Communication & Instrumentation Panel Service Provider("CIPSP") Contract

Concepts

• professional services
• belfast
• chromatograph services
• cipsp
• interconnector services limited
• the cipsp contract
• the contract services
• communication & instrumentation panel service provider("cipsp
• panel
• provider("cipsp

Location

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Description

In 2017, after a competitive tender, Interconnector Services Limited ("ISL") entered into a contract for a Communication & Instrumentation Panel Service Provider ("CIPSP") with Cetix Limited ("Cetix") for an initial mobilisation period of 1 year, followed by a term of 6 years and 3 months, with an option to extend by a maximum of two years. ISL exercised that option and the CIPSP contract is now due to expire on 31st March 2026. The Contract was procured competively and in accordance with the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016. The procedure followed for this procurement process was the Negotiated Procedure with prior call for competition. ISL emphasised that under Regulation 47 Economic Operators should submit a compliant bid in accordance with the Invitation to Negotiate documentation. On completion of the assessment of the ITN ISL confirmed, without reference to the Economic Operators, that they did not wish to avail of the option to negotiate. The Communications & Instrumentation Panel (CIP) forms part of a wider system that provides for continuous monitoring and operation of the Premier Transmission Pipeline System (PTPS). The CIPSP is required to provide Inspection, Maintenance, Response and Management Services associated with maintaining the Instrumentation and Control Panels. The CIPSP is also required to design and implement the change control process in association with the Maintenance and Emergency Response Contractor (MERC).

Ammendments to Previous Notice

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 76100000 - Professional services for the gas industry

Indicators

• Contract modified due to additional needs.

Legal Justification

ISL considers that the variation to the current contract benefits from the exemption outlined in Regulation 88(1)(b) of the Utilities Contracts Regulations. This exemption allows for the non-competitive procurement of additional services that have become necessary, where a change of contractor cannot be made for economic or technical reasons and where such a change would cause significant inconvenience or duplication of costs. ISL believes the exemption applies here because the incumbent CIPSP has developed intimate knowledge of the logic within the flow computers, chromatograph and PLC's. The Flow computers and chromatograph are being changed as part of this project, and for the new equipment to interface to the existing PLC's, the PLC's will need substantial modifications also. To introduce a third party to replace and work on equipment that is expressly within the responsibility of the CIPSP, would create interface management risks. The incumbent CIPSP is therefore considered the most efficient and lowest risk party to deliver and warrant the design and interface modifications. It should also be noted that a significant part (£1.7m of the £2.3m) of the additional value of the variation will be competitively tendered, allowing potential relevant providers to bid in for this element of the work.