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Provide Independent Financial Advisors to BBC
Financial Services

Provide Independent Financial Advisors to BBC

Tuesday, 30 June 2015, 14:03

Provide Independent Financial Advisors to BBC

The BBC is looking for a supplier(s) to provide Independent Financial Advisors. The requirement is split into two (2) Lots: Lot 1 – Pension Increase Exchange (PIE) offer: Lot 2 – Flexible Retirement Offer (FRO).

United Kingdom-London: Government employee pension schemes

2015/S 123-225741

Contract notice

Services

Directive 2004/18/EC

Section I: Contracting authority

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

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Broadcasting House, Portland Place
For the attention of: Jody Hart
W1A 1AA London
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail: jody.hart.ext@bbc.co.uk

Internet address(es):

General address of the contracting authority: http://www.bbc.co.uk/supplying

Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: British Broadcasting Corporation
Internet address: https://bbc.bravosolution.co.uk

I.2)Type of the contracting authority

Body governed by public law

I.3)Main activity

Other: broadcasting

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

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

Section II: Object of the contract

II.1)Description

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

Independent Financial Advisors.

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

Services
Service category No 27: Other services

NUTS code UK

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

The notice involves a public contract
II.1.4)Information on framework agreement

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

Please note that although this Notice is set up as an Open Procedure, it is in fact being advertised as a procurement under Schedule 3 — Social And Other Specific Services, and is therefore not subject to the full regime of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
The BBC is looking for a supplier(s) to provide Independent Financial Advisors. The requirement is split into two (2) Lots: Lot 1- Pension Increase Exchange (PIE) offer: Lot 2 — Flexible Retirement Offer (FRO).
The initial contract term will be two (2) years following which the BBC may at its discretion extend the term on up to one (1) occasion for a period of up to twelve (12) months. The BBC reserves the right to extend one of the Lots and not the other.
Please note that there is no guarantee of the volume of advice required for either Lot. The volumes set out in the Invitation to Tender are only estimations and are therefore subject to change.

Procurement documentation can be accessed at https://bbc.bravosolution.co.uk

II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

75320000

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: yes
Tenders may be submitted for one or more lots

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:

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 4 000 000 and 9 000 000 GBP
II.2.2)Information about options
II.2.3)Information about renewals

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

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

Information about lots

Lot No: 1Lot title: Pension Increase Exchange

1)Short description

Lot 1 — Pension Increase Exchange (PIE) offer: This option is only offered to pensioners with pre April 1997 pension (i.e. mainly Old Benefits members see the bbc.co.uk/mypension for more information about the BBC Pension Scheme). This option will be run as a bulk exercise from 1 November 2015. Those over 80 years of age and any identified as being vulnerable (in line with regulatory guidance) will be written to with the option to ‘opt in’. The potential eligible community, excluding those over 80, is c16,900. There are c4,900 pensioners over age 80 who could possibly opt in. The intention is that the offer will include dependants’ pensions as well as the increases on contingent adult dependants’ pensions. Pensioners with small pre April 1997 pensions accrued will be excluded from the bulk offer. The bulk exercise will be run over three months from 1.11.2015 and split into two overlapping tranches with the second tranche starting 1.12.2015.
Engagement rates are difficult to predict given that much will depend on individual circumstances. Based on previous exercises the BBC working assumption is that c40 % to 60 % of the eligible population may seek advice with perhaps 20 % to 40 % taking up the offer.
The initial contract term will be two (2) years following which the BBC may at its discretion extend the term on up to one (1) occasion for a period of up to twelve (12) months. The BBC reserves the right to extend this Lot only.

Procurement documentation can be accessed at https://bbc.bravosolution.co.uk

2)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

75320000

3)Quantity or scope

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 3 000 000 and 7 000 000 GBP

4)Indication about different date for duration of contract or starting/completion

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

5)Additional information about lots

The awarding authority reserves the right not to award a contract and to annul the procurement process at any stage. Tenders and all supporting documents must be priced in sterling and all payments will be made in sterling. The contract shall be subject to English law. The awarding authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest, or any tender and reserves the right to accept part of a tender unless the tenderer expressly stipulates otherwise in the tender document. To prevent BBC eTendering portal email alerts from being quarantined by your organisation’s fire wall or spam filter, you are advised to instruct your IT team to accept all emails with a www.bravosolution.co.uk extension (our portal provider) or fromhelp@bravosolution.co.uk. If Section II.1.9 shows ‘Yes’, variants will be accepted provided they meet the core requirements of the project.<br>

Electronic ordering will be used, and electronic invoicing will be accepted, and electronic payment will be used.

Lot No: 2Lot title: Flexible Retirement Offer (FRO)

1)Short description

This option will be offered to active and deferred members who are aged 55 and over in the FRO exercise. Members will be contacted to remind them of their option to take a transfer value and informed about the new flexibility available since April 2015. Transfer values will be quoted on an unenhanced basis using the Scheme’s standard cash equivalent transfer basis.
The intention is to run a bulk exercise of up to c3,500 eligible deferred members over three months from Mid October 2015. Members with small pensions will be excluded from the bulk offer. The option will also form part of the business as usual process at retirement and c50 active and deferred members retire each month. The BBC understands that introducing a FRO will require careful communication. A comprehensive communications plan will be put in place to raise awareness of, and help members understand the new flexibilities being introduced. Members will also be provided with a suitable modelling tool, provided by KPMG, to help them explore the option further in advance of pursuing the IFA support. This will help to ensure that IFA consultation is focussed on those who have a serious interest in taking up the FRO. The cost of advice provided by the selected IFA will be funded by the BBC. Where a member has been a member of more than one section of the Scheme they will have the option to consider all their Scheme benefits in one set of advice or, if they wish to deal with the different benefits at different times, they will be allowed one further opportunity of funded paid advice. Members with benefits in more than one section of the Scheme can therefore potentially receive up to three sets of funded advice (once as part of the bulk offer and up to twice as part of the at retirement process). Any further advice will not be funded by the BBC, although IFAs should indicate whether they would offer members a preferential rate for any additional advice.
Engagement rates are difficult to predict given that much will depend on individual circumstances. The BBC’s working assumption is that c50 % of the eligible population may seek advice with perhaps 25 % to 30 % taking up the offer.
The initial contract term will be two (2) years following which the BBC may at its discretion extend the term on up to one (1) occasion for a period of up to twelve (12) months. The BBC reserves the right to extend this Lot only.

Procurement documentation can be accessed at https://bbc.bravosolution.co.uk

2)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

75320000

3)Quantity or scope

Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 1 000 000 and 2 000 000 GBP

4)Indication about different date for duration of contract or starting/completion

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

5)Additional information about lots

The awarding authority reserves the right not to award a contract and to annul the procurement process at any stage. Tenders and all supporting documents must be priced in sterling and all payments will be made in sterling. The contract shall be subject to English law. The awarding authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest, or any tender and reserves the right to accept part of a tender unless the tenderer expressly stipulates otherwise in the tender document. To prevent BBC eTendering portal email alerts from being quarantined by your organisation’s fire wall or spam filter, you are advised to instruct your IT team to accept all emails with a www.bravosolution.co.uk extension (our portal provider) or fromhelp@bravosolution.co.uk. If Section II.1.9 shows ‘Yes’, variants will be accepted provided they meet the core requirements of the project.<br>

Electronic ordering will be used, and electronic invoicing will be accepted, and electronic payment will be used.

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions relating to the contract

III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:

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

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

Where there is more than one economic operator, the BBC reserves the right to require a grouping of economic operators to take a particular legal form or to require a single economic operator to take primary liability or to require that each party undertakes joint and several liability.
III.1.4)Other particular conditions
III.2)Conditions for participation

III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Suppliers Instructions — How to Express Interest in this Tender:

1. You should first go to the BravoSolution eTendering portal at the following link: https://bbc.bravosolution.co.uk

2. Once in the BravoSolution portal you have 2 possible options:
a) WITHOUT HAVING TO REGISTER you can select ‘View tender opportunities’ and click on ‘Current Opportunities’ to view a summary of this project. If you would then like to formally express an interest and view the documentation you should follow the instructions in b) below.
b) Register your company (if not already registered) by clicking on the ‘Register’ button (this is only required once). Next, you should accept the terms and conditions and click continue — Enter your correct business and user details — Note the username you chose and click Save when complete — You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure). You can now formally express an interest in this tender.

3. 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. 4. 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 onscreen 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.n submit your reply using the ‘Submit Response’ button in the Actions box on the left-hand side of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk (contact details can be found at https://bbc.bravosolution.co.uk).

III.2.2)Economic and financial ability

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Detailed explanations of the evaluations methodology and minimum criteria to be satisfied are set out in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) Document.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: Please refer to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) Document.

III.2.3)Technical capacity

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met:
Detailed explanations of the evaluations methodology and minimum criteria to be satisfied are set out in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) Document.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:
Please refer to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) Document.
III.2.4)Information about reserved contracts
III.3)Conditions specific to services contracts
III.3.1)Information about a particular profession
III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service

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

Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates: Detailed explanations of the evaluation methodology and minimum criteria to be satisfied are set out in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) Document.
IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue
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:

PROC/2015/23/JH

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

no
IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document

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

8.7.2015 – 14:00
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
IV.3.8)Conditions for opening of tenders

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: no

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

The awarding authority reserves the right not to award a contract and to annul the procurement process at any stage. Tenders and all supporting documents must be priced in sterling and all payments will be made in sterling. The contract shall be subject to English law. The awarding authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest, or any tender and reserves the right to accept part of a tender unless the tenderer expressly stipulates otherwise in the tender document. To prevent BBC eTendering portal email alerts from being quarantined by your organisation’s fire wall or spam filter, you are advised to instruct your IT team to accept all emails with a www.bravosolution.co.uk extension (our portal provider) or fromhelp@bravosolution.co.uk. If Section II.1.9 shows ‘Yes’, variants will be accepted provided they meet the core requirements of the project.

Electronic ordering will be used, and Electronic invoicing will be accepted, and Electronic payment will be used.
This Notice concerns services falling within the light touch regime as referred to in Articles 74-76 of Directive 2014/24/EU and to which most provisions of that Directive do not apply. No statements, acts or omissions of the BBC in connection with this procurement should be taken as indicating that the BBC intends to be bound by the Directive or the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or the general principles of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to any greater extent than applies by law.

VI.4)Procedures for appeal
VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures
VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals
VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:

24.6.2015