Risk Protection Arrangement Cyber Risk Pilot: Cyber Essentials Certification

Concepts

• risk management insurance
• iasme consortium ltd
• iasme
• cyber essentials certification
• limited 1-year pilot
• risk protection arrangement
• cyber essentials certification pilot
• delivery of the cyber essentials certification
• risk protection arrangement cyber risk pilot
• one-year contract

Location

London

Description

The DfE proposes to award a one-year contract to The IASME Consortium Ltd (IASME) to deliver a Cyber Essentials Certification pilot.

Total Quantity or Scope

The contract will focus on the delivery of the Cyber Essentials Certification in a limited 1-year pilot for up to 500 Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) members and will include enhanced insurance cover for those members achieving accreditation.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 66517300 - Risk management insurance services
• 72810000 - Computer audit services
• 80531200 - Technical training services

Indicators

Legal Justification

The DfE proposes to award a contract to The IASME Consortium Ltd (IASME) for the supply of the Cyber Essentials Certification as part of the 1-year Risk Protection Arrangement Cyber Risk Pilot. The DfE believes that there is no other organisation in the market that can satisfy the technical requirements of the contract to award the Cyber Essentials Certification. With effect from 1 April 2020 and following a competitive procurement process, IASME were appointed as the sole body able to award Cyber Essentials Certification, the only government-backed quality assured standard, on behalf of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It is understood that there is no equivalent certification to the Cyber Essentials scheme available on the market that meets the standards and controls that the NCSC dictates. It is therefore believed that there is not a market to deliver Cyber Essentials, in that there is only one Cyber Essentials Partner (IASME) that can deliver the scheme and to fit the standards required by the NCSC. The RPA seeks to align to the NCSC assured and established standard, as the subject matter experts within Government to ensure a quality standard for RPA members. As a result, the DfE believes that Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Regulation 32(2) applies. Regulation 32(2) states: “The negotiated procedures without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases:- (b) where the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons:- (ii) competition is absent for technical reasons…” The DfE is committed to the continued analysis of the longer-term need of Risk Protection Arrangement members and will continue to assess the market after this time-limited pilot. If it is determined via this analysis that an equivalent certification to meet member needs is available and that the DfE intends to continue supporting Risk Protection Arrangement Members in this way, then any further contract will be competed in line with the Public Contract Regulations 2015. This project is to deliver a short, limited pilot that is not expected to have a long-term impact on the market.