Quantitative Polling Services

Concepts

• research services
• cabinet office
• quantitative polling services
• consultancy services
• polling services
• public opinion
• international comparators joint unit
• policy development
• additional work
• governments response

Location

London

Description

The Cabinet Office (the ‘Authority’) has awarded a contract to the supplier for Polling services, policy development/public opinion/ AME tracking/SME opinions and also some additional work for International Comparators Joint Unit (ICJU) — All in relation to informing the Governments response to the Coronavirus.

Total Quantity or Scope

Negotiated procedure without prior publication (OJEU) — under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii)

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 73210000 - Research consultancy services

Indicators

• Award on basis of price and quality.

Legal Justification

The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is a serious infectious respiratory disease and its consequences pose a risk to life. 1) The Covid-19 outbreak is a public health emergency of international concerns as declared by the World Health Organisation on 30 January 2020. The WHO Director General characterised Covid-19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, by this stage Europe was the centre of the pandemic. 2) There was an immediate need to give the public accurate, relevant information about the measures Government is implementing in response to the virus and the actions the public must take in order to comply with Government policy. In order to protect themselves and others and prevent the mass spread of the virus, it is crucial that the public understand and adhere to government messages. Audience research was therefore required to inform the content and delivery of Government messaging, ensuring it is effective, and to understand the public’s response in order to identify additional communications and policy needs. In these circumstances, a procurement following the usual timescales under the PCR 2015, including accelerated options, was impossible without an interruption to services. 3) Corresponding with the principles of Regulation 32 and the new process set out in (Policy Procurement 01/20), Cabinet Office is satisfied the principles of tests permitting use of the negotiated procedure without prior publication Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii)) were met as follows: There was an immediate need to continue delivery of polling that informs the Government’s Coronavirus response as well as receive data and analysis of global behavioural trends in response to Covid-19 from that was being delivered via contract CCSN19A04 with YouGov Plc. The imposition of a second lockdown and increased and unanticipated requests for research to inform the Task Force and Test and Trace teams led to greater than anticipated demands over the months preceding this contract award, meaning that the contract limit on the contract CCSN19A04 with YouGov would be exhausted before the full re-tendering process for a new contract would be completed. Under the re-tendering process, which was already underway via CCS Framework RM6018 Market Research DPS, YouGov Plc was the only bidder evaluated as able to deliver against the technical deliverables of this requirement. Due to the essential nature of the services in the Government's response to handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, a break in services was assessed as unacceptable risk. ICJU has been reliant on a number of critical data inputs, including data from our international community. This single tender is to ensure there is not any interruption to the current collection of dataset and continued provision of analysis to No 10. As a result, this bridging contract was awarded as a Single Tender Action (award of a public contract without prior publication where services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator) under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii). This bridging contract was to be used only until the full reprocurement process for the services be completed with a new contract awarded for the period starting 1 February 2021.

Other Information

Contract Finder Notice https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9d89c635-323f-4ad8-9264-7c6264...