Online Tests and Assessment Platform Contract

The purpose of the contract is to provide Civil Service HR with a test platform responsible for the delivery of online tests and assessments for recruitment.

United Kingdom-Liverpool: Software package and information systems

2018/S 213-488584

Contract notice

Services

Legal Basis:

Directive 2014/24/EU

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1)Name and addresses

The Minister for the Cabinet Office acting through Crown Commercial Service
9th Floor, The Capital Building, Old Hall Street
Liverpool
L3 9P
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 3450103503
E-mail: supplier@crowncommercial.gov.uk
NUTS code: UK

Internet address(es):Main address: https://www.gov.uk/ccs

Address of the buyer profile: https://www.crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk

I.2)Information about joint procurement

I.3)Communication

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: https://crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk

Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via: https://crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk

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

Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at: https://crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk

I.4)Type of the contracting authority

Other type: Cabinet Office

I.5)Main activity

General public services

Section II: Object

II.1)Scope of the procurement

II.1.1)Title:

Online Tests and Assessment Platform

Reference number: RM6129

II.1.2)Main CPV code

48000000

II.1.3)Type of contract

Services

II.1.4)Short description:

Crown commercial service are acting as an “Agent” and will be conducting this procurement on before of Cabinet Office the “Authority”.

The purpose of the contract is to provide Civil Service HR (CSHR) “the Customer”, a test platform responsible for the delivery of online tests and assessments for recruitment across all Civil Service departments (circa 400 000 staff). The requirement is to provide a platform for authoring, assembling and delivering online tests and assessments.

The platform will be provided as software-as-a-service including the support to manage and maintain the platform.

The test platform is required to allow independent access to the client’s users instead of this work being handed to the supplier.

II.1.5)Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: 4 000 000.00 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)

48100000

48450000

48517000

72000000

II.2.3)Place of performance

NUTS code: UK

II.2.4)Description of the procurement:

Crown commercial service are acting as an “Agent” and will be conducting this procurement on before of Cabinet Office the “Authority”.

The purpose of the contract is to provide Civil Service HR (CSHR) “the Customer”, a test platform responsible for the delivery of online tests and assessments for recruitment across all civil service departments (circa 400 000 staff). The requirement is to provide a platform for authoring, assembling and delivering online tests and assessments.

The platform will be provided as software-as-a-service including the support to manage and maintain the platform.

The test platform is required to allow independent access to the client’s users instead of this work being handed to the supplier.

II.2.5)Award criteria

Criteria below

Quality criterion – Name: Quality / Weighting: 70

Price – Weighting: 30

II.2.6)Estimated value

Value excluding VAT: 4 000 000.00 GBP

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

Duration in months: 48

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

Links to prototypes created by the CSHR Digital team are included as examples of how the GOV.UK styles could be adopted. These can be accessed at: https://cshr-onlinetests.herokuapp.com/

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:

Bidders will be assessed, in accordance with Section 5 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (implementing the Directive), on the basis of information provided in response to a bid pack registering for access.

This procurement will be managed electronically via the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) eSourcing Suite, BravoSolution. This will be the primary route for sharing information and communicating with bidders. To participate bidders must first be registered on BravoSolution. If you have recently registered on this portal,

For another CCS procurement, you can used the same account. If not, you will first need to register your organisation on the portal.

To register:

1) Go to the URL: https://crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk;

2) Select “click here to register”;

3) Read and agree to the portal user agreement;

4) Complete the registration form, providing information including:

— full legal name of your organisation,

— your company registration number,

— your DUNS number (a unique nine-digit number provided to organisations free of charge, by Dun and Bradstreet) and

— user and contact details.

Once registered on the BravoSolution portal, you will be able to express your interest in this procurement.

Your registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done.

Note: if you require additional users from your organisation to see the bid pack, do not repeat the above as this will create a new, separate account; instead, the registered user can add additional users to the existing account via profile, user management, users expressing an interest.

To express your interest in this procurement:

1) Log in to the BravoSolution eSourcing Suite portal: https://crowncommercial.bravosolution.co.uk;

2) On the dashboard there is a “quick links” portlet — click on “My ITTs”;

3) On the next screen, click on “ITTs open to all suppliers”;

4) The online tests and assessment platform ITT will be displayed.

Note: There may also be other events listed on here. Click on the online tests and assessment platform ITT name.

5) Click on “Express an Interest” at the top of the next screen;

6) You can now access the published documents in the BravoSolution portal. For assistance please contact the eSourcing helpdesk, operated by BravoSolution, by email at help@bravosolution.co.uk or by telephone on 0345 010 3503.

Responses must be submitted by the date stated in IV.2.2 of this contract notice.

Security requirements:

You are required to provide the authority with evidence of a current and valid Cyber Essentials certificate, which has been awarded by one of the government approved Cyber Essentials accreditation bodies within the most recent 12 months. Where your organisation proposes to use key subcontractors to carry out the services, and

These key subcontractors shall be involved in handling sensitive and personal information with regard to the services, such key subcontractors will have in place a valid Cyber Essentials certificate.

III.1.2)Economic and financial standing

List and brief description of selection criteria:

Bidders will be assessed in accordance with Section 5 of the 2015 Public Contract Regulations (implementing the Directive) on the basis of information provided in response to an Invitation to Tender (“ITT”) registering for access.

III.1.3)Technical and professional ability

List and brief description of selection criteria:

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:

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

Notice number in the OJ S: 2018/S 159-364593

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

Date: 03/12/2018

Local time: 12:00

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

Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)

IV.2.7)Conditions for opening of tenders

Date: 03/12/2018

Local time: 12:01

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

Electronic payment will be used

VI.3)Additional information:

The bid pack can be accessed at: https://crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk using the instructions detailed in III.1.1).

This contract agreement will be for an initial period of 2 years + 1 year + 1 year up to a total duration of forty eight (48) months.

The values provided in Section(s) II.1.5 and II.2 are only estimates. We cannot guarantee any business through the contract agreement.

As part of this contract notice the following documents can be accessed at

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/68886a6e-ec5b-4184-8cdc-db0c97a18134&sa=D&source=hangouts&ust=1541244908440000&usg=AFQjCNFDA3JMnMOgTZKAhNPq2WZj6k6pUA

1) Contract notice transparency information for the agreement;

2) procurement timetable.

This procurement will be evaluated in accordance with the process set out in the bid pack documentation. CCS reserves the right to run all stages of the procurement concurrently.

The bidder is encouraged to carry out its own due diligence.

The authority reserves the right:

(i) not to award any contract agreement, as a result of the procurement process, commenced by publication of this notice;

(ii) in the event that there is a substantive challenge to the procurement, the authority reserves the right to the extent that it is lawful to do so to conclude a contract agreement with the successful bidder has not been challenged and

(iii) make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering competition.

In no circumstances will the Authority be liable for any costs incurred by the bidders.

Registering for access:

This procurement will be managed electronically via the BravoSolution eSourcing tool. This will be the route for sharing all information and communicating with potential providers. If you have recently registered on the BravoSolution portal for another CCS procurement you can use the same account for this new procurement. If not, you will first need to register your organisation on the portal.

To register, you will need to:

1) Go to the URL: https://crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk.

2) Select the link “I am a new supplier user”;

3) Read and agree to the portal user agreement;

4) Complete the registration form, providing information including:

— the full legal name of your organisation,

— your company registration number,

— your DUNS number — a unique nine-digit number provided to organisations free of charge by Dun and Bradstreet.

— user and contact details.

Once you have registered on the BravoSolution eSourcing tool, you will be able to express your interest in this specific procurement. Your registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done.

Note: If you require additional users from your organisation to see the Invitation to Tender ITT, do not repeat the above process as this will create a new separate organisation account; instead the registered user can add additional users to the existing supplier organisation account via “User Management” >“Manage

Users” > “Users” > “Create”.

Expressing an interest:

To express your interest in this procurement:

1) Login to the BravoSolution eSourcing Suite portal: https://crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk

2) On the dashboard select the link ITTs Open to All Suppliers;

3) On the “ITTs Open to All Suppliers” webpage you will see one or more procurements listed, click on the procurement name you wish to access;

4) Click on Express Interest at the top of the next screen;

5) You can now access the published documents in the BravoSolution portal.

For assistance please contact the eSourcing Help-desk operated by BravoSolution by email at help@bravosolution.co.uk or call 0800 069 8630.

VI.4)Procedures for review

VI.4.1)Review body

Crown Commercial Service
9th Floor, The Capital Building, Old Hall Street
Liverpool
L3 9PP
United Kingdom
E-mail: supplier@crowncommercial.gov.uk

VI.4.2)Body responsible for mediation procedures

VI.4.3)Review procedure

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

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:

02/11/2018