CS22123 - BEIS - Queens Awards Assessment Services

Concepts

• evaluation consultancy
• department for business, energy and industrial strategy
• queen's awards
• prestigious awards
• consultancy services
• queen's awards office
• queens awards assessment services
• technical assessment services
• beis
• queen's awards categories

Location

London

Description

***THIS FUTURE OPPORTUNITY NOTICE IS TO NOTIFY SUPPLIERS OF AN UPCOMING REQUIREMENT THE DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY WILL BE LAUNCHING DURING JUNE 2022. THIS NOTICE IS TO PROVIDE THE MARKET EARLY NOTIFICATION OF THE REQUIREMENT COMING TO THE MARKET TO ALLOW PREPARATION*** Summary The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious awards for businesses. The Awards recognise and reward outstanding achievement by UK companies. They are managed Show less description by the Queen's Awards Office (QAO) in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) https://www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise Awards are presented in four separate categories. The aim of the tender exercise is to establish a 3-year contract to support the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to procure contractor(s) to provide technical assessment services for the four Queen's Awards categories. Tenderers are invited to bid for one or more lots. We aim to appoint one successful supplier per Lot. The award of this Contract will be based on 4 Lots: Lot 1; Innovation Application Appraisal Lot 2; International Trade Application Appraisal Lot 3; Promoting Opportunity Application Appraisal Lot 4; Sustainable Development Application Appraisal Estimated value of opportunity - £799,200.00 including VAT, this value is over 3 years and is further broken down into funding allocated to each Lot, further details of this will be provided in the tender opportunity. Anticipated Timeline: · Tender Launch - week commencing 6th June 2022 · Contract Start - Mid August 2022

Lot Division

CPV Codes

• 79419000 - Evaluation consultancy services

Indicators

Other Information

Should you have any further questions in relation to this opportunity please send these to coreservices@uksbs.co.uk and where possible these can be answered. For further information on the lot structure and requirements please refer to the supporting information uploaded as attachments on the corresponding Contracts Finder notice under the following reference number ' CS22123 '. For the avoidance of doubt, this notice is not a Call for Competition; a Contract Notice will be issued as a Call for Competition The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious awards for businesses. The Awards recognise and reward outstanding achievement by UK companies. They are managed by the Queen's Awards Office (QAO) in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) https://www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise … Objectives 1. The annual cycle of the Awards requires the assessment work to be undertaken from September until March each year, following a marketing period between April and August. The Awards are announced annually on The Queen's birthday (21 April). 2. The online application period for the Awards is May to September each year. 3. The Awards are made each year by HM The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an Advisory Committee that includes representatives of Government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions. 4. An online system is used to manage the Queen's Awards application and assessment process. Assessors will be provided with guidance by BEIS and with access to this system which will enable them to review the applications, supporting information and complete the assessments online. Scope 1. The winning supplier(s) will be responsible for the appraisal of all applications (also known as cases). Four key outcomes to this process which must be delivered by the deadlines set by the QAO each round are: i) Initial technical assessment and verification of the financial figures of each case to identify a shortlist of possible Award winners and reserve cases; ii) Draft summaries of shortlisted cases and a report to be reviewed and discussed at the Award Judging Panels. NB, Lead assessors must attend these Panels and be prepared to talk about each case. iii) Draft pen pictures of successful applications for inclusion in the Queen's Awards Press Book. iv) Feedback for unsuccessful applications. The winning supplier(s) must also develop a technical assessment approach and agree it with the QAO. 2. Programme outcomes Technical assessment approach is developed by the winning Supplier (s) and agreed with the QAO. Applications are shortlisted and a summary report is prepared for the relevant judging Panel, and the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee (PMAC); the PMAC subsequently recommends the Award winners to the Prime Minister and The Queen. The winning supplier(s) will feedback on the process throughout the cycle and input to assessor and Panel meetings in London which review the process and technical assessment approach. 3. The Requirement/Work The appraisal work comprises of assessing applications for each of the four Award categories. Bids will be expected to provide the details of the proposed assessors teams, including a Lead Assessor, who will be responsible for the high quality of the information provided to the Queen's Awards Office. 4. The assessors will be required to assess applications in accordance with the specified criteria and make recommendations to the relevant Panel of Judges/Advisory Committee. All comments and decisions will be recorded within the QA online assessment system, so that the QAO are able to track progress throughout the cycle. https://www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise Requirement The requirement will involve the following work: 1. After the application period closes in September, access the application forms and relevant associated material via the Queen's Awards online application and assessment system. 2. The Lead Assessor for each category assigns two assessors (Primary and Secondary) for each application. 3. Assessors review and grade (RAG rate within the system) applications in accordance with the Award criteria and supplementary guidance provided by the Queen's Awards Office (QAO). Assessors will be required to develop an offline scoring sheet to ensure the scoring level is maintained among the assessors. All applications must be independently assessed and graded by a primary and a secondary assessor. Each assessor must carry out the assessments alone and record their comments separately, online. 4. Assessors should conduct desk research on each applicant (including reviewing company websites and other information sources such as the QA system). Where an applicant is a subsidiary, the parent company should also be checked for any reputational risks. In addition, where investments are listed they should also be verified by the assessor. 5. For those shortlisted applicants in the Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity categories, assessors will be required to check information in the public domain that shows the way the applicant is influencing and leading others. 6. Assessors should assess that applicants in the Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity categories demonstrate their viability. The process is more in-depth for International Trade and Innovation applicants who must additionally verify their commercial figures so the assessment required at shortlist stage varies between categories. 7. Assessors will check if applicants are current Queen's Awards holders by checking the list provided by the QAO. 8. Assessors will check if applicants have previously made an unsuccessful application, to ensure that the feedback provided has been acted upon. 9. If assessors, at any stage of the process, require clarification regarding any part of the application they will immediately contact the QAO with the question they wish to ask the applicant. The QAO will then contact the applicant and ask for a response, once received this will be provided to the assessor. 10. With the exception of Sustainable Development applications (which are required to demonstrate evidence throughout the application), assessors must consider applicants' declarations of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/ Environmental Social Governance (ESG). These are to be graded exceptional, satisfactory or weak. A summary of the company's CSR/ESG activities should be recorded in the case summary as part of the overall recommendation. 11. Cases are moderated, and the RAG/overall indicative grade is agreed by the Lead Assessor. You may select a small number of cases as Reserved if you feel they warrant a discussion at the Judging Panel stage. 12. By mid-October: Lead Assessors provide QAO with an indicative shortlist. Shortlisted applicants will then be contacted by the QAO to provide verified figures to support the financial data in their original entry. 13. From mid-November: assessors should review the verified figures, resolve any queries and then confirm to the QAO that the verification of commercial figures certificate is correct and sign it off as accepted (using the online system). Each case summary should be updated as necessary to determine final grade and overall shortlist. 14. By late November: Lead Assessors submit (via the online system) case assessments for each shortlisted application, providing a RAG rating and overall grade of Recommended for an Award or Reserved. 15. The remaining, unsuccessful cases must be marked as 'Not Recommended' on the online application and assessment system. 16. Along with the individual case summaries, Lead Assessors are required to provide a report setting out the quality of the applications, reflect the size and sectors of businesses assessed and shortlisted, a regional breakdown, and any other factors relevant to the assessment process such as feedback on how to improve the process and increase good quality applications. 17. The Lead Assessor of each Award category will be required to attend, in person, the relevant Panel of Judges meeting in London in January to provide a brief overview and introduce the Recommended and Reserve cases and to answer any questions that the Panel members may raise. 18. The Lead Assessor will need to update the online system to reflect the Judging Panel decisions. 19. February: In light of final decisions (taken at Prime Ministers Advisory Committee (PMAC)), provide summaries of winning cases (130 words) and feedback, covering strengths and weaknesses, for unsuccessful cases. 20. By mid/late March - Lead Assessors submit feedback for unsuccessful entrants via the online system. 21. All printed QA material shall be destroyed as confidential waste by end of March. 22. Lead Assessors should be available to attend a "wash-up" meeting in London with the QAO between March and May to discuss assessment process, feedback from judges and online assessment system. 23. Assessors will be asked to provide feedback during the various stages of the assessment process and will also be asked to attend adhoc meetings and provide advice in order to develop the Awards. 24. Invoices should be submitted to the QAO as work progresses, for example: 60% of contract in November and the final 40% invoice to QAO by end March. 25. At every stage of the process, lead assessors need to have contingency plans so that deadlines can be met and, most importantly, the Lead Assessor or deputy must attend the relevant judging panel in person. For further information please refer to the Contracts Finder notice by searching the following reference number in Contracts Finder - ' CS22123 '