ICT framework

INVITATION TO TENDER FOR

The Provision of ICT Framework

SECTION 2 OVERVIEW
ICT framework

PART ONE – BACKGROUND

1. Definitions
1.1 Unless the context otherwise requires, the following words and expressions used within this
Invitation to Tender shall have the following meanings:
TERM MEANING
“Call Off Contract” means a legally binding form of agreement concluded between the
Customer and the Contractor, in respect of the provision of the
required Services (entered into pursuant to the provisions of the
Framework Agreement) comprising of an Order Form and the Call-Off
Terms;
“Call-Off Terms” means the terms set out in Schedule 3 and Appendix 1 of the
Framework Agreement;
“Conditions of Tender” means the terms and conditions set out in this ITT relating to the
submission of a Tender Response;
“Contract Notice” means the advertisement 2024/S 000-039511 issued in the UK e-
notification service ‘Find a Tender’;
Contractor means the economic entity which, if successfully appointed, will
ultimately enter into the Framework Agreement, if awarded, with the
Lead Contracting Body;
“Customer” means the Lead Contracting Body and any other Contracting Body
described in the Contract Notice and as identified on the Order Form;
“Direct Award” means the award of a Call-Off Contract by application of the terms laid
down in the Framework Agreement without re-opening competition, as
per Section Four Framework Agreement Schedule 4 Call-Off Ordering
Procedures of this ITT.
“Due Diligence means the background and supporting documents and information
Information” provided by the Lead Contracting Body for the purpose of better
informing the Tenderers’ responses to this ITT;
"EIR” means the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (as may be
amended) together with any guidance and/or codes of practice issued
by the Information Commissioner or relevant Government department
in relation to such regulations;
“FoIA” means the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (as may be amended)
together with any subordinate legislation, guidance and/or codes of
practice issued by the Information Commissioner or relevant
Government department in relation to such legislation or subordinate
legislation;
“Invitation to Tender” or means this invitation to tender document and all related documents
“ITT” published by the Lead Contracting Body and made available to
Tenderers and includes the Due Diligence Information;
“Framework Agreement” means the framework agreement to be concluded between the Lead
Contracting Body and the Contractor, in respect of the provision of the
Services following any award under the procurement exercise which
shall be in the form set out at Appendix 1;
“Lead Contracting Body” means the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for
Northamptonshire;
“Lot” means a discrete sub-division of the Requirements;
“PIN Notice” means the advertisement, reference number: 2024/S 000-030921,

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published on 27th September 2024 in Find a Tender Service;

“Other Contracting means all contracting bodies described in the Contract Notice except
Bodies” the Lead Contracting Body and “Contracting Body” means any one of
them;
“Requirements” means the Lead Contracting Body’s detailed description of its
requirements for the Services as set out in Section Three;
“Services” means the services that may be provided by the Contractor so as to
meet the Requirements as set out in Annex 1 of the Form of Tender
Response;
“Tender Response” means the Tenderer’s formal offer in response to this ITT, which
should be in the form set out at Section Five;
“Tenderers” means the organisations being invited to respond to this ITT.
“Terms and Conditions means the Customer’s terms and conditions of Framework Agreement
of Framework set out at Appendix 1 that will apply to the Framework Agreement, if
Agreement” awarded.

2. Introduction
2.1 The Lead Contracting Body, in collaboration with BlueLight Commercial, wishes to establish a multi
Contractor framework agreement for the provision of ICT Goods and Services to include; ICT
Strategic Partner ,Hardware, Software, Hardware & Software,ICT Professional Services, ICT
Training Services, Financial Data & Intelligence Solutions , IT Recycling & Disposal Services
Enabling Services Systems and Digital Forensic Extraction & Examination Tools. Full details of all
areas are included in Section 3 Requirements.
2.2 The contract to be awarded under this procurement is a framework agreement which sets out the
terms upon which Customers may make specific purchases (“Call offs”) during the life of the
framework.
2.3 The Lead Contracting Body is managing this procurement process in accordance with the Public
Contracts Regulations 2015 (the “Regulations”). The Framework Agreement is being procured
under the Open procedure. The Framework Agreement will be for a term of 4 years.
3. The Lead Contracting Body
3.1 Northamptonshire Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner serves an area of more than 1468 square
miles, and a population of around 747,622 people. Northamptonshire is renowned for being hugely
diverse and encompasses the rural areas of East Northamptonshire and South Northamptonshire
as well as the urban town areas of Northampton, Kettering and Corby. In 2019, responsibility for
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service was moved under the governance of the Police, Fire
and Crime Commissioner. In order to improve efficiency and effectiveness across the two
organisations, work has been undertaken to bring together all of the enabling services (HR,
Finance, Estates and facilities, Fleet and ICT) into one department. Serving the organisations
requires skilled ICT personnel and the ability to source software, hardware and associated services
to improve our infrastructure and approach to digitisation.
3.2 The Lead Contracting Body shall actively manage the Framework Agreement and key activities
including: contract review meetings, and analysis of management information provided.
3.3 Each Customer shall be responsible for actively managing any Call Off Contract under the
Framework Agreement including any contract review meetings, service level and key performance
indicator (KPI) reviews relating to that Call Off Contract.
4. Comprehensive Spending Review and Savings/Social Value
4.1 Police Forces (in common with other public sector bodies) have been subject to reductions in
spending budgets and, as a result, to protect front line services the Customer must obtain
significant efficiency savings in relation to all third party spend.

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ICT framework

4.2 Therefore, a key objective of this tender exercise is to ensure greater value for money is achieved.
4.3 There is also a drive to deliver social value benefits wherever possible and relevant in public sector
contracts. Social value benefits include:

 Creating new businesses, jobs and skills;

 increase supply chain resiliance and capability;

 fighting climate change, including carbon neutral measures and delivering national/local net zero
agendas; and

 tacking workforce inequality/reducing the disability employment gap; and improving health and
wellbeing.

4.4 These benefits may be included within Call Off Contracts where related and proportionate to
the Requirements being requested.
5. Overview of ITT and Procurement Process
5.1 Section Two (this document) of this ITT contains the Instructions to Tenderers, the Conditions of
Tender and the conditions of the Framework Agreement.
5.2 Section Three of this ITT contains the Requirements. The Tenderer must set out in Annex 1 to the
Form of Tender Response (Section Six) how it will meet the Requirements.
5.3 Sections Four and Five contain the Terms and Conditions of the Tender and the Data Handling
Schedule of the Tender.
5.4 Section Six of this ITT contains the Form of Tender Response. There are also a number of
statements of compliance contained in the Form of Tender Response which Tenderers need to
complete to confirm the basis on which the Tender Response is submitted.
5.5 Prior to commencing formal evaluation, Tender Responses will be checked to ensure they are fully
compliant with the Conditions of Tender. Non-compliant Tender Responses may be rejected by the
Lead Contracting Body. Tender Responses which are deemed by the Lead Contracting Body to
be fully compliant will proceed to evaluation. These will be evaluated using the selection criteria
and weightings detailed in Part Three of this Section Two Overview.
6. Proposed Framework Agreement
6.1 Following evaluation of the compliant Tender Responses and approval of the outcome, the Lead
Contracting Body intends to enter into multiple Framework Agreements with different Contractors.
6.2 The Lead Contracting Body reserves the right to:
6.2.1 cancel or withdraw from this procurement exercise at any stage;
6.2.2 not award the Framework Agreement;
6.2.3 not enter into the Framework Agreement;
6.2.4 return to and recommence an earlier stage in the procurement exercise;
6.2.5 carry out the evaluation stages (selection and award stages) of this procurement
concurrently.
7. Lots
7.1 The Services covered by this procurement exercise have been sub-divided into 10 categories
(referred to in the Contract Notice as “Lots”), namely:
LOT DESCRIPTION INTENTION TO AWARD UP TO
SPECIFIED NUMBER OF

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CONTRACTORS
LOT 1 ICT Strategic Partner Up to 10

LOT 2 Hardware & Associated Services Up to 10

LOT 3 Software &Associated Services Up to 10

LOT 4 Hardware, Software & Associated Up to 10

Services
LOT 5 ICT Professional Services Up to 10

LOT 6 ICT Training Services: Up to 5 per subcategory

Subcategories
ICT
Data Protection
Project Management
LOT 7 Financial, Data & Intelligence Up to 5 per subcategory
Solutions
Subcategories:
Financial, Data and Associated
Information Solutions

Intelligence Analytical/Analysis
Solutions.

LOT 8 IT Recycling & Disposal Services Up to 5

LOT 9 Enabling Services Systems: Up to 5 per subcategory

HR System
PDR Systems
Financial Systems
Payroll Systems
Expenses Systems
Inventory Systems
Asset and Compliance Management
Systems
Planning and Duty Management
Systems
Recruitment Systems
Procurement Systems
Fleet Management Systems
ERP end to end Systems
AP Automation
LOT 10 Digital Forensic Examination & Up to 5 per subcategory
Extraction Tools

7.2 The Customers have a mixture of requirements to meet the different blue light and public sector
needs of the people they serve. Due to technological advancements and innovation, these
requirements are dynamic and ever changing. The Framework aims to address this with the width

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and breadth of the specification and the inclusion of future requirements such as Artificial
Intelligence.
7.3 The Lead Contracting Body anticipates that it will enter into up to 150 Framework Agreements; as
per the above table Lots 1,2,3,4 and 5 will have up to 10 Contractors each, Lots 6,7,8,9 and 10 will
have up to 5 per subcategory each . It is permissable for a Tenderer to bid for more than 1 Lot.
7.4 Whilst the Lead Contracting Body has set limits on the number of Contractors who will be
onboarded onto each Lot/sub-category if a Tenderer achieves a score for the Lot/sub-category of
within 1% of the last position the Lead Contracting Body reserves the right to award the
Contractor(s) to the Lot/sub-category.
7.5 The table below sets out the estimated spend for each Lot over the term of Framework, this is a
guide only and does not form any commitment (financial or otherwise) in relation to future spend or
call off contracts under this framework.
National total anticipated spend
Lot 1 £10 billion
Lot 2 £8 billion
Lot 3 £8 billion
Lot 4 £8 billion
Lot 5 £2 billion
Lot 6 £2 billion
Lot 7 £2 billion
Lot 8 £1 billion
Lot 9 £8 billion
Lot 10 £8 billion

. PART TWO – CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

8. Instructions to Tenderer, Communications and Enquiries
8.1 These instructions are designed to ensure that all Tenderers are given equal and fair
consideration. It is important therefore that you provide all the information asked for in the format
and order specified. Please submit all questions, requests for information and correspondence
regarding this ITT, to the Lead Contracting Body electronically via the electronic tendering site,
Atamis. [Link]
8.2 Tenderers should read these instructions carefully before completing the Tender Response
documentation. Failure to comply with these requirements for completion and submission of the
Tender Response may result in the rejection of the Tender Response. Tenderers are advised to
acquaint themselves fully with the extent and nature of the Services and contractual obligations
(including the conditions of the Framework Agreement). These instructions constitute the
Conditions of Tender. Participation in the procurement process automatically signals that the
Tenderer accepts these Conditions of Tender.
8.3 All material issued in connection with this ITT shall remain the property of the Lead Contracting
Body or relevant Other Contracting Body and may only be used by the Tenderer for the purpose of
this procurement exercise. All Due Diligence Information shall either be returned to the Lead
Contracting Body or relevant Other Contracting Body or be securely destroyed by the Tenderer (at
the Lead Contracting Body or relevant Other Contracting Body’s option) at the conclusion of the
procurement exercise.
8.4 The Tenderer shall ensure that each and every one of its sub-contractors, consortium members
and advisers abides by the terms of these instructions and the Conditions of Tender.
8.5 The Tenderer shall not make contact with any other employee, agent or consultant of the Lead
Contracting Body or any relevant Other Contracting Body who are in any way connected with this
procurement exercise during the period of this procurement exercise, unless instructed otherwise
by the Lead Contracting Body.

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8.6 The Lead Contracting Body or any Other Contracting Body shall not be committed to any course of
action as a result of:
8.6.1 issuing this ITT or any invitation to participate in this procurement exercise;
8.6.2 an invitation to submit any Tender Response in respect of this procurement exercise;
8.6.3 communicating with a Tenderer or a Tenderer’s representatives or agents in respect of this
procurement exercise; or
8.6.4 any other communication between the Lead Contracting Body and/or any Other Contracting
Body (whether directly or by its/their agents or representatives) and any other party.
8.7 Tenderers accept and acknowledge that, by issuing this ITT, the Lead Contracting Body shall not
be bound to accept the lowest or any Tender Response and reserves the right not to conclude a
Framework Agreement for some or all of the Services for which Tender Responses are invited.
8.8 The Lead Contracting Body reserves the right to amend, add to or withdraw all, or any part of this
ITT (including the Conditions of Tender) at any time during the procurement exercise.
8.9 Tenderers will be responsible for and bear all of their own costs, liabilities and expenses which
may be incurred in the preparation of their Tender Responses regardless of whether or not a
Framework Agreement is awarded.

9. Timescales
9.1 Set out below is the proposed procurement timetable. This is intended as a guide and whilst the
Lead Contracting Body does not intend to depart from the timetable it reserves the right to do so at
any stage.
DATE STAGE
06 December 2024 ITT to be published by the Lead Contracting Body
06 December 2024 Clarification period opens
10 January 2025 Clarification period closes
24 January 2025 Closing date and time for receipt by the Lead Contracting Body of
Tender Responses
EVALUATION
27 January 2025 Commencement of evaluation of Tender Responses
03 March 2025 Notification of proposed appointment(s) to Contract Award
13 March 2025 Expiry of standstill period required under Regulation 87 of the
Regulations
14 March 2025 Appointment of Contractor(s) to Framework Agreement/Contract Award
17 March 2025 Commencement Date of Framework Agreement

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10. Tenderers’ Presentations- not used

11. Lead Contracting Body’s Contact Details
11.1 Unless stated otherwise in these instructions or in writing from the Lead Contracting Body, all
communications from Tenderers (including their sub-contractors, consortium members, consultants
and advisers) during the period of this procurement exercise must be directed to the Lead
Contracting Body electronically as detailed in paragraph 8.1.
11.2 Requests for ITT clarifications must be submitted in accordance with the procedure set out in
paragraph 17.
12. Intention to Submit a Tender Response- Not used
13. Preparation of Tender Response
13.1 Tenderers are responsible for obtaining at their own cost and expense all information necessary for
the preparation of Tender Responses. Tenderers are solely responsible for the costs and
expenses incurred in connection with the preparation and submission of their Tender Response
and all other stages of the selection and evaluation process. Under no circumstances will the Lead
Contracting Body or any Other Contracting Body, or any of their representatives or advisers, be
liable for any costs or expenses borne by Tenderers, sub-contractors, suppliers or advisers in this
process.
13.2 Tenderers are required to complete and provide all information required by the Lead Contracting
Body in accordance with the Conditions of Tender and the ITT. Failure to comply with the
Conditions of Tender and the ITT may lead the Lead Contracting Body to reject a Tender
Response.
13.3 The Lead Contracting Body relies on the Tenderer's own analysis and review of information
provided. Consequently, Tenderers are solely responsible for obtaining the information which they
consider is necessary in order to make decisions regarding the content of their Tender Responses
and to undertake any investigations they consider necessary in order to verify any information
provided to them during the procurement process.
13.4 Tenderers must form their own opinions, making such investigations and taking such advice
(including professional advice) as is appropriate, regarding the Services and their Tender
Responses, without reliance upon any opinion or other information provided by the Lead
Contracting Body or any Other Contracting Body or their advisers and representatives. Tenderers
should notify the Lead Contracting Body promptly (as a query following the process set out in
paragraph 17) of any perceived ambiguity, inconsistency or omission in this ITT, any of its
associated documents and/or any other information issued to them during the procurement
process.
13.5 Each Tenderer undertakes and warrants that its Tender Response shall be its original work and
shall not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.
14. Submission of Tender Responses
14.1 The Tender Response must be submitted in the form specified in Section Six . A Tender Response
submitted in a different form shall be non-compliant and may be rejected.
14.2 Tenderers should answer all questions as accurately and concisely as possible. Where a question
is not relevant to the Tenderer’s organisation, this should be indicated, with an explanation.
14.3 You must submit your Tender Response via the Lead Contracting Body’s e-tendering site Atamis,
[Link] no later than 24 January 2025 (the
“Deadline”). Tender Responses may be submitted at any time before the closing date. Tender
Responses received before this Deadline will be retained unopened until the opening date.
14.4 You are recommended to upload your Tender Response (including all Annexes) in sufficient time
for it/them to reach the server prior to the Deadline. The server automatically time/date stamps all
tender submissions. You should bear in mind that depending on the file size of your documents,
they may take time to transfer and upload; therefore you are recommended to commence the
upload at least 60 minutes prior to the Deadline. This will also ensure that if you experience any

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technical difficulties you are able to contact the procurement officer concerned in sufficient time to
resolve and facilitate your submission prior to the Deadline.
14.5 The Lead Contracting Body may, in its absolute discretion, extend the closing date and the time for
receipt of Tender Responses specified in paragraph 14.3.
14.6 Any extension granted under paragraph 14.5 will apply to all Tenderers.
14.7 As the Tender Response shall be submitted electronically via the e-tendering site, the name of the
director or other senior representative of the Tenderer should be typed in the signature block and
will be accepted as their authorised signature in submitting the Tender Response.
14.8 Your Tender Response should remain open for acceptance for a period of 120 days. A Tender
Response stated to be valid for a shorter period may be rejected.
14.9 The Tender Response and any documents accompanying it must be submitted in Microsoft Word
read only format and be written in the English language.
14.10 Tenderers must submit a separate annex in the form of Annex 2 to the Form of Tender Response
(which will become Schedule 7 (Charges) to the Framework Agreement) setting out all proposed
charges/prices to provide the Services and any savings projections.
14.11 The charges/prices must cover all the Requirements and must be shown exclusive of VAT.
14.12 The Tender Response must include the pricing schedule fully completed with the requested
breakdown of costs.
14.13 Price and any financial data provided must be submitted in or converted into pounds sterling.
Where official documents include financial data in a foreign currency, a sterling equivalent must be
provided.
14.14 The Customer is not in a position to accept any inflationary price increase until 1 st April 2027.
Therefore, all prices will remain fixed for this period. Pricing will then be subject to review between
the Lead Contracting Body and the Contractor in accordance with the parameters and process
detailed at Schedule 7 (Charges).
14.15 Tenderers must complete any supplementary spreadsheets included within Annex 2 to the Form of
the Tender Response to provide granularity and transparency of the metrics used for calculating
the price.
14.16 The Lead Contracting Body does not accept responsibility for the premature opening or
mishandling of Tender Responses that are not submitted in accordance with these instructions.
14.17 Tenderers should not include in the Tender Response any extraneous information which has not
been specifically requested in the ITT including, for example, any sales literature, standard terms
of trading etc.
14.18 Tenderers shall include in the Tender Response an executive summary of the key features of the
Tender Response and all key assumptions made by the Tenderer (but excluding all
pricing/financial information).
14.19 The objective of the executive summary is to provide the Lead Contracting Body with a clear,
concise and complete summary of the Tender Response together with an insight into the
reasoning and rationale behind the Tender Response.
14.20 The executive summary should be no more than 2 single sided pages of A4 text highlighting the
key strengths of the Tender Response and demonstrating how the Tender Response represents
value for money to each Customer.
14.21 It is intended that the executive summary should provide a useful introduction to the Tender
Response for evaluators, as well as senior stakeholders who may not be involved in the detailed
evaluation.
14.22 Whilst the executive summary will not be formally evaluated, it will be scrutinised for consistency
with your Tender Response and clarification will be sought if required.
14.23 The executive summary must only contain information drawn from other areas of your Tender

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Response and must not contain any new material. Whilst diagrams and photographs may be
used, they should be high level and should not be used to support other parts of the Tender
Response where more detailed information is required.
15. Amendments to Tender Response and Withdrawal
15.1 Tenderers may modify their Tender Response prior to the Deadline by giving notice to the Lead
Contracting Body in writing via electronic submission to the electronic tender site referred to in
paragraph 8.1. No Tender Response may be modified subsequent to the Deadline for receipt.
15.2 The modification notice must state clearly how the Lead Contracting Body should implement the
modification and must be submitted in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 14.3.
15.3 Tenderers may withdraw their Tender Response at any time prior to the Deadline or any other time
prior to accepting the offer of a Framework Agreement. The notice to withdraw the Tender
Response must be in writing and sent electronically to the Lead Contracting Body via the electronic
tendering site referred to in paragraph 8.1.
16. Late Tender Responses
16.1 Any Tender Response received other than via the electronic tendering site referred to in paragraph
8.1 and/or after the Deadline as per paragraph may be rejected.
16.2 Please note it can take up to two working days for the tendering site technical team to respond to
any technical enquiries. The Lead Contracting Body will not be liable for any difficulties
encountered uploading the Tender Response and the closing date and time will be strictly adhered
to.
17. Queries Relating to procurement process and/or Tender Response
17.1 All requests for clarification about the Requirements or the process of this procurement exercise
must be submitted via the messaging centre within the e-tendering site referred to in paragraph
8.1. Any other methods of communication will not be accepted or responded to.
17.2 The Lead Contracting Body will endeavour to answer all questions submitted in accordance with
paragraph 17.1 as quickly as possible but cannot guarantee a minimum response time. In order to
ensure the Lead Contracting Body is able to respond to queries in good time for Tenderers to
complete their Tender Reponses, the Lead Contracting Body has designated a specific window of
time to deal with clarification requests from Tenderers.
17.3 Clarification requests may be made from 06 December 2024. No further requests for clarifications
will be accepted after 10 January 2025.
17.4 In order to ensure equality of treatment of Tenderers, the Lead Contracting Body intends to publish
the questions and clarifications raised by Tenderers together with the Lead Contracting Body’s
responses (but not the source of the questions) to all participants on a regular basis.
17.5 In the event that the Tenderer wishes for an enquiry not to be distributed, then the Lead
Contracting Body reserves the right to send the enquiry back to the Tenderer unanswered.
17.6 When submitting a question/query please do not include any details which will identify Your
organisation with the box containing Your question/query. The information in this box will be seen
by all interested suppliers.
17.7 The Lead Contracting Body reserves the right not to respond to a request for clarification or to
circulate such a request where it considers that the answer to that request would or would be likely
to prejudice its commercial interests and does not accept any liability or responsibility for failure to
respond to any request for clarification.
18. Right to Reject/Disqualify
18.1 The Lead Contracting Body reserves the right to reject or disqualify a Tenderer where:
18.1.1 the Tenderer fails to comply fully with the Conditions of Tender or is guilty of a serious
misrepresentation in supplying any information required in this ITT; and/or
18.1.2 the Tenderer is guilty of serious misrepresentation in relation to its Tender Response and/or

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the procurement process; and/or

18.1.3 there is a change in identity, control, financial standing or other factor impacting on the
selection and/or evaluation process affecting the Tenderer.
19. Lead Contracting Body’s Amendments to ITT
19.1 At any time prior to the Deadline, the Lead Contracting Body may:
19.1.1 amend the Conditions of Tender; any such amendment will be numbered, dated and
uploaded on to the e-tendering site by the Lead Contracting Body to all prospective
Tenderers by 17 January 2025; and/or
19.1.2 cancel the evaluation process at any stage; and/or
19.1.3 require the Tenderer to clarify its Tender Response in writing and/or provide additional
information. Tenderers are asked to respond to such requests promptly. Please note:
vague or ambiguous answers or failure to respond are likely to score poorly or render the
Tender non-compliant.
19.2 In order to give prospective Tenderers reasonable time in which to take into account of any
amendments made pursuant to paragraph 19.1.1 when preparing their Tender Responses, the
Lead Contracting Body may, at its discretion, extend the Deadline.
19.3 Any extension granted under paragraph 19.2 will apply to all Tenderers.
20. Final Decision to Award
20.1 Following evaluation of Tender Responses in accordance with the evaluation process set out in
Part Four of this Section Two, the Lead Contracting Body will award a Framework Agreement to up
to 10 Contractors each in Lots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, up to 5 Contractors per subcategory for Lots 6, 7,8
9 and 10. The award will be made to the Tenderer (s) who offer the most economically
advantageous Tender Response for their Lot. Whilst the Lead Contracting Body has set limits on
the number of Contractors who will be onboarded onto each Lot/sub-category if a Tenderer(s)
achieves a score for the Lot/sub-category of within 1% of the last position the Lead Contracting
Body reserves the right to award the Contractor(s) to the Lot/sub-category.

20.2 The Lead Contracting Body will inform all Tenderers in writing via the e-procurement messaging
tool Atamis, [Link] of any intention to award a
Framework Agreement. Following a minimum standstill period of 10 calendar days, subject to there
being no substantive challenge to that intention, a Framework Agreement will be formally awarded
to each of the successful Tenderers.
20.3 The Lead Contracting Body will publish an Award Notice in the Find a Tender Service in
accordance with the Regulations within 30 days of the award of the Framework Agreements.
20.4 All unsuccessful Tenderers will be provided with an “unsuccessful letter” in writing via email or via
the e-procurement messaging tool at the start of the standstill period notifying them of the outcome
of the evaluation exercise. This will include details of in respect of the Lot(s) for which the
unsuccessful Tenderer bid:
20.4.1 the award criteria;
20.4.2 the score of that unsuccessful Tenderer;
20.4.3 the name and score of the successful Tenderers;
20.4.4 the reasons for the decision including the characteristics and relative advantages of the
successful Tenderers;
20.4.5 the date on which the standstill period will end, following which the award of contracts will
be made.
20.5 Following the conclusion of the procurement process, all unsuccessful Tenderers will be afforded
the opportunity of a debriefing. Unsuccessful Tenderers should notify the Lead Contracting Body in
writing if they wish to be debriefed. The Lead Contracting Body will formally debrief the

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unsuccessful Tenderers within 35 days of receiving such a request.

21. Vetting Requirements
21.1 If awarded the Framework Agreement, the Provider shall be required to submit, where required,
Security Vetting documentation for any staff (including any sub-contractor and sub-contractor’s
staff) who may be assigned to work on any call off contract entered into with a Customer under the
Framework and who may have access to the premises or information communication and
technology systems of the Customer.
21.2 Where vetting is required the Provider shall also be responsible for submitting during the period of
any relevant call off contract, to the relevant Customer’s Vetting Unit, Security Vetting
documentation for any new employees who may be recruited to undertake works or services under
any call off contract and who may have access to the premises or information communication and
technology systems of a Customer.
21.3 The level of vetting required for any staff will be stated in the call off contract requirements. The
required vetting clearance must be in place before any Services are delivered.
21.4 There are two types of Security Vetting applications as below:
21.4.1 Non Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) which is undertaken by an individual police force.
When NPPV vetting is a requirement, the relevant police force(s) will carry out vetting on all
relevant Provider’s personnel to either NPPV Level 1, 2 or 3. Applicants must submit a
manual application form to the relevant Force Vetting Unit and there is a charge for this
type of vetting (see below). Payment must be made on application by attaching a cheque to
the vetting application form issued by the relevant police force.
21.4.2 National Security Vetting (NSV) is undertaken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(FCO) and involves checks in relation to Counter Terrorism and National Security Matters
(CTC or SC). It is the Force Vetting Unit of the relevant Customer that decides if an NSV
check is required in addition to the NPPV checks. If required, all relevant applicants will
need to complete an FCO electronic form online and the Provider will be contacted via e-
mail informing them of a link to the FCO website together with a procedure and password.
All Provider staff applicants will have to complete this electronic application form individually
online either at home or at work. There is no charge to the Provider for vetting applications
completed electronically via the FCO site.
21.5 The Provider shall ensure it continues to have sufficient vetted staff available to perform the
Services throughout the duration of any relevant call off contracts under it under the Framework
Agreement.
21.6 All NPPV applications are subject to a fee per person, payable at the time of submission of the
Vetting Application Form. The current vetting fees are as follows:
NPPV Level 1: £62.00 per person – valid for 3 years
NPPV Level 2 (Abbreviated): £168.00 per person – valid for 3 years
NPPV Level 2 (Full): £181.00 per person – valid for 3 years
NPPV Level 3: £273.00 per person – valid for 7 years
NPPV Level 3 + SC: £375.00 per person – valid for 7 years
All charges are inclusive of VAT
If Tenderers wish to apply for Warwickshire Vetting which can be used for Policing Bodies the
costs can be found at Police National Vetting Service | Warwickshire Police
21.7 Police Barred List. This list (which is compiled by the College of Policing) is a list of all officers,
special constables and staff members who have been dismissed from policing through the Police
Conduct and performance regulations as well as the equivalents for Police staff. Please identify
any staff who you propose to work on the Framework Agreement who are included on the Barred
list. A decision will then be made by the relevant Customer if the person can be engaged on the
relevant call off contract. Further details and the list can be found at

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ICT framework

[Link]
[Link]
22. Conditions of Framework Agreement / Structure of Framework
22.1 Under the Framework Agreement, each Customer may place orders (or call offs) for the Services
in accordance with the call off procedure set out in Schedule 4 of the Framework Agreement. The
Framework Agreement sets out both the main legal terms of the framework between the
Contractors and the Lead Contracting Body and the terms of any call off contract between the
Contractor and the Customer.
22.2 The Tenderer in submitting the Tender Response undertakes that in the event of the Tender
Response being accepted by the Lead Contracting Body and the Lead Contracting Body
confirming in writing such acceptance to the Tenderer, the successful Tenderer will within 30 days
of being called upon to do so by the Lead Contracting Body execute the Framework Agreement in
the form as may subsequently be agreed.
22.3 In the event of a successful Tenderer declining to sign the Framework Agreement upon being
called upon to do so, the Lead Contracting Body shall be entitled to recover such additional costs
as incurred by the Lead Contracting Body in reaching an award of contract with an alternative
Tenderer.
22.4 The form of the Framework Agreement for the Provision of the Services is attached at Appendix 1
and will be applicable to any Framework Agreement awarded. As mentioned above, this
incorporates the terms of any call off contract to be made between the Contractor and the
Customer.
22.5 If the terms of the Framework Agreement render the proposals in the Tenderer's Tender Response
unworkable, the Tenderer should submit a clarification in accordance with paragraph 17 and the
Lead Contracting Body will consider whether any amendment to the terms of the Framework
Agreement is required. Any amendments to the terms of the Framework Agreement shall be
published in accordance with paragraph 17 and shall apply to all Tenderers. Any amendments
which are proposed, but not approved by the Lead Contracting Body through this process, will not
be acceptable and may be construed as a rejection of the terms leading to the disqualification of
the Tenderer.
22.6 Any Framework Agreement (and any subsequent call off contract) concluded as a result of this ITT
shall be governed by English law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
23. Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (“TUPE”)
23.1 Tenderers are advised that TUPE may apply in respect of this procurement and that staff
employed by the current service provider(s) in the performance of services which are the same or
substantially similar to the Services (“Current Services”) may transfer to the Contractor on the
commencement of any Call Off Contract.
23.2 The Lead Contracting Body gives no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any
information provided by any current service provider(s) about its/their employees engaged in the
performance of the Current Services who may transfer to the Contractor(s) on commencement of
any Call Off contracts awarded.
23.3 Successful Tenderers should note that it is their responsibility to:
23.3.1 raise direct with the current service provider(s) any reservations/concerns it has with the
quality, completeness, extent or accuracy of any data supplied;
23.3.2 ensure, prior to submitting the Tender Response, that it has obtained details of all
employees engaged in the performance of the Current Services as the Tenderer deems
necessary to enable it to submit a Call Off Contract responses.
23.4 Tenderers should seek their own legal advice in respect of the application of TUPE and its impact
on employee’s terms and conditions including any requirement to offer comparable pensions.
23.5 In the event of TUPE applying to this procurement, the Contractors will assume the risk of and will
be presumed to have knowledge of the consequences of the application of TUPE and any other

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ICT framework

regulatory or statutory requirements relating to the transfer of employees and their employment
rights.
23.6 Tenderers shall identify the TUPE costs as part of the pricing element of their Tender Response.
In the event of such TUPE costs not materialising in practice, the Customer reserves the right to go
back to the successful Tenderer(s) and to enter into price negotiations as to reductions in the
contract price to reflect the extent to which the Contractor(s) will not incur such TUPE costs.
23.7 In the event that a Tenderer is successful in securing a Framework Agreement and subsequently
entering into a call off contract to perform the Services, the Tenderer will within 28 days of a
request by the Customer supply such details as the Customer may reasonably request in relation
to any organised grouping of resources or employees which delivers the Services. The Customer
shall be entitled to disclose such information in any re-tendering process in order to ensure that
prospective Tenderers can engage fairly in any competitive tendering process.
24. Parent Company Guarantee
24.1 If requested to do so by the Customer, Tenderers must be willing to provide a Parent Company
Guarantee or other such deed of guarantee as considered appropriate by the Customer.
25. Performance Management and Monitoring
25.1 The provision of the Services is important to the delivery of the Customer’s key business
objectives. Failure to supply the Services by the Contractor(s) will lead to inefficiencies and
additional costs being incurred by the Customer. Effective contract/performance management and
monitoring and the achievement of service levels and KPIs is therefore important.
25.2 The Framework Agreement contacts provisions requiring the Contractors to provide
reporting/management information on the terms set out in Schedule 5 of the Framework
Agreement (Monitoring).
25.3 Each Call Off Contract will include provisions requiring the Contractor to attend review meetings
and provide reporting/management information on the terms set out in the relevant Call Off
Contract.
25.4 The Framework Agreement (and each Call Off Contract) will also include minimum service levels
that the Contractor must achieve which must at least meet the requirements set out in Schedule 8
of the Framework Agreement (Service Levels).
25.5 All costs incurred by the Contractor, in complying with the service levels and/or monitoring
requirements as set out in Schedules 5 & 8 of the Framework Agreement, must be included as part
of the charges set out in Pricing Schedule at Annex 2.
25.6 Tenderers shall set out in their Tender Response:
25.6.1 as part of their Response to Requirements at Annex 1, details of the service levels/KPIs
that the Tenderer is willing to offer which must at least meet the minimum standard set out
in Schedule 8 of the Framework Agreement (Service Levels);
25.6.2 as part of the Pricing Schedule at Annex 2, any impact the addition or removal of service
levels/KPIs will have on the Tenderer’s pricing; and
25.6.3 any other impacts to the Services or the delivery of any call off contract as a result of
performing the Services to the minimum service levels/KPIs.
26. Confidentiality
26.1 Subject to the exceptions referred to in paragraph 26.2, the contents of this ITT are being made
available to Tenderers by the Lead Contracting Body on condition that:
26.1.1 Tenderers shall at all times treat the contents of the ITT and any related documents
(together called the ‘Information’) as confidential, save in so far as they are already in the
public domain;
26.1.2 Tenderers shall not disclose, copy, reproduce, distribute or pass any of the Information to
any other person at any time or allow any of these things to happen;

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ICT framework

26.1.3 Tenderers shall not use any of the Information for any purpose other than for the purposes
of submitting (or deciding whether to submit) a Tender Response; and
26.1.4 Tenderers shall not undertake any publicity activity within any section of the media in
relation to the ITT or any of the Services to be procured in relation to this ITT.
26.2 Tenderers may disclose, distribute or pass any of the Information to the Tenderer’s advisers, sub-
contractors or to another person provided that:
26.2.1 this is done for the sole purpose of enabling a Tender Response to be submitted and the
person receiving the Information undertakes in writing to keep the Information confidential
on the same terms as if that person were the Tenderer; or
26.2.2 the Tenderer obtains the prior written consent of the Lead Contracting Body in relation to
such disclosure, distribution or passing of Information; or
26.2.3 the disclosure is made for the sole purpose of obtaining legal advice from external lawyers
in relation to the procurement or to any Framework Agreement (or call off contract) arising
from it; or
26.2.4 the Tenderer is legally required to make such a disclosure.
26.3 In paragraphs 26.1 and 26.2 the definition of ‘person’ includes but is not limited to any person, firm,
body or association, corporate or incorporate.
26.4 The Lead Contracting Body may disclose detailed information relating to Tender Responses to its
officers, employees, agents or advisers and to any relevant Other Contracting Body and the Lead
Contracting Body may make any of the Framework Agreement documents available for private
inspection by its officers, employees, agents or advisers. The Lead Contracting Body also
reserves the right to disseminate information that is materially relevant to the procurement to all
Tenderers, even if the information has only been requested by one Tenderer, subject to the duty to
protect each Tenderer's commercial confidentiality in relation to its Tender Response (unless there
is a requirement for disclosure under the FoIA or EIR, as explained in paragraph 27).
26.5 The Framework Agreement (and each Call Off Contract) will include provisions dealing with
confidentiality and data protection on the terms set out in Schedule 6 (Data Handling) for the
Framework Agreement.
27. Freedom of Information
27.1 In accordance with the obligations and duties placed upon public authorities by the FoIA and the
EIR, the Lead Contracting Body may, acting in accordance with the Secretary of State’s Code of
Practice on the Discharge of the Functions of Public Authorities under Part 1 of the FoIA or the
EIR, be required to disclose information submitted by the Tenderer to the Lead Contracting Body.
27.2 In respect of any information submitted by a Tenderer that it considers to be commercially sensitive
the Tenderer should, by completing Annex 6 of the Form of Tender Response:
27.2.1 clearly identify which information it considers to be commercially sensitive;
27.2.2 explain the potential implications of disclosure of such information; and
27.2.3 provide an estimate of the period of time during which the Tenderer believes that such
information will remain commercially sensitive.
27.3 Where a Tenderer identifies information as commercially sensitive, the Lead Contracting Body will
endeavour to maintain its confidentiality. Tenderers should note, however, that, even where
information is identified as commercially sensitive, the Lead Contracting Body may be required to
disclose such information in accordance with the FoIA or the EIR. In particular, the Lead
Contracting Body is required to form an independent judgment concerning whether the information
is exempt from disclosure under the FoIA or the EIR and whether the public interest favours
disclosure or not. Accordingly, the Lead Contracting Body cannot guarantee that any information
marked ‘confidential’ or ‘commercially sensitive’ will not be disclosed.
27.4 The Tenderer agrees to assist and cooperate with the Lead Contracting Body to enable the Lead
Contracting Body or any Other Contracting Body to comply with its information disclosure

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ICT framework

obligations under the FoIA and/or EIR.

27.5 Where a Tenderer receives a request for information under the FoIA or the EIR during the
procurement process, this should immediately be passed on to the Lead Contracting Body and/or
any relevant Other Contracting Body and in no event shall the Tenderer respond directly to a
request, or in any way attempt to answer the request, without first consulting with the Lead
Contracting Body and/or the relevant Other Contracting Body.
28. Transparency
28.1 The Government has set out the need for greater transparency across its operations to enable the
public to hold public bodies and politicians to account. This includes commitments relating to
public expenditure, intended to help achieve better value for money.
28.2 As part of the transparency agenda, the Government has made the following commitments with
regard to procurement and contracting:
28.2.1 all new contracts over the value of £10,000 to be published in full online;
28.2.2 all items of spending over £500 per month to be published online; and
28.2.3 all new contracts to be published in full.
28.3 Tenderers should note that if they are awarded a new contract, the resulting Framework
Agreement between the Provider and the Lead Contracting Body (and any subsequent Call Off
Contract between the Contractor and a Customer) will be published. In some circumstances,
limited redactions will be made to some contracts before they are published in order to comply with
existing law and for the protection of national security.
29. Canvassing and conflicts of interest
29.1 Any Tenderer who directly or indirectly canvasses any officer, member, employee or agent of the
Lead Contracting Body and/or any Other Contracting Body concerning the establishment of the
Framework Agreement or who directly or indirectly obtains or attempts to obtain information from
any such officer, member, employee or agent or concerning any other Tenderer, Tender Response
or proposed Tender Response will be disqualified from this procurement.
29.2 Tenderers are responsible for ensuring that no conflicts of interest exist between, on the one hand,
the Tenderer (including any employee, servant, agent, supplier or sub-contractor of the Tenderer)
and/or its advisors and, on the other hand, the Lead Contracting Body and/or relevant Other
Contracting Body (or their officers or members) and/or their advisors. Any Tenderer who fails to
comply with this requirement may be disqualified from the procurement at the discretion of the
Lead Contracting Body.
30. Collusive Behaviour
30.1 Any Tenderer who:
30.1.1 fixes or adjusts its Tender Response by or in accordance with any agreement or
arrangement with any other party; or
30.1.2 communicates to any party other than the Lead Contracting Body the amount or
approximate amount of its proposed pricing in the Tender Response or information which
would enable the amount or approximate amount of its pricing to be calculated (except
where such disclosure is made in confidence in order to obtain quotations necessary for the
preparation of the Tender Response or insurance or any necessary security); or
30.1.3 enters into any agreement or arrangement with any other party that such other party shall
refrain from submitting a Tender Response; or
30.1.4 enters into any agreement or arrangement with any other party as to the pricing of any
Tender Response submitted; or
30.1.5 offers or agrees to pay or give or does pay or give any sum or sums of money, inducement
or valuable consideration directly or indirectly to any party for doing or having done or
causing or having caused to be done, any act or omission in relation to any other Tender
Response or proposed Tender Response,

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ICT framework

shall (without prejudice to any other civil remedies available to the Lead Contracting Body and/or
any Other Contracting Body and without prejudice to any criminal liability which such conduct by a
Tenderer may attract) be disqualified from this procurement.
31. Disclaimers
31.1 Whilst the information in the ITT (including the Due Diligence Information) has been prepared in
good faith, it does not purport to be comprehensive nor has it been independently verified.
31.2 Neither the Lead Contracting Body nor any Other Contracting Body nor their advisors nor their
respective directors, officers, members, partners, employees, other staff or agents:
31.2.1 makes any representation or warranty (express or implied) as to the accuracy,
reasonableness or completeness of the ITT; or
31.2.2 accepts any responsibility for the information contained in the ITT or for the fairness,
accuracy or completeness of that information nor shall any of them be liable for any loss or
damage (other than in respect of fraudulent misrepresentation) arising as a result of
reliance on such information or any subsequent communication.
31.3 Any persons considering making a decision to enter into contractual relationships with the
Customer following receipt of the ITT should make their own investigations and their own
independent assessment of the Customer and its requirements for the Services and should seek
their own professional financial and legal advice.
31.4 For the avoidance of doubt, references to the ITT in this paragraph 31 includes the provision of
clarification or further information in relation to the ITT or any other associated documents
(including any Annexes, Schedules or Appendices) in response to a query made in accordance
with paragraph 17.

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ICT framework

PART THREE- SELECTION CRITERIA, AWARD CRITERIA & TENDER RESPONSE EVALUATION
32. Introduction
32.1 The procurement process will be conducted to ensure that Tender Responses are evaluated fairly.

32.2 Tenderers can only bid for Lot 4 Hardware, Software and Associated Services if they have
tendered for Lot 2 Hardware and Lot 3 Software. To ensure fairenss and proportionality,
Tenderers do not need to submit a further tender for Lot 4. Tenderers through their
indicatation of their intention to Tender for Lot 4, agree to their answers and scores from Lot 2 and
Lot 3 being used for the award of Lot 4. Details of how this is calculated are outlined below at
35.5.4.
33. Selection Process
33.1 At the selection stage, the Lead Contracting Body will evaluate Tenderers’ technical, professional
and financial capabilities. Tenderers are required to complete the standard Selection
Questionnaire (“SSQ”) set out in Section six (a) of this ITT. It is important that Tenderers answer all
questions accurately and provide the required documentation to support their answers.
33.2 For those Tenderers wishing to tender for Lots 1,2 3 or 4 the SSQ includes an additional question
at 5.4 to allow assessment of economic and financial standing. Tenderers must ensure they
complete this additional question if they are tendering for any of Lots 1,2,3 and 4.
33.3 The Lead Contracting Body will check each Tender Response for completeness and compliance
with the Conditions of Tender (including completion of a signed Tender Response in the form set
out in Section Six).
33.4 The Lead Contracting Body reserves the right to reject any Tender Responses at the selection
stage if:
33.4.1 that are substantially incomplete or non-compliant.
33.4.2 the Tenderers Tender Response bid is non-compliant;
33.4.3 the Tenderer receives a ‘fail’ for any of the evaluated selection questions in the SSQ; or
33.4.4 any of the information the Tenderer provides proves to be false or misleading.
34. Award stage
34.1 If the Tenderer has successfully passed the selection stage, it will proceed to the award stage.
34.2 The award stage consists of a quality/technical and a price evaluation. The Framework Agreement
will be awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender based on the award
criteria and evaluation set out in paragraph 36 of this Part Three.
34.3 A tender panel will manage and oversee the scoring process to ensure that final scores comply
with the award criteria and scoring mechanism set out below.
34.4 The evaluation panel selected by the Lead Contracting Body reserves the right to clarify any
aspect of a Tenderer’s Tender Response.
34.5 The Tender Responses in relation to the award criteria will be evaluated as follows:
34.5.1 Qualitative/Technical - This section shall be split into a two stage approach; stage one is
the MOSCOW which is a pass/fail requirement for both General all and Lot specific. If any
Tenderer does not meet the must requirements the Lead Contracting Body reserves the
right to reject, and not progress to stage two. Stage two is the quality/technical
questionnaire (including general all and Lot specific questions). 70% of the total available
score will be awarded in relation to the Response to these Requirements (Annex 1) in the
Tender Response. Tenderers who do not reach the threshold of 50% of the marks available
(35%) will not progress to the price evaluation stage.
34.5.2 Tenderers are expected to complete the General All questions and General All MOSCOW
regardless of which Lot(s) they are tendering for. These only require completion
once.

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ICT framework

34.5.3 In addition Tenderers should then complete the MOSCOW and quality for the Lots they
wish to tender for. Tenderers bidding for Lot 3 Software, Lot 7 Financial, Data and
Intelligence Solutions and Lot 9 Enabling Services systems should also complete the
hosting MOSCOW
34.5.4 Those Tenderers bidding for Lot 4 Hardware, Software and Associated Services must also
bid for Lot 2 Hardware and associated Services and Lot 3 Software and associated
services. Tenderers do not need to complete MOSCOWs, quality questions and pricing for
Lot 4 The score for Lot 4 will be calculated on compliant tenders as per the below
calculation:
General All +((Lot 2 quality +lot 3 quality)/2))= Lot 4 score
34.5.5 Price – 30% of the total available score will be awarded in relation to the Pricing Schedule
(Annex 2) in the Tender Response. For rate card and basket of goods, this is to be
calculated against only prices submitted by otherwise compliant bids against the average of
these. The maximum price % (30%) is given to the lowest submitted price. Other price
scores will be calculated as a percentage of the maximum score based on their price in
relation to the lowest price.
Calculation: 30 - (30 x ((Tenderer’s price – Lowest Price) / Lowest Price)).
34.5.6 For example in the table below Tenderer 3 has submitted the lowest price and therefore
receives the maximum percentage (65%).
Tenderer Price %
1 £125,000 22.5
2 £185,000 4.5
3 £100,000 30
4 £150,000 15
5 £225,000 0*
*If a bid is more than twice the amount of the lowest price the equation will produce a
negative number, in this example the calculation for Tenderer 5 comes out at -16.25% and
therefore that Tenderer scores 0 points.
Please note the figures used in the above table are purely for example purposes only and
are not a reflection of anticipated Tender prices.

34.5.7 For the rate card and basket of goods pricing elements, all amounts within the element shall
be totalled and this figure shall be subject to the above formula at 34.5.6.
34.5.8 The quality finance questions on innovation, income generation and discount mechanisms
asked at Lot 1, Lot 6, Lot 8 and Lot 9 shall be evaluated using the 0-5 scoring grid detailed
below at 34.6.1.
34.5.9 The discount leverage question asked under Lot 1, Lot 2 and Lot 3 shall be evaluated using
the below table:

Discount leveraged Score

0-4.99% 5%

5-9.99% 10%`

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ICT framework

10-15% 15%

34.5.10 The discount leverage questions asked under Lot 7 (sub category ii) and 10 shall
be evaluated using the below table:

Discount leveraged Score

0-4.99% 2.5%

5-9.99% 5%`

10-15% 7.5%

15+ 10%

34.5.11 The commercial pricing listed below will be the evaluated pricing for each Lot.

Lot Evaluated Pricing Weighting

1  Rate card  10%

 Discount leverage  15%

 Innovation  5%

2  Basket of goods  5%

 Rate card  10%

 Discount leverage  15%

3  Basket of goods  5%

 Rate card  10%

 Discount leverage  15%

4 Evaluated from the scores achieved by Tenderers in Lots 2

and 3

5  Rate card  30%

6  Basket of goods  15%

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ICT framework

 Rate card  10%

 Discount  5%

7  Basket of goods (Sub Cat (i) ONLY)  20%

 Discount leverage (Sub Cat (ii) ONLY)  20%

 Rate card  10%

8  Basket of goods  15%

 Income generation  15%

9  Rate card  15%

 Discount  15%

10  Rate card  10%

 Discount  10%

 Discount  10%

34.5.12 The remaining (non evaluated) pricing requested shall form the catalogue pricing for
the Framework. Catalogue pricing should be provided for core products and services where
requested. Provision of this will form the options for Direct award for the Contractors core
offer.
34.5.13 All pricing submitted by Tenderers shall be the maximum pricing that Customers will
pay. For Direct Award, the fixed pricing can be offered, for Further Competition the prices
submitted shall be the ceiling price which can be reduced through competition to drive
value.
34.6 Scoring of award criteria
34.6.1 The Quality/Technical response to requirements questions will be scored on the basis of 0
– 5 where:
Assessment Score Interpretation
Excellent 5 Exceeds the requirement. Exceptional demonstration
in the Bid of the understanding and skills required to
provide the supplies / services. Response identifies
factors that will offer potential added value, with
evidence to support the response.
Good 4 Satisfies the requirement with minor additional
benefits.
Above average demonstration in the Bid of the
understanding and skills, required to provide the
supplies / services. Response identifies factors that will
offer potential added value, with evidence to support

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ICT framework

the response.
Acceptable 3 Satisfies the requirement.
Minor 2 Minor reservations. Some minor reservations of the
Reservations Bidder’s understanding and skills required to provide
the supplies / services, with little or no evidence to
support the response.
Serious 1 Major reservations. Considerable reservations of the
Reservations Bidder’s understanding and skills required to provide
the supplies / services, with little or no evidence to
support the response.
Unacceptable 0 Does not meet the requirement. Does not comply
and/or insufficient information provided to demonstrate
that the Bidder has the understanding and skills
required to provide the supplies / services, with little or
no evidence to support the response.

34.6.2 The award criteria is detailed below.

Award Criteria Item Criteria Available Weighting Total % Overall

Marks Marks Score
Pricing Schedule 1 Calculatio N/A N/A N/A 30% 30%
n
Technical/Quality 2 Pass/Fail Pass/fail Pass/fail Pass/ Pass/fail
Pass/
Questions- fail
fail
MOSCOW
Technical/Quality 3 Weighted N/A Weighting 30% 30%
Questions - as per N/A
general all Question
Technical/Quality 4 Weighted N/A Weighting 40% 40%
Questions -Lot as per N/A
specific Question
Total 100%
34.6.3 An example of the scoring shall be, a Tenderer bids for Lot 1 Strategic Partner and Lot 2
Hardware, the table below demonstrates how the scores are totalled.

Award Criteria Available scores Scores achieved

Pricing Schedule- Lot 1 30% 25%

Pricing Schedule- Lot 2 30% 26%

Technical/Quality Questions - 30% 24%

general all

Technical/Quality Questions -Lot 40% 32%

1

Technical/Quality Questions- Lot 40% 28%

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ICT framework

34.6.3 The combined scores for Lot 1 would be 25% for pricing, 24% for general all and 32% for lot
specific totalling 81%. Whereas the scores for Lot 2 would be 26% pricing, 24% for general all and 28%
for Lot specific totalling 78%.
34.7 Tie-Break
34.7.1 Subject to paragraph 34.7.2, in the event of a tie-break, with two Tenderers in any Lot
achieving the same overall score, the Tenderer achieving the highest combined Quality
score for general all questions 1,6 and 11 will be awarded the Framework Agreement
provided that its Tender Response meets the minimum Quality threshold.
34.7.2 In case of a tie-break, with the two Tenderers achieving the same overall score in any lot for
general all questions 1,6 and 11, with the same Quality scores and the same Financial
scores, the Contracting Body reserves the right to request the two Tenderers attend to
present on their Tender to allow validation of their written response.
35. Abnormally low Tender Responses
35.1 Where the Customer considers that a price submitted by a Tenderer may be abnormally low in
relation to the Goods and/or Services it shall require the Tenderer to explain the proposed price or
costs and shall assess the information provided by the Tenderer. Where the evidence supplied
does not satisfactorily account for the low level of price or costs proposed, the Customer may
reject the Tender Response. Tenderers acknowledge that the Customer may be required to reject
their Tender Response if it is abnormally low for the reasons set out in Regulations 69(5) and (6) in
accordance with the procedure set out within the Regulations.

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ICT framework

36. Award Criteria

36.1 General All Questions (for all Tenderers)

36.1.1 Please ensure you adhere to the word count and submit your response as a word
document with confirmation of the number of words. (please do not submit as a PDF). In
the event you exceed the word count we will be only read up to the specified number of
words, as specified for each question. Attachments will only be considerd
36.1.2 Tenderers must score 2 or above on any question or fail the process, anyone scoring less
than 2 will automatically fail.
36.1.3 The General All questions and their award Criteria are detailed below:

Communications and Contract Management

Question Number Weighting

1 11%

2 6%

3 8%

Innovation, benchmarking and added value

4 6%

5 11%

Sustainability

6 10%

7 7%

Feedback

8 8%

Social Value

9 8%

10 10%

Business continuity

11 8%

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ICT framework

Supply Chain

12 7%

36.2 Lot Specific Questions

36.2.1 Please ensure you adhere to the word count and submit your response as a word
document with confirmation of the number of words. (please do not submit as a PDF). In
the event you exceed the word count we will be only read up to the specified number of
words, as specified for each question.
36.2.2 Tenderers must score 2 or above on any question or fail the process, anyone scoring less
than 2 will automatically fail.
37.2.3 The lot specific questions are outlined below:
Lot 1- ICT Strategic Partner
Question Weighting
1 20%
2 10%
3 10%
4 20%
5 15%
6 15%
7 10%

Lot 2- Hardware and associated services

Question Weighting
1 10%
2 22%
3 22%
4 10%
5 14%
6 22%

Lot 3- Software and associated services

Question Weighting
1 10%
2 30%
3 15%
4 30%
5 15%

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ICT framework

Lot 5 ICT Professional Services

Question Weighting
1 20%

2 10%

3 20%

4 15%

5 15%

6 20%

Lot 6 ICT Training

Question Weighting

1 30%

2 15%

3 10%

4 15%

5 15%

6 15%

Lot 7

Question Weighting

1 22%

2 22%

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ICT framework

3 15%

4 11%

5 15%

6 15%

Lot 8 IT Recycling and disposal

Question Weighting
1 12%
2 20%
3 12%

4 12%

5 20%
6 12%
7 12%

Lot 9 Enabling Services Systems

Question Weighting
1 24%
2 24%
3 12%
4 10%
5 15%
6 15%

Lot 10

27
ICT framework

Question Weightings
1 40

2 20

3 20

4 20

28