DoF - Digital NI - Contact Centre Services for Government

Concepts

• call centre
• contact centre
• belfast
• contact centre services
• northern ireland civil service
• services of a supplier
• satellite services
• contact centre solution
• transition of the services
• forest service

Location

BELFAST

Description

DoF is seeking to procure the services of a Supplier to deliver the following services as a minimum; a) Provision of a fully managed Contact Centre solution that can service the current needs and outcomes for Citizens. The Supplier is required to provide the infrastructure, technology, management, and resourcing of the Contact Centre. b) Servicing and management of calls for a 24,7 Flooding Incident Line requirements. c) Servicing and management of calls for Emergency Response requirements. d) Technology solutions deployed in the Contact Centre are to be extendable to back office Satellite Services to enable internal business areas to manage their own contacts and calls. In support of the above requirements, the following also needs to be provided; The Supplier will be required to plan and manage the transition of the services including engagement with the existing Supplier to ensure full Transition is completed no later than the 10th October 2022. The Northern Ireland NI Public Sector requirements for future Contact Centre services, coupled with pressures elsewhere in the NI public sector and the UK Government’s recognition of the need to consolidate common service provision, drives the requirement to consolidate Contact Centre Services for potential cost savings across the NI public sector. The scope of the new Contract will be scalable to cover the needs for shared Contact Centre services across the NI public sector. The transition of services will cover the existing service users (referred to Phase 1 organisations) whereas the Phase 2 organisations may opt to use this Contract at a later stage. PHASE 1 organisations are (procured and priced as part of this Procurement) - Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) Departments (including the Department of Finance (DoF) as the contracting party on behalf of all organisations), The Executive Office, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Department for Communities, Department of Education, Department for the Economy, Department of Finance, Department for Infrastructure, Department of Health, Department of Justice, Public Prosecution Service for NI, Compensation Agency, Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), Forensic Science Northern Ireland, Forest Service, Land and Property Services (LPS), Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Northern Ireland Prison Service, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Northern Ireland Legal Services Agency (LSA), Rivers Agency, Youth Justice Agency, Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, Education Authority, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), Northern Ireland Civil Service Pension Board, Northern Ireland Office, Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO), Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (Planning Services ) and PHASE 2 organisations are (procured and a mechanism for pricing established as part of this Procurement should such organisations ascribe to this contract at a later stage). Other public sector organisations such as those bodies as covered by the Northern Ireland Public Procurement Policy (as listed in the attached document with this competition - Phase 2 Organisations).

Renewal Options

To allow for a sufficient return of investment 7 years is considered an appropriate duration. There will be an opportunity to extend the contract for an additional 2 yrs. Therefore, the potential max. contract length is 9 years (7 years initial period and a potential 2 year extension). £100m is the estimated value of the contract over the 9 year period. To allow for a sufficient return of investment, 7 years is considered an appropriate Contract duration. There will be an opportunity to extend the contract for an additional 2 years. Therefore, the potential maximum contract length is 9 years (7 years initial period and a potential 2 year extension).

CPV Codes

• 79512000 - Call centre
• 79500000 - Office-support services
• 79510000 - Telephone-answering services
• 75100000 - Administration services
• 79511000 - Telephone operator services
• 64200000 - Telecommunications services
• 32522000 - Telecommunications equipment
• 32523000 - Telecommunications facilities
• 32524000 - Telecommunications system
• 66172000 - Financial transaction processing and clearing-house services
• 75130000 - Supporting services for the government
• 79211110 - Payroll management services
• 79342300 - Customer services
• 79530000 - Translation services
• 79540000 - Interpretation services
• 79570000 - Mailing-list compilation and mailing services
• 79600000 - Recruitment services
• 79992000 - Reception services
• 79993000 - Building and facilities management services
• 79994000 - Contract administration services
• 79996100 - Records management
• 79999000 - Scanning and invoicing services
• 64100000 - Post and courier services
• 79521000 - Photocopying services
• 72500000 - Computer-related services
• 30200000 - Computer equipment and supplies

Indicators

• Bids should cover the whole contract.
• Options are available.
• Renewals are available.
• Performance considerations apply.
• Professional qualifications are sought.
• Award on basis of price and quality.

Other Information

The Authority reserves the right: to hold additional rounds of negotiations with Economic Operators; to require the submission of any further or additional information or tender submissions; to award the Contract following the submission of initial tenders; to award the Contract following conclusion of the first round of negotiation sessions; and/or to down-select Economic Operators following each round of negotiations. For the avoidance of doubt, final tenders will not be subject to any negotiation with the Authority (however, they may be subject to clarification, if required, at the Authority’s absolute discretion). The Contracting Authority reserves the right: to reject any or all SQ or tender responses and to cancel or withdraw the procurement process at any stage; to award a contract without prior notice; to change the basis of, the procedure and the timescales set out or referred to in the procurement documents; to require an Economic Operator to clarify its SQ or tender response in writing and/or provide additional information; to terminate the procurement process; and/or to amend the terms and conditions of the SQ or tender evaluation process or negotiation process. •The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. •Economic Operators remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Economic Operator in connection with taking part in this procurement process, regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and an Economic Operator shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Authority. Economic Operators should note that all dates, time periods and figures in relation to values and volumes specified in this notice and the procurement documents are approximate only and the Contracting Authority reserves the right to change any or all of them. The figure indicated in II.1.5 represents an estimated contract value £100m. This is a maximum figure that reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account such changes to the scope/and or scale which may result from future operational requirements. The pricing strategy applied and the setting of cost/profit margins are a commercial decision for economic operators when submitting a bid for this competition. In addition, neither CPD nor the Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The successful contractor’s performance on the contract will be regularly monitored. Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in CPD for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, it may be regarded as an act of grave professional misconduct and they may be issued with a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance and the contract may be terminated. The issue of a Notice of unsatisfactory Performance will result in the contractor being excluded from all procurement competitions being undertaken by Centres of Procurement Expertise on behalf of bodies covered by the Northern Ireland. Procurement Policy for a period of twelve months from the date of issue of the Notice. This contract will not be awarded in Lots as a single Supplier is required. The Authority reserves the right: to hold additional rounds of negotiations with Economic Operators; to require the submission of any further or additional information or tender submissions; to award the Contract following the submission of initial tenders; to award the Contract following conclusion of the first round of negotiation sessions; and/or to down-select Economic Operators following each round of negotiations. For the avoidance of doubt, final tenders will not be subject to any negotiation with the Contracting Authority (however, they may be subject to clarification, if required, at the Authority’s absolute discretion). The Contracting Authority reserves the right: to reject any or all SQ or tender responses and to cancel or withdraw the procurement process at any stage; to award a contract without prior notice; to change the basis of, the procedure and the timescales set out or referred to in the procurement documents; to require an Economic Operator to clarify its SQ or tender response in writing and/or provide additional information; to terminate the procurement process; and/or to amend the terms and conditions of the SQ or tender evaluation process or negotiation process. •The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. •Economic Operators remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Economic Operator in connection with taking part in this procurement process, regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and an Economic Operator shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Authority. Economic Operators should note that all dates, time periods and figures in relation to values and volumes specified in this notice and the procurement documents are approximate only and the Contracting Authority reserves the right to change any or all of them. The figure indicated in II.1.5 represents an estimated maximum contract value £100m. This is a maximum figure that reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account such changes to the scope/and or scale which may result from future operational requirements. The pricing strategy applied and the setting of cost/profit margins are a commercial decision for economic operators when submitting a bid for this competition. In addition, neither CPD nor the Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The successful contractor’s performance on the contract will be regularly monitored. Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in CPD for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, it may be regarded as an act of grave professional misconduct and they may be issued with a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance and the contract may be terminated. The issue of a Notice of unsatisfactory Performance will result in the contractor being excluded from all procurement competitions being undertaken by Centres of Procurement Expertise on behalf of bodies covered by the Northern Ireland. Procurement Policy for a period of twelve months from the date of issue of the Notice. This contract will not be awarded in Lots as a single Supplier is required.