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Provide Audit Services Across Staffordshire

Tuesday, 22 March 2016, 11:51

Provision of External Quality Assessments / Audit Services.

United Kingdom-Stafford: Statutory audit services

2016/S 054-090687

Contract notice

Services

Directive 2004/18/EC

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)

Staffordshire County Council
Staffordshire Procurement, 2 Staffordshire Place
For the attention of: Laura Kendall
ST16 2DH Stafford
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 1785854656
E-mail: laura.kendall@staffordshire.gov.uk
Fax: +44 1785854660

Internet address(es):

General address of the contracting authority: www.staffordshire.gov.uk/purchasing

Address of the buyer profile: https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login#

Electronic access to information: https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login#

Electronic submission of tenders and requests to participate: https://supplierlive.proactisp2p.com/Account/Login#

Further information can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: The above mentioned contact point(s)

I.2)Type of the contracting authority

Regional or local authority

I.3)Main activity

General public services

I.4)Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities

The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: yes

Cannock Chase District Council
Civic Centre, Beecroft Road
WS11 1BG Cannock

Stafford Borough Council
Civic Centre, Riverside
ST16 3AQ Stafford

Newcastle Under Lyme Borough Council
Merrial Street
ST5 2AG Newcastle

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
Moorlands House, Stockwell Street
ST13 6HQ Leek

High Peak Borough Council
Buxton Town Hall, Market Place, Derbyshire
SK17 6EL Buxton

Tamworth Borough Council
Marmion House, Lichfield Street
B79 7BZ Tamworth

Lichfield District Council
District Council House, Frog Lane
WS13 6YU Lichfield

Stoke on Trent City Council
Civic Centre, Glebe Street
ST4 1HH Stoke-on-Trent

South Staffordshire District Council
Council Offices, Wolverhampton Road, South Staffordshire
WV8 1PX Codsall

Shropshire Council
Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shropshire
SY2 6ND Shrewsbury

Telford and Wrekin Council
Addenbrooke House, Ironmasters Way
TF3 4NT Telford

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Pirehill
ST15 0BS Stone

Section II: Object of the contract

II.1)Description

II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:

Provision of External Quality Assessments.

II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance

Services
Service category No 6: Financial services a) Insurances services b) Banking and investment services
NUTS code UKG2,UKG23,UKG3

II.1.3)Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)

The notice involves the establishment of a framework agreement

II.1.4)Information on framework agreement

Framework agreement with a single operator

Duration of the framework agreement

Duration in years: 2

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

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 80 000 and 160 000 GBP

II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s)

To carry out an External Quality Assessment (EQA) as required by the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS) and Local Government Application Note (LGAN) for each of the Internal Audit Teams as detailed in the procurement documents.
The required work will be to undertake a review and validation of the self-assessments against the PSIAS which have been produced by the Chief Audit Executive (CAE) for each of the Internal Audit Functions at their respective authorities and in addition provide a comparison in respect of best practice.

II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

79212300, 79200000

II.1.7)Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

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

II.1.8)Lots

This contract is divided into lots: no

II.1.9)Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: no
II.2)Quantity or scope of the contract

II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:

To carry out an External Quality Assessment (EQA) as required by the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS) and Local Government Application Note (LGAN) for each of the Internal Audit Teams as detailed in procurement documents.
The required work will be to undertake a review and validation of the self-assessments against the PSIAS which have been produced by the Chief Audit Executive (CAE) for each of the Internal Audit Functions at their respective authorities and in addition provide a comparison in respect of best practice.
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 80 000 and 160 000 GBP

II.2.2)Information about options

Options: no

II.2.3)Information about renewals

This contract is subject to renewal: no

II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion

Duration in months: 24 (from the award of the contract)

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions relating to the contract
III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:

III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:

Payments may be made following acceptance by the banking agents of the County Council.

III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:

No special legal form is required by the grouping of providers. The contract may be awarded to a single applicant or a consortium or individuals of a consortium but in the case of a consortium or individuals of a consortium liability will be joint and several.

III.1.4)Other particular conditions

The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: no
III.2)Conditions for participation
III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

III.2.2)Economic and financial ability

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: The applicant must meet the minimum set standards of economic and financial standing to service the term and value of the contract.
Financial checks will be undertaken for economic operators using one or more of the Councils current financial assessors

n2check (www.n2check.com),

Dun & Bradstreet (www.dnb.co.uk),

Experian (www.experian.co.uk).

Economic operators will be assessed according to the level of risk stipulated by the financial assessors used
Note:
1. It is the responsibility of the economic operator to ensure that the appropriate accounts have been filed and that the credit information held is correct.
2.Should economic operators wish other financial information to be taken into account to support the
economic and financial check this should be submitted with the response to the PQQ. SCC
reserves the right to request further financial information and to take this into account where necessary in addition to the level of risk stipulated by the financial assessors.
3. For sole traders/partnerships where third party financial assessments are not available the
assessment will be undertaken using a financial spreadsheet detailing trading account data for the last 3 years.
The organisation should hold valid insurance as required by the contract, or a written statement advising that should they be awarded the contract they will have the required levels of insurance in place for the commencement of the contract.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: Financial checks.
Any economic operator being given an above average/higher than average risk rating or poorer, by one or more of the assessors used, may be rejected.
Insurance Levels.
Public Liability 5 000 000 GBP.
Employers Liability 5 000 000 GBP.
Professional Indemnity 2 000 000 GBP.
Failure to achieve or agree to this may lead to disqualification.

III.2.3)Technical capacity
III.2.4)Information about reserved contracts
III.3)Conditions specific to services contracts

III.3.1)Information about a particular profession

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

III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service

Legal persons should indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff responsible for the execution of the service: no

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Type of procedure

IV.1.1)Type of procedure

Open
IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate

IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue

Recourse to staged procedure to gradually reduce the number of solutions to be discussed or tenders to be negotiated no
IV.2)Award criteria

IV.2.1)Award criteria

The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document

IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction

An electronic auction will be used: no
IV.3)Administrative information

IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:

PC607

IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

no

IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document

Payable documents: no

IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

20.4.2016 – 12:00
IV.3.5)Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates

IV.3.6)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up

English.

IV.3.7)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender

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

IV.3.8)Conditions for opening of tenders

Date: 20.4.2016 – 12:05

Place:

SCC Offices.

Persons authorised to be present at the opening of tenders: yes
Additional information about authorised persons and opening procedure: SCC Officers Only.

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence

VI.2)Information about European Union funds

The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
VI.3)Additional information
VI.4)Procedures for appeal

VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures

Staffordshire County Council
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail: sp@staffordshire.gov.uk

Body responsible for mediation procedures

UK
UNITED KINGDOM

VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals

Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: The Contracting Authority will incorporate a minimum 10 calendar day standstill period (or 15 days where non-electronic or fax methods are used) at the point that an award decision notice is communicated to tenderers.
The award decision process will specify the criteria for the award of the contract/framework agreement, the reasons for the decision, including the characteristics and relative advantages, the name and score of the successful tender; and will specify when the standstill period is expected to end or the date before which the Contracting Authority will not conclude the contract/framework agreement.
If an appeal regarding the award of a contract/framework agreement has not been successfully resolved, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland).
Any such action must be brought promptly (generally within 3 months).
The Court may order the setting aside of the award decision or may order the Contracting Authority to amend any document and may award damages.
If an agreement has been entered into the Court may make a declaration of ineffectiveness or may order that the duration of any relevant specific contract be shortened and additionally may award damages.
The time limit for seeking such a declaration is generally 30 days from notification of the award (either by award decision notification or contract award notice depending upon the circumstances) or otherwise 6 months.

VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained

Staffordshire County Council
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail: sp@staffordshire.gov.uk

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:

16.3.2016