OPEN PROCEDURE INVITATION TO TENDER FOR

Transcription

1 OPEN PROCEDURE INVITATION TO TENDER FOR G- Cloud 5 REFERENCE NUMBER RM1557v Attachment 1

2 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT AND CALL-OFF CONTRACTS REQUIREMENTS, LOT STRUCTURE AND CONTRACT VALUE PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A TENDER CONTRACTING ARRANGEMENTS (SUB-CONTRACTORS AND CONSORTIA) QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS OVERVIEW OF THE EVALUATION PROCESS QUALIFICATION STAGE EVALUATION AWARD STAGE EVALUATION FINAL DECISION TO AWARD GLOSSARY ATTACHMENT 1 ATTACHMENT 2 ATTACHMENT 3 ATTACHMENT 4 ATTACHMENT 5 ATTACHMENT 6 ATTACHMENT 7 ATTACHMENT 8 ATTACHMENT 9 ATTACHMENT 10 INVITATION TO TENDER SELECTION QUESTIONNAIRE AND EVALUATION GUIDANCE AND MARKING SCHEME AWARD QUESTIONNAIRE AND EVALUATION GUIDANCE AND MARKING SCHEME FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT AND MODEL CONTRACT TERMS OF PARTICIPATION DECLARATION OF COMPLIANCE APPLICATION SCENARIOS TABLE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION TEMPLATE SFIA TEMPLATE PRICING GUIDANCE ATTACHMENT 11 CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM G-CLOUD 4 ATTACHMENT 12 ATTACHMENT 13 ATTACHMENT 14 ATTACHMENT 15 FRAMEWORK AMENDMENT SUMMARY SERVICE DEFINITION DOCUMENT GUIDANCE TERMS AND CONDITIONS GUIDANCE SYSTEM USER GUIDANCE

3 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Welcome to this Procurement which is being managed by Government Procurement Service (GPS) on behalf of the Government Digital Service (GDS). This Procurement is governed by and is at all times subject to the Regulations. It is intended that this Procurement will establish a multi-supplier vehicle for the purchase of Cloud-based IT services, G-Cloud Available Services, by public bodies in Central Government and across the wider public sector. This vehicle will be called G-Cloud This Procurement is the fifth iteration for G-Cloud (G-Cloud 5 RM1557v) following on from the 4th G-Cloud procurement (ref RM1557iv) in October 2013 and may be updated with further iterations over time. The G-Cloud framework catalogue, known as CloudStore, will require frequent procurement refreshes to bring on new suppliers and services. 1.3 Please read the information and instructions carefully because non-compliance with the instructions may result in disqualification of your Tender from this Procurement. 1.4 If you are participating in this Procurement as a member of a Consortium or special purpose vehicle, or are using sub-contractors please read the guidance in paragraph The Authority is using an e-sourcing Suite to manage this Procurement and to communicate with you. No hard copy documents will be issued and all communications with the Authority (including the submission of Tenders) will be conducted via the e-sourcing Suite. To ensure all communications relating to this Procurement are received, you must ensure that the point of contact you nominate in the e-sourcing Suite is accurate at all times as the Authority will not be under any obligation to contact any other point of contact. 1.6 The Selection and Award Questionnaires have been designed in the esourcing Suite. Your responses to Selection and Award questions should be completed online. Further information on this can be found in Attachment 2 - Selection Questionnaire and Evaluation Guidance, and Attachment 3 - Award Questionnaire and Evaluation Guidance. Guidance on how to use the e-sourcing Suite and Service Submission Portal can be found in Attachment 15 System User Guidance. 1.7 Selection and Award - All Potential Providers will need: For Selection: To complete their responses Selection Questionnaire available on the e-sourcing Suite. Potential Providers will be required to confirm by answering questions that they meet all of the mandatory criteria and subsequently submit the responses For Award: To provide full information in answer to the questions in the Award Questionnaire regarding their service offerings and supporting Service Definitions, Pricing Document and Terms and Conditions Document available on the Service Submission Portal and subsequently submit the responses. The Authority will upload this information into the CloudStore (please note the field length limits). This information will be subject to a number of checks by the Authority to validate critical claims. The process of checking information submitted is called Assurance, please refer to the following website for details of the Assurance process If a Potential Provider is awarded a Framework Agreement, their Catalogue entry (service) will be flagged as not Assured' until such time as they have had their Assurance process completed. Assurance will be undertaken as soon as reasonably practical following the award of the Framework Agreement. 1.8 PLEASE NOTE: IN THE EVENT THAT A SUBMITTED SERVICE IS IDENTIFIED AS NOT MEETING THE NIST DEFINITION OF A CLOUD SERVICE (where appropriate, and as requested in response to question SQA1 on the esourcing Suite) OR THAT THE SERVICE DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A CLOUD SERVICE (as detailed in question SQA2 on the esourcing Suite) THE SUBMITTED SERVICE SHALL BE REMOVED FROM THE CLOUDSTORE THROUGH THE ASSURANCE PROCESS. 1.9 Accreditation is an optional process which Suppliers or the Contracting Bodies can nominate a service to pass through and will be undertaken separately from Assurance. Contracting Bodies not requiring Accreditation may be able to purchase once the Framework Agreement ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 2

4 has been signed. Please refer to the following website for details of the Accreditation process The Authority is managing this Procurement in accordance with its general obligations under the Regulations, and specifically in accordance with the open procedure (Regulation 15) and the requirements relating to framework agreements (Regulation 19) Please read the GPS Guidance and instructions carefully before attempting to complete your tender through the e-sourcing Suite and submitting your Available Services through the Service Submission Portal. N.B. Please do not send any service related attachments via the e-sourcing Suite as these will not be accepted as a service submission. ALL service submissions MUST be submitted via the Service Submission Portal Please also read the Terms of Participation first as they form part of this ITT and they will apply throughout this Procurement. They set out further rights and obligations which apply to Potential Providers and the Authority Please also be aware that no hard copy documents will be issued and all communications will be conducted via the e-sourcing Suite. To ensure all communications relating to this Procurement are received, the Potential Provider must ensure that the point of contact it nominates in the e-sourcing Suite is accurate at all times This ITT includes: information regarding the Procurement, such as the timetable; details of the G-Cloud Services that Suppliers will be required to supply; ( the Available Services ) the Framework Agreement and Call-Off Contract terms and conditions; instructions explaining how to submit questions and requests for clarification; instructions explaining how to complete and submit a Tender; example template documents required to complete a Tender; and details of the evaluation and compliance processes used guidelines for submission and previously published questions and answers 1.15 Potential Providers are welcome to ask questions or seek clarification regarding this Procurement. See paragraph 7 for details for how to do so. You must read all the information contained within this ITT and its Attachments on the e-sourcing Suite thoroughly so that questions or clarifications are not raised unnecessarily The post-award Assurance process will be conducted on all successful Available Services (i.e those for which a Potential Provider is awarded a Framework Agreement) and applies to both public and private Cloud Services consumed through the G-Cloud Services 5 Framework Agreement and will cover the following aspects of a service: - Functional, non-functional and service management. - Commercial - Security accreditation (where required) - Compliance with NIST definitions contained within the OJEU; and - Compliance with scope of the framework If a service is found to fail the Assurance process, the Supplier will be notified and be given the opportunity to rectify the non-compliant aspect of the service. If the Supplier fails to meet this requirement, the service will be suspended from the CloudStore Pan-Government Accreditation is an optional process which Suppliers or Contracting Bodies can nominate a service to pass through Suppliers can, provided they meet key entry criteria, display their service offerings in a purpose-built Catalogue hosted on the CloudStore. The qualification process for service offerings has two stages: selection and award. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 3

5 1.19 Potential Providers should note that ALL contents of the Catalogue held on the CloudStore will be publicly available and available to be viewed without restrictions. This includes prices, service descriptions, terms and conditions and rate tables Refreshes are carried out at a varying frequency of approximately every 6 months to enable suppliers to add new services to a rapidly changing market as the IT Cloud market develops Continuity of Service From G-Cloud iii or 4 to G-Cloud In the event a Supplier wishes to continue their Available Services from G-Cloud iii or 4 to G-Cloud 5 the Supplier should refer to Attachment 7 for their particular situation for guidance on the required submission steps All Potential Providers must respond to all questions in the e-sourcing Suite and provide all the information relating to their Available Services in the Service Submission Portal or their Tenders will be deemed non-compliant. It is the Potential Provider s responsibility to ensure all responses and Available Services have been correctly and fully submitted or their Tenders will be deemed noncompliant Agile development, non-cloud related consultancy and co-location services have been removed from the scope of the G-Cloud framework in Lot 4 and therefore Suppliers will not be able to continue to offer these services on G-Cloud If Suppliers who have services on G-Cloud 4 choose not to bid for G-Cloud 5 these services will remain active on G-Cloud 4 until its expiry in October If Suppliers who have services on G-Cloud iii choose not to bid for G-Cloud 5 these services will remain active on G-Cloud iii until its expiry in May 2014 when the G-Cloud iii framework will expire and the services will no longer be available on the Cloudstore. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 4

6 2. THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT AND CALL-OFF CONTRACTS 2.1 The Framework Agreement will enable Contracting Bodies (including the Authority) to place orders for Available Services with Suppliers. 2.2 A copy of the Framework Agreement (including the Framework Schedules) is set out in Attachment 4. Please review the Framework Agreement carefully to understand the rights and obligations it confers on the parties. 2.3 Framework Agreement and Call-Off Contract terms are not negotiable, whether during this Procurement or post award when entering into a Call-Off with a Contracting Body. You may seek clarification of any points of ambiguity or apparent error through the clarification period (see paragraph 7). 2.4 The Authority will manage the overall performance of the Framework Agreement by Suppliers and collect Management Information. Further, the Authority will levy a management charge on Suppliers on all business placed with Suppliers under this Framework (up to a maximum of 1% but currently set at 0.5% of the value of such business). 2.5 Contracting Bodies The Framework Agreement will be available for use by Contracting Bodies throughout the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales as described in the OJEU Contract Notice Being appointed to this Framework Agreement does not confer an exclusive right to supply on Suppliers or guarantee that a Supplier will receive any business at all under the Framework Agreement. 2.6 The ordering process and further evaluation criteria As all service offerings under this framework will be available as elements within a Catalogue held within CloudStore, Contracting Bodies may place orders for any of the Available Services by direct award subsequent to a price and requirements matching process within the CloudStore platform. The procedures that Contracting Bodies use to make an award are set out in Framework Agreement Attachment 4 Schedule 3 (Call-Off Ordering Procedure including Award Criteria) All orders placed by Contracting Bodies will be subject to the terms of the Call-Off Contracts as set out in Framework Schedule 2 (Call-Off Terms) and Terms and Conditions as set out in Suppliers Service Descriptions loaded onto the CloudStore The Supplier s terms & conditions as submitted during the Tender process, and uploaded to the CloudStore, will apply during the duration of the Framework or Call- Off Contracts without the ability for the Potential Provider to materially change them The Contracting Bodies will manage the Supplier's day to day performance of the Call-Off Contract. 3. REQUIREMENTS, LOT STRUCTURE AND CONTRACT VALUE 3.1 The Available Services covered by this Procurement exercise have been sub-divided into 4 Lots, namely: LOT Lot 1 Lot 2 Lot 3 Lot 4 DESCRIPTION Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Platform as a Service (PaaS) Software as a Service (SaaS) Specialist Cloud Services (SCS) 3.2 Potential Providers will be required to specify which Lot(s) they are bidding for within the Service Submission Portal for each service tendered. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 5

7 3.3 The scope of each Lot has been determined by the characteristics established by the G- Cloud Programme. The potential value of Call-Off Contracts placed under the Framework Agreement RM1557v is estimated at 200M. 3.4 Government policy may mandate that UK central Government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies purchase Available Services using this framework. Please note that any Government policy mandating the use of the framework will not confer an exclusive right to supply on Suppliers. Government may change its policy at any time during the term of the framework without liability to Suppliers. 4. PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE 4.1 The timetable for this Procurement is set out in the table below. 4.2 This timetable may be changed by the Authority at any time. Changes to any of the dates will be made in accordance with the Regulations (where applicable). Potential Providers will be informed through the e-sourcing Portal if the Authority decides that changes to this timetable are necessary. ACTIVITY Despatch of the OJEU Contract Notice Clarification period starts e-sourcing Portal opens; Service Submission Portal opens; Clarification period closes Deadline for the publication of responses to Clarification questions Deadline for submission of Tenders to the Authority at 15:00 hours ( Tender Submission Deadline ) Intention to award notification issued to successful and unsuccessful Potential Providers day standstill commences (in accordance with Regulation 32) day standstill ends (in accordance with Regulation 32) Confirmation of Award Expected Commencement Date for Framework Agreement(s) ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 6

8 5. COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A TENDER 5.1 To participate in this competitive tendering exercise, you are required to submit a fully compliant Tender. To submit a fully compliant Tender you must submit a fully compliant response via the esourcing Suite. All relevant service documentation must be submitted via the Service Submission Portal. 5.2 The Authority utilises an esourcing Suite to provide governance around the sourcing process. All Potential Providers responses must be managed through this tool. You are therefore advised of the following: It is your responsibility to ensure that you have submitted a fully compliant Tender. Guidance on the process can be found here You should download the latest version of the guidance for each procurement tendered, as the documentation may be updated from time to time Any incomplete or incorrect submissions may be deemed non complaint, and as a result you may be unable to proceed further in the Procurement process You are strongly advised to allow plenty of time for the entering of responses into the esourcing Suite. It is advised that this activity be started as soon as possible and not be left until the day of the Tender Submission deadline You are advised that the submit button in the esourcing Suite must be pressed once the response is completed to ensure that this is visible to the Authority. It is your responsibility to ensure that this button is pressed before the submission deadline or your response will not be submitted and will result in your response being rejected You are also advised that the Service Submission Portal must be completed for the Available Services that are being tendered. You are required to enter all the required information and attachments and confirm that the details are correct and submit the response for each service. 5.3 PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST ENSURE THAT ALL TENDERS ARE SUBMITTED FULLY FOR BOTH MANDATORY QUESTIONS ON THE E-SOURCING SUITE AND DOCUMENTS ON SERVICE SUBMISSION PORTAL OR RESPONSES SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE NON- COMPLIANT 5.4 Tender Preparation You are strongly advised to read through all documentation first to ensure understanding of how to submit a fully compliant Tender. A fully compliant Tender requires each of the following documents to be completed and submitted to the Authority: SELECTION QUESTIONNAIRE Section A, B, C, D and E (in the e-sourcing Suite); comprising of questionnaires which gather basic information about you and further information regarding your ability to provide the Available Services. The Selection Questionnaire is available in the e-sourcing Suite. You must complete each question contained in each section of the questionnaire; and AWARD QUESTIONNAIRE - Section A and B (in the e-sourcing Suite and separate Service Definitions for AQB1 via the Service Submission Portal) comprising of questionnaires which gather information regarding your proposal to enable the Authority to perform the Quality Evaluation and service Assurance. The Supplier Service Definitions element of the Award Questionnaire is handled via the Service Submission Portal, a compliant response will include a service definition document, Terms & Conditions document and a pricing document (please note that these documents must not rely on links to web pages and must contain all the content upon which you will rely to enable Contracting Bodies to assess the suitability of your Available Services). You must complete the Award Questionnaire as directed. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 7

9 The Authority have developed a version of the Service Submission Portal, G-Cloud iii and 4 suppliers will be able to use their existing log on details but may need to reset their password to gain access to the portal. New Potential Providers will need to register and create a new log on and password; and FRAMEWORK POPULATION DATA comprising of a number of questions to gather data to enable the completion of the Framework Agreements for successful Suppliers. 5.5 Additional Materials, Documents and Attachments A fully compliant Tender must adhere to the following instructions: 5.6 Data Entry no additional attachments should be submitted with a Tender unless specifically requested by the Authority; any additional documents requested by the Authority must only be attached within the Service Submission Portal where requested using a unique, un-ambiguous and relevant file name. Any documents must be submitted in the format requested by the Authority in the question A fully compliant Tender must adhere to the following instructions: ALL mandatory questions MUST be submitted and responded to via esourcing Suite ALL relevant service documentation MUST be submitted via the Service Submission Portal all answers in the Tender must be inserted into the relevant answer box located beneath the relevant question in the e-sourcing Suite. No attachments are permitted via the e-sourcing Suite and all attachments should be submitted via the Service Submission Portal. Only information entered into the relevant answer box in the esourcing Suite supplied in accordance with the Authority's instructions will be taken into consideration for the purposes of evaluating a Tender; the Tender must be submitted in the English (UK) language; you must answer all questions accurately and concisely; where a number of options are offered as a response to a question, please select the relevant option from the drop down selection as your response; you must not answer questions by cross referring to other answers or to other materials (e.g. annual company reports located on a web site). Each question answered must be complete in its own right; the Authority will disregard any part of a response to a question which exceeds the specified character limit (that is the excess will be disregarded, not the whole response). 5.7 Deadline for the submission of Tenders All Tenders must be received by the Authority before the Tender Submission Deadline (see the Procurement Timetable in paragraph 4.2 for details) Tenders received on or after the Tender Submission Deadline may be rejected by the Authority to ensure that all Potential Providers are treated fairly. The decision whether to reject a Tender received after the Tender Submission Deadline is made entirely at the Authority s discretion. 5.8 Uploading and submitting a Tender ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 8

10 5.8.1 You are responsible for ensuring that its Tender has been successfully completed in the esourcing Suite and required attachments submitted via the Service Submission Portal prior to the Tender Submission Deadline All Tenders must be submitted to the Authority using the esourcing Suite except for any required attachments which MUST be submitted via the Service Submission Portal. Tenders submitted by any other means will not be accepted Elements of a Tender may be opened and submitted as required at any time before the Tender Submission Deadline using the esourcing Suite and in the Service Submission Portal. Guidance for use of these is provided in Attachment A Potential Provider may modify and resubmit its Tender at any time prior to the Tender Submission Deadline. Upon the Tender Submission Deadline, the Potential Provider must satisfy itself that it has submitted all responses through the esourcing Suite and the Service Submission Portal. Tenders cannot be modified by Potential Providers after the Tender Submission Deadline Once registered a Potential Provider may withdraw from this Procurement by formally withdrawing via the esourcing Suite prior to the Tender Submission Deadline. Please refer to the guidance referred to in 5.2 for instructions on how to withdraw from this process. 5.9 Tender validity Period A Tender must remain valid and capable of acceptance by the Authority for a period of 120 days (plus the Alcatel period and any extension thereof) following the Tender Submission Deadline. A Tender with a shorter validity period will be rejected. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 9

11 6. CONTRACTING ARRANGEMENTS (SUB-CONTRACTORS AND CONSORTIA) 6.1 It is important that your Tender conveys a complete and accurate picture of how the Authority s minimum requirements for legal, economic and technical capacity, as set out in the Selection Questionnaire, will be satisfied. This means the Authority needs clarity on how bids are structured in terms of organisations contributing to them. 6.2 The Tender must be completed in the name and voice of the economic operator (typically a company or similar legal entity), or in the case of a Consortium the economic operators, that will ultimately enter into a Framework Agreement with the Authority and therefore assumes liability for performance of the Framework Agreement (the Potential Provider ). 6.3 With the exception of sub-contractors identified in the service definitions (no organisation other than the Supplier will be able to provide Available Services through the Framework Agreement, whether group company, subsidiary, parent company, holding company, associated company, franchise or, fellow franchisee, strategic partner or organisation in any other relationship with the Supplier whatsoever. For the avoidance of doubt, the use of any kind of group companies associated with the Supplier can be only as sub-contractors identified in the service definitions. 6.4 The Authority is happy to receive and welcomes Tenders from economic operators collaborating as a Consortium or sub-contracting elements of its obligations. Where one of these approaches is adopted the following guidance set out in this paragraph must be followed. 6.5 Sub-contracting proposals If you need to rely on the capability and/or experience of one or more sub-contractors in your Tender to demonstrate your ability to provide the Available Services in accordance with the requirements of the question and the Framework Agreement you must inform the Authority in your Tender. Any Potential Provider using this approach should indicate that it is a prime contractor for the purposes of responding to the relevant question(s) in the Selection Questionnaire A Potential Provider s Tender must clearly identify in their service definitions when it is relying on a sub-contractor to provide services, the name of the particular subcontractor and explain the sub-contractor s capability and experience The Authority does not require all sub-contractors be disclosed. It only requires a Potential Provider to disclose those sub-contractors who directly contribute to the Potential Provider's ability to meet its obligations under the Framework Agreement (including under any Call-Off Contract). There is no need to specify those subcontractors providing general services to the Potential Provider (such as window cleaners, lawyers, desktop software providers etc) that indirectly enable the Supplier to perform the Framework Agreement. For example if the Authority requires a Potential Provider to hold a particular licence then the Potential Provider may indicate that XYZ Co holds the licence and indicate that services covered by the scope of this licence will only be performed by its sub-contractor XYZ Co. 6.6 Consortium proposals If a group of economic operators wish to act jointly to provide the Available Services they may do so: with all parties signing the resultant Framework Agreement and assuming joint and several responsibility for performance of the Framework Agreement including any Call-Off Contract. Please note that in accordance with Regulation 28 the Authority may require the Consortium to form a single legal entity for the purpose of concluding the Framework Agreement; or using a separate entity (often referred to as a special purpose vehicle or SPV ) who will ultimately enter into a Framework Agreement with the Authority. Please note that if the SPV does not yet exist or has a limited trading history it is likely that the Consortium members will need to nominate a guarantor for the SPV s performance of the Framework Agreement. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 10

12 6.7 Queries The Consortium should nominate a Lead Contact to lead the bidding process. If the SPV exists, then the Lead Contact should lead and complete the Tender as the SPV in its name and voice. If the SPV does not yet exist or the Consortium plans to collaborate on a joint and several basis, then the Consortium should nominate a Lead Contact to complete the Tender on behalf of all the Consortium members Where the Potential Provider relies on the capability and/or experience of one or more Consortium members in its Tender to demonstrate the Consortium s ability to provide the Available Services in accordance with the requirements of the ITT and the Framework Agreement it must inform the Authority in its Tender A Potential Provider s Tender must clearly identify in response to any question, when it is relying on another Consortium member, the name of the particular Consortium member and explain the Consortium member s capability and experience as the context of the question requires It is difficult for these instructions to deal with all potential Consortium and subcontracting scenarios. If you are unsure how to classify and communicate your contracting arrangements in your Tender, then you should contact the Authority at the earliest opportunity in accordance with paragraph Changes to the contracting arrangements The Authority recognises that arrangements in relation to Consortia and subcontracting may be subject to occasional change. You should therefore respond in the light of such arrangements as are currently envisaged. You are reminded that any future change in relation to the Consortium membership and sub-contracting arrangements must be notified to the Authority at the earliest opportunity. 7. QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS 7.1 You may raise questions or seek clarification regarding any aspect of this Procurement at any time prior to the Tender Clarifications Deadline as per the Procurement Timetable in set out paragraph 4.2. Questions must be submitted using the messaging facility provided within the e-sourcing Suite. This is not an invitation to seek to renegotiate the terms and conditions of the Framework Agreement or Call-Off Contract. 7.2 You are reminded that the Terms and Conditions have changed from those published under G-Cloud 4. The Authority has published the clarification questions and answers from G-Cloud iii and 4 so that Potential Providers can refer to the answers given previously. Changes to the Terms and Conditions have been highlighted in Attachment The Authority will not enter into exclusive discussions regarding the requirements of this Procurement with you. 7.4 To ensure that all Potential Providers have equal access to information regarding this Procurement, the Authority will publish all its responses to questions raised by Potential Providers. 7.5 All responses to Potential Providers questions will be published by the Authority in a Questions and Answers document, which will be available in the RFx Attachments section of the e-sourcing Suite. 7.6 Responses to questions will not identify the originator of the question and will be answered in batches, rather than one at a time, with updates appearing at regular (approximately two to three working day) intervals. The Authority will endeavour to publish responses to all questions outstanding at the end of the clarification period, within four working days following the Tender Clarifications Deadline. 7.7 If you wish to ask a question or seek clarification without the Authority revealing the question and the answer on the e-sourcing Suite, then you must notify the Authority and provide its justification for withholding the question and any response. If the Authority does not consider that there is sufficient justification for withholding the question and the corresponding response, the Authority will invite you to decide whether: ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 11

13 7.7.1 the question/clarification and the response should in fact be published; or you wish to withdraw the question/clarification. 7.8 You are responsible for monitoring the e-sourcing Suite and the Questions and Answers document in particular, for any responses to questions, general clarifications or other information issued by the Authority. Answers to such questions may contain important information that may affect how you complete your Tender. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 12

14 8. OVERVIEW OF THE EVALUATION PROCESS 8.1 Paragraphs 9 and 10 below set out and explain the procedure, stages and process by which the Authority will assess a Potential Provider s Tender. The evaluation procedure is divided into two key stages: Qualification Stage Evaluation The Authority will assess responses to the Selection Questionnaire in accordance with paragraph 9.3 below, the Qualification Stage Evaluation Award Stage Evaluation The Authority will assess responses to the Award Questionnaire in accordance with paragraph 10 below, the Award Stage Evaluation. 8.2 Tenders that do not meet the selection criteria at the Qualification Stage will be disqualified from further consideration in this Procurement and will not be evaluated at the Award Stage. 9. QUALIFICATION STAGE EVALUATION 9.1 Part Prior to commencing the formal evaluation process, Tenders will be checked to ensure they are compliant with the requirements of this ITT. Any non-compliant Tenders may be rejected by the Authority without proceeding to the next stage of evaluation. This compliance check will apply to information submitted in response to the Questionnaires within the e-sourcing Suite and the Service Description information submitted via the Service Submission Portal. 9.2 Part 2 Selection Questionnaire Section E Background Questions The Potential Provider is required to provide answers to all questions in this section within the e-sourcing Suite. 9.3 Part 3 - Selection Questionnaire Section B Grounds for Rejection In certain circumstances the Authority is required by law to exclude Potential Provider from participating in this Procurement. If a Potential Provider cannot answer No to every statement in questions SQB1a-i (in the e-sourcing Suite) it is very likely its Tender will be rejected and disqualified from further participation in this Procurement The Authority is entitled (in its sole discretion) to exclude a Potential Provider from further participation in this Procurement if any of the statements in response to question SQB2(a-h) (Discretionary grounds for rejection) or SQB3.1 or 3.2 apply. If a Potential Provider cannot answer No to every statement it is possible that its Tender will be rejected and disqualified from further participation in this Procurement. If any of the statements do apply, the Potential Provider should set out the full facts of the relevant incident and any remedial actions taken. The information provided will be taken into account by the Authority in considering whether or not the Tender will be permitted to proceed any further in this Procurement. 9.4 Part 4 Selection Questionnaire Sections A, C and D Pass/Fail Questions The Potential Provider is required to provide Yes/No answers to all these questions within the e-sourcing Suite. With the exception of SQD1 (a-d), the Potential Provider will be excluded from further participation in this Procurement if they provide a No response. 9.5 Qualification of Tenders for the Award Stage evaluation Following evaluation of Tenders at this Qualification Stage, those Potential Providers whose Tenders: pass the compliance check at Part 1 above; answer Yes to all the questions in Section A, C and D of the Selection Questionnaire at Part 4; and ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 13

15 meet the Regulation 23 good standing checks at Part 3 above; will proceed to the Award Stage Evaluation (as described in paragraph 10). All other Tenders will be disqualified from further consideration for the purposes of this Procurement. 9.6 Qualification Stage - Evaluation Summary Table Section Section A Technical and Professional Ability SQA1 Provision Of Cloud Services Essential Characteristics Compliance/Evaluated Pass / Fail SQA2 Provision Of Cloud Services Definition Pass / Fail SQA3 Skills And Resources Pass / Fail SQA4 Description Of Services Pass / Fail SQA5 Proof Of Claims Pass / Fail Section B Grounds for Rejection SQB1 Grounds for Mandatory Rejection (ineligibility) Compliance SQB2 Discretionary Grounds for Rejection Compliance SQB3 Tax Compliance Compliance Section C Terms of Participation & Compliance SQC1 Terms of Participation Pass / Fail SQC2 Declaration of Compliance Pass / Fail Section D Framework Specifics SQD1 Non UK Businesses only Compliance SQD2 Employers Liability Insurance Pass / Fail Section E Background Questions SQE1a Legal Name and Address of Organisation, Company Registration Number, date and place of Registration Compliance SQE1b VAT Registration Number Compliance SQE1c Trading Name Compliance SQE1d Type of Organisation Compliance SQE1e Other Type of Organisation Compliance SQE1f Organisation Size Compliance SQE2a Consortia, Special Purpose Vehicles and Sub-Contracting Compliance Maximum Available Mark if scored ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 14

16 10. AWARD STAGE EVALUATION 10.1 Tenders successfully completing the initial qualification stage described above will then be taken through to the Award Stage evaluation phase The Award Stage evaluation will comprise of: an evaluation of Potential Providers answers to the Award Questionnaire, termed the Quality Evaluation Process Quality Evaluation Process By the correct completion of the Award Questionnaire described in section Formatte Section Marking Scheme Maximum Available Scores Section Weighting % SECTION A MANDATORY QUESTIONS AQA1 AQA2 G-Cloud 5 Framework Terms and Conditions Transparency and Providing Management Information (MI) to the Authority Pass/Fail N/A N/A Pass/Fail N/A N/A SECTION B CONFIRMATION OF COMPLETION AQB1 AQB2 AQB3 AQB4 AQB5 Confirmation of completion of Service Submission Portal Confirmation of attachment of terms and conditions Confirmation of attachment of pricing document Confirmation of attachment of SFIA rate table (if applicable) Confirmation of attachment of Service Definition Document Pass/Fail N/A N/A Pass/Fail N/A N/A Pass/Fail N/A N/A Pass/Fail N/A N/A Pass/Fail N/A N/A ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 15

17 11. FINAL DECISION TO AWARD 11.1 Following evaluation of Tenders in accordance with the evaluation process set out in this ITT, those Potential Providers who offer viable Available Services and have passed all mandatory questions will be awarded a Framework Agreement The Authority will inform all Potential Providers via the e-sourcing Suite of its intention to award a Framework Agreement Following a standstill period of 10 calendar days, the Alcatel period, and any extension thereof and subject to there being no legal obstacle to that intention, a Framework Agreement will be formally awarded, subject to contract, to the successful Potential Providers. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 16

18 12. GLOSSARY Accreditation Assurance Authority Available Services Award Questionnaire Award Stage Means the process described in paragraph and in further detail here: means the process described in paragraph and in further detail here: means the Minister for the Cabinet Office ( Cabinet Office ) represented by Government Procurement Service which is a trading fund of the Cabinet Office whose offices are located at 9th Floor, The Capital, Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9PP. means the services that may be provided by Suppliers appointed to the Framework Agreement as set out at Schedule 1 (G-Cloud Services) of the Framework Agreement; means the award questionnaire set out in the e-sourcing Suite; means the part of the evaluation process described in paragraph 8.1.2; Background Questions has the meaning in paragraph 9.2 Catalogue Call-Off Contract CloudStore Contracting Body e-sourcing Suite Framework Agreement means the CloudStore or such or any subsequent pangovernment catalogue or such other medium as the Authority may determine; means a specific contract awarded by a Contracting Body under the terms of the Framework Agreement; means the catalogue whereby service descriptions are available for buyers to be able to search and subsequently select for purchase; means the Authority and/or any other Contracting Bodies described in the OJEU Contract Notice; means online tender management and administration system used by the Authority which can be found at means the contract set out in Attachment 4 of this ITT to be entered into between the Authority and successful Potential Provider(s) at the conclusion of this Procurement; Framework Schedule Group Invitation to Tender or ITT Management Charge means a schedule to the Framework Agreement; means in relation to a company, that company, any subsidiary or holding company from time to time of that company, and any subsidiary from time to time of a holding company of that company. Holding company and subsidiary shall mean a "holding company" and "subsidiary" as defined in section 1159 of the Companies Act 2006; means this invitation to tender document incorporating the Terms of Participation and all related documents published by the Authority in relation to this Procurement; means the sum paid by the Supplier to the Authority being an amount of up to a maximum of 1% but currently set at ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 17

19 Management Information or MI OJEU Contract Notice 0.5 per cent (0.5%) of all Charges for the Services invoiced to the Contracting Bodies (net of VAT) in each Month throughout the Term and thereafter until the expiry or earlier termination of any Call-Off Contract; means the management information specified in Attachment 4 - Framework Agreement in Schedule 4 (Management Information); means the advertisement for this Procurement issued in the Official Journal of the European Union; Potential Provider has the meaning in paragraph 6.2 Procurement means the process used to establish a Framework Agreement that facilitates the supply of the Services to Contracting Bodies as described in the OJEU Contract Notice; Qualification Stage has the meaning in paragraph 8.1.1; Quality Evaluation Regulations Selection Questionnaire Service Submission Portal Supplier Tender Clarifications Deadline Tender Submission Deadline Tender Terms and Conditions means the qualitative evaluation of a Tender undertaken during the Award Stage; means the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, as amended from time to time (located at and the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006; means the selection questionnaire set out in the e-sourcing Suite; means the portal used to upload service definition, Terms and Conditions and pricing documents required to submit response to GPS - means a Potential Provider with whom the Authority has concluded a Framework Agreement; means the time and date set out in paragraph 4.2 for the latest submission of clarification questions; means the time and date set out in 4.2 for the latest uploading of Tenders; means the Potential Provider s formal offer in response to the Invitation to Tender; and means the supplier terms and conditions submitted for each service in response to Invitation to Tender. ITT Open Procedure Attachment 1 Government Procurement Service G-Cloud 5 18

20 SELECTION QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE GUIDANCE, EVALUATION AND MARKING SCHEME FOR G-Cloud 5 REFERENCE NUMBER RM1557v ATTACHMENT 2