanged. The initial contract term will be 9.7.2019 to 31.3.2022. If the contract extension is applied, the contract expiry date will be 31.3.2024.

Step 2:

If a new provider is appointed, the Council has taken the decision to extend the current arrangement with the incumbent provider for up to nine (9) months from 9.7.2019 to 31.3.2020, and all current debts will remain with the incumbent provider.

During this period, the new provider will ensure that all I.T. related requirements have been fully tested and implemented by 31.12.2019. This process will enable the new provider to be prepared to receive instruction from the Council to recover all new debts and provide advice from 1.4.2020 to 31.3.2023. If the contract extension is agreed, the new provider will provide the service until the contract expiry date of 31.3.2025.

To confirm, the above approach is required to align the service in line with the financial year. The Council will ensure that debt recovery services for the LB of Camden will commence from 01 April.

The procurement process will follow an open procedure using the one-stage approach. The selection and award documents will be submitted and should be returned together as part of the tender pack.

After the deadline for returned electronic submissions has expired, the evaluation process of the selection stage will be undertaken.

Tenderers who are successful from the selection stage will be invited into the award stage and their submissions will be evaluated.

After final moderation of the tender responses, the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) will be recommended to perform the service; however, we reserve the right not to award using MEAT approach should it provide undue risk to the Authority.

Unsuccessful providers will be informed of the outcome via the messaging system on EU Supply and the 10 voluntary standstill period will commence.

A panel of Council Officers will evaluate all aspects of the final tender submission.

After the standstill period has expired, the successful provider will be confirmed in writing and the contract award notice will be issued and entered on contracts finder.

Minimum thresholds have also been included within the quality award criteria. Organisations who do not achieve the minimum threshold score will not have their responses assessed further and the organisation will be excluded from the process.

Please see tender documents in EU supply (www.eu-supply.com).

II.2.5)Award criteria

Criteria below

Quality criterion – Name: implementation plan / Weighting: 5 %

Quality criterion – Name: Service delivery and communications / Weighting: 25 %

Quality criterion – Name: Staffing structure / Weighting: 3 %

Quality criterion – Name: Contract performance and outcomes management / Weighting: 7 %

Quality criterion – Name: Internal training and materials / Weighting: 3 %

Quality criterion – Name: Social value / Weighting: 3 %

Quality criterion – Name: Demonstration of ICT systems / Weighting: 4 %

Price – Weighting: 50 %

II.2.6)Estimated value

Value excluding VAT: 1 665 500.00 GBP

II.2.7)Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system

Start: 09/07/2019

End: 31/03/2025

This contract is subject to renewal: no

II.2.10)Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: no

II.2.11)Information about options

Options: no

II.2.12)Information about electronic catalogues

II.2.13)Information about European Union funds

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

II.2.14)Additional information

The Invitation to Tender (ITT), contract terms and conditions, form of tender, specification and pricing schedule and other supporting information has been attached to EU Supply for bidders to complete.

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions for participation

III.1.1)Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

List and brief description of conditions:

Selection criteria as stated in the procurement tender documents.

III.1.2)Economic and financial standing

Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

III.1.3)Technical and professional ability

Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

III.1.5)Information about reserved contracts

III.2)Conditions related to the contract

III.2.1)Information about a particular profession

III.2.2)Contract performance conditions:

Selection and award criteria as stated in the procurement tender documents in EU Supply (www.eu-supply.com)

III.2.3)Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Description

IV.1.1)Type of procedure

Open procedure

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

IV.1.4)Information about reduction of the number of solutions or tenders during negotiation or dialogue

IV.1.6)Information about electronic auction

IV.1.8)Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: yes

IV.2)Administrative information

IV.2.1)Previous publication concerning this procedure

IV.2.2)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

Date: 07/05/2019

Local time: 14:00

IV.2.3)Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates

IV.2.4)Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted:

English

IV.2.6)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender

Tender must be valid until: 01/08/2019

IV.2.7)Conditions for opening of tenders

Date: 07/05/2019

Local time: 14:00

Place:

Offices of London Borough of Camden.

Information about authorised persons and opening procedure:

All tender submissions will be opened electronically by Council Officers via EU Supply. Tender responses will not be opened before the expiration of the deadline. The deadline is 14:00 on 7.5.2019.

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: no

VI.2)Information about electronic workflows

Electronic ordering will be used

Electronic invoicing will be accepted

VI.3)Additional information:

The expiry date of the current contract is 8.7.2019 and the new service and contract will commence from 9.7.2019.

To ensure there is continuity of service, the 2-step approach outlined below has been agreed by the Council:

Step 1: should the incumbent provider be successful in the tendering process, the new service and contract will commence on 9.7.2019, as I.T. requirements will remain unchanged. The initial contract term will be 9.7.2019 to 31.3.2022. If the contract extension is applied, the contract expiry date will be 31.3.2024.

Step 2: if a new provider is appointed, the Council has taken the decision to extend the current arrangement with the incumbent provider for up to nine (9) months from 9.7.2019 to 31.3.2020, and all current debts will remain with the incumbent provider.

To confirm, the above approach is required to align the service in line with the financial year. The Council will ensure that debt recovery services for the LB of Camden will commence from 01 April.

Please see tender documents in EU supply (www.eu-supply.com).

A panel of Council Officers will evaluate the tender presentations as set out in the tender documentation. The quality/price split is 50 / 50 %.

VI.4)Procedures for review

VI.4.1)Review body

Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
United Kingdom

VI.4.2)Body responsible for mediation procedures

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)
70 Fleet Street
London
EC4Y 1EU
United Kingdom

VI.4.3)Review procedure

Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:

As set out in the contract for services

VI.4.4)Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained

Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
United Kingdom

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:

04/04/2019