Tender to Supply Web Publishing Platform

Official name: University Of Edinburgh
Postal address: Charles Stewart House, 9-16 Chambers Street
Town: Edinburgh
NUTS code: UKM75
Postal code: EH1 1HT
Country: United Kingdom
Contact person: Billy Robertson
E-mail: Billy.robertson@ed.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 1316502508

Internet address(es):Main address: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/procurement/supplying

Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00107

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/esop/guest/login.do

Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via: https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/esop/pts-host/public/pts/web/login.html

Body governed by public law

Education

Web Publishing Platform

Reference number: EC0878

Services

The University of Edinburgh (the University) wishes to appoint a supplier to provide a platform as a service (PaaS) based solution for the development of a website publishing platform. This platform needs to be flexible and improve iteratively to support the ongoing business and user demands. Please refer to Section II.2.4) of this notice for further definition around the scope of this procurement.

This procedure will be carried out in accordance with Regulation 29 of The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

Bidders must self-certify adherence to selection and exclusion criteria via the ESPD on Public Contracts Scotland Tender (PCS-T). When completing the ESPD, bidders must have regards for the selection requirements detailed in Section III of this OJEU notice.

Value excluding VAT: 350 000.00 GBP

This contract is divided into lots: no

NUTS code: UKM75

The University is planning to launch a new corporate University Web publishing service, by November 2021, to replace the current provision of a central University Website and its underlying monolithic Web Content Management (CMS), EdWeb. This procurement exercise will ensure that the following components and relevant activities of this service will be provided by an external supplier in full alignment with the University’s strategies:

— a cloud-hosted website publishing platform with the ability to successfully sustain the current University Website and have the scale-ability, capacity and performance capability to extend in hosting the wider University web estate,

— a modular website, including its underlying CMS solution to replace the current one. This solution should be developed in alignment with user-centred practices and would be fit for purpose for the University’s core use cases. Additionally, it should easily allow its continuous improvement by the University Website Service Team and integrate feedback or code contributions from the wider University website community,

— migration of the current University website and its content to the web publishing platform in it entirety, using the developed solution as appropriate,

— close collaboration and knowledge sharing between the supplier and the central University’s design, UX and development teams in required, to ensure decisions are made in partnership, support relevant skills development and enable the transition to a fully agile, continuous improvement model.

The University will accept bids from suppliers that intend to use subcontractors or otherwise relying on the capacities of other entities.

Under no circumstances will the University or any of its respective advisors be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by bidders and/or its respective advisors arising directly or indirectly from this procurement or termination thereof, including, without limitation, any changes or adjustments made to the procurement documentation, or the exclusion/disqualification of a bidder.

Criteria below

Quality criterion – Name: Quality / Weighting: 70

Price – Weighting: 30

Duration in months: 36

This contract is subject to renewal: yes

Description of renewals:

The contract duration is 3 years with the option to extend for an additional 3 years at 12-month intervals, at the discretion of the University.

Envisaged minimum number: 5

Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:

Stages set out below: Initial stage — ESPD Pre-qualification:

The ESPD asks bidders general questions; when completing, bidders must have regard for the statements in this OJEU notice and the ESPD Guidance document that detail specific requirements. Please note that full statements are available in ESPD Guidance document. Bidders must:

(a) pass the minimum standards in ESPD Sections 4A, 4B, and 4D in the PCS-T Qualification envelope. Statements for these questions can be found in the ESPD Guidance document and Sections III.1.1), III.1.2) and III.1.3) (‘Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required’) of this notice;

(b) Complete the scored ESPD Section 4C found in the PCS-T Technical envelope. Statements for these questions can be found in the ESPD guidance document and Section III.1.3) (‘List and brief description of selection criteria’) of this notice. Section 4C will be scored as per the scoring methodology detailed below, we will take the highest scoring 10 qualified bidder(s) through to the invitation to tender (ITT) stage.

The University may disqualify any bidder who scores a 0 or 1 (Unacceptable or Poor) in any scored questions.

Objective criteria for shortlisting — ESPD Section 4C scoring method:

0 = Unacceptable. Nil or inadequate response. Fails to demonstrate previous experience/capacity/capability relevant to this criterion.

1 = Poor. Response is partially relevant but generally poor. The response shows some elements of relevance to the criterion but contains insufficient/limited detail or explanation to demonstrate previous relevant experience/capacity/capability.

2 = Acceptable. Response is relevant and acceptable. The response demonstrates broad previous experience, knowledge and skills/capacity/capability but may lack in some aspects of similarity e.g. previous experience, knowledge or skills may not be of a similar nature.

3 = Good. Response is relevant and good. The response is sufficiently detailed to demonstrate a good amount of experience, knowledge or skills/capacity/capability relevant to providing similar services to similar clients.

4 = Excellent. Response is completely relevant and excellent overall. The response is comprehensive, unambiguous and demonstrates thorough experience, knowledge or skills/capacity/capability relevant to providing similar services to similar clients.

Scored ESPD Section 4C question weighting:

4C.1.2 Experience Example 1 – should be reflective of the higher education sector (20 %);

4C.1.2 Experience Example 2 – should be reflective of the higher education sector (20 %);

4C.1.2 Experience Example 3 – should be reflective of any other example (20 %);

4C.1.2 Experience of creating and managing working relationships example 1 (10 %);

4C.1.2 Experience of creating and managing working relationships example 2 (10 %);

4C.6 Educational and professional qualifications statement (10 %);

4C.8.1 Manpower Statement (10 %) percent).

Phase 1: Completion of ESPD – 25.3.2020 @ 12.00 noon,

Phase 2: Issue of ITT to qualified bidders – 13.4.2020 @ 12.00 noon,

Contract award to successful supplier – 22.6.2020.

Variants will be accepted: no

Options: no

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

List and brief description of selection criteria:

In relation to Question 4B.5 within the ESPD bidders must hold or commit to obtain the following insurance levels before contract commencement:

— employers liability insurance: 5 000 000 GBP,

— public liability insurance: 5 000 000 GBP,

— professional liability insurance: 5 000 000 GBP,

— product liability insurance: 5 000 000 GBP.

In relation to Question 4B.6 of the ESPD, bidders must be of sound economic standing to be able to fulfil the contract if awarded. Bidders must submit their 2 most recent sets of audited accounts including profit and loss information and the following ratios:

— current ratio,

— quick ratio,

— debtors turnover ratio,

— return on assets,

— working capital,

— debt to equity ratio,

— gross profit ratio.

A review of your ratios and audited accounts may be undertaken. In some cases this review may lead to an additional request for further financial information to help clarify any potential issues raised.

List and brief description of selection criteria:

Below are summarised statements only. Bidders must refer to full statements in section 4C of the ESPD guidance document attached in PCS-T.

ESPD 4C.1.2 Statements

Requirement: bidders are required to provide 3 examples, within the last 3 years, which demonstrate they have the relevant experience to deliver the infrastructure and open source platform choice to provide a website solution in a devolved environment for the University of Edinburgh. All responses from suppliers who are also partnering with a hosting partner (a consortium bid) should evidence their experience delivering a solution together as such consortium.

The examples (1 of which should be from the Higher Education (HE) sector) should include the following:

— description of the project,

— scope and Scale of the implementation,

— infrastructure and preferably open source platform choice,

— timescale from project initiation to project closure,

— delivery outcomes and benefits realised,

— asset management and content sharing,

— integration with external systems,

— migration and redevelopment of existing content,

— detail of editorial experience.

Requirement: bidders are required to provide 2 examples, within the last 3 years, which detail past experience of creating and managing close working relationships between you as a supplier and the internal development team with an emphasis on joint working and the gradual transfer of capability, knowledge and responsibility to internal teams. Suppliers who are also partnering with a hosting partner should evidence their experience in creating and managing working relationships as a consortium.

ESPD 4C.6 Statement:

Bidders should provide details of any professional qualifications/accreditation’s held by their organisation (as distinct from individual members of their staff) which they believe to be relevant to projects of a similar size, nature and scale to the University’s requirements. Your answer may include, but is not limited, certification or equivalent recognised standard to:

— ISO/IEC 27000/1:2013,

— UK Government Cyber Essentials.

ESPD 4C.8.1 Statement:

Bidders are required to demonstrate that they have appropriate human resources available to deliver the requirements of a contract that is similar in size and scale to the University’s.

Bidders should detail the number of FTE (35 hour/week) staff or contractors, with knowledge and experience relevant and commensurate to projects of a similar nature, size and scale outlined in the supporting documents.

ESPD 4C.10 Statement:

The University will accept bids from consortia (e.g. platform development suppliers and hosting partners working collaboratively) or any other bid comprising subcontractors or otherwise relying on the capacities of other entities.

Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:

ESPD 4D.1 quality assurance schemes statement:

The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001:2015 (or equivalent).

If the bidder does not hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001:2015 (or equivalent), the bidder must have the following: a documented policy and procedures regarding quality management. The policy must set out responsibilities for quality management demonstrating that the bidder has and continues to implement a quality management policy that is authorised by their Chief Executive, or equivalent, and is periodically reviewed at a senior management level. The policy must be relevant to the nature and scale of the work to be undertaken and set out responsibilities for quality management throughout the organisation.

ESPD 4D.2 Environmental Management Standards Statement:

The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance with BS EN ISO 14001:2015 (or equivalent) or a valid EMAS (or equivalent) certificate

If the bidder does not hold UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance with BS EN ISO 14001:2015 (or equivalent) or a valid EMAS (or equivalent) certificate, then the bidder must have the following: a regularly reviewed documented policy and procedure regarding environmental management, authorised by the Chief Executive, or equivalent. This policy must include and describe the bidder’s environmental emergency response procedures including the preparedness and response procedures for potential accidents and emergency response situations that give rise to significant environmental impacts (for example hazardous substances spill control).

Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract

Restricted procedure

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: yes

Notice number in the OJ S: 2019/S 237-580806

Date: 27/03/2020

Local time: 12:00

Date: 13/04/2020

English

Duration in months: 4 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)

This is a recurrent procurement: yes

Estimated timing for further notices to be published:

Should the maximum number of extensions be exercised (3 + 1 + 1 + 1) this contract will be due for renewal in 2026.

Electronic invoicing will be accepted

Electronic payment will be used

Information about staff: with regards to part III.2.3), suppliers will only be required to submit this information upon request. Suppliers need not supply this information with their response to the ESPD.

Means of proof: the University will require the certificates, statements and nay other evidence of fulfilment of the selection criteria. It is envisaged that this documentation will be requested following stage 2 of the process and at any stage at the University’s discretion. Should documentation not be forthcoming or satisfactory, e.g. certification out of date or incorrect certification held, the University reserves the right to disqualify any qualified bidder(s) and invite the highest scoring qualified bidder(s) from the previous stage to participate.

Modern Slavery Act 2015 and ILO Conventions: the University of Edinburgh is committed to protecting and respecting human rights and has a zero tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking in all its forms. Bidders and subcontractors engaged in the delivery of this contract may be excluded if have not met applicable social, environmental and labour obligations under national, EU and International Law (ESPD Section 3D). This include obligation for certain organisation under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (available online at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents/enacted), as well as obligations listed in Annex X of the Direcive 2014/24/EU (available online at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32014L0024&from=EN)

Bidders and/or relevant subcontractors may be required to provide statements and means of proof demonstrating their compliance with these obligations, which may include a request for the annual statement as provided for by section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act for organisations with a turnover of 36 000 000 GBP or over.

Publication: procurement documents will be held from publication in PCS-T for 48 hours from the time the OJEU notice is sent to PCS. This will not affect the project timescales.

All queries relating to this procurement must be made through the PCS-T messaging portal. For further instructions please refer to the ESPD Guidance document attached to this project in PCS-T.

The University reserves the right at any tine to:

— reject any or all responses and to cancel or withdraw this procurement at any stage,

— award a contract without prior notice,

— change the basis, the procedures and the time-scales set out or referred to within the procurement documents,

— require a bidder to clarify any submissions in writing and/or provide additional information (failure to respond adequately may result in disqualification),

— terminate the procurement process, and

— amend the terms and conditions of the selection and evaluation process.

The University has a legal and moral duty to ensure its systems are accessible to the widest possible audience, including disabled users. As such, we expect bidders to, as far as possible to confirm system compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.0, AA standard (https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.php).

Bidders will be required to provide a test site for the University’s Accessibility Officer.

The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this PQQ exercise. The Project code is 15776. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343

A sub-contract clause has been included in this contract. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363

(SC Ref:613584)

Official name: Edinburgh Sheriff Court
Postal address: Sheriff Court House, 27 Chambers Street
Town: Edinburgh
Postal code: EH1 1LB
Country: United Kingdom

24/02/2020