Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2019-08-19
Buyer: Ministry of Defence, C&C, Other
Country: UK
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 44921300
Estimated value: 310000 GBP
Submission deadline: 2019-09-24
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: The authority has a potential requirement, under a call-off contract, for the provision of Portland Stone Service Pattern Memorials (in best quality Basebed Portland Stone), mainly headstones, including bases, for deceased armed forces personnel. There may be circumstances where other materials and/or memorial dimensions maybe required. The requirement also includes the arrangement of dispatch and fixing of all memorials (both within and outside UK) ordered by the authority.
The approximate annual requirement is 60 memorials per year although this could increase or decrease. The estimated total value excluding VAT is in between 1 GBP and 310 000 GBP.
Full details of the requirement (including specifications for memorial sizes and shapes, carving of letters, service crests, regimental badges and religious emblems) can be found in the statement of requirement which is contained in the invitation to tender (ITT) document titled DEFFORM 47 which is available under the supporting documents on Defence Contracts Online (DCO) (see www.contracts.mod.uk) and can be accessed from the response manager page using — Access code K56G372597
The contract duration is 24 months with the option for the authority, at its discretion, to extend the duration of the contract in monthly or annual increments up to a total of 48 months.
It is a mandatory requirement that contractors are members of the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) or an equivalent association and are registered on a nationally recognised fixing register such as the register of qualified memorial fixers (RQMF) or the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM).
No business what so ever is guaranteed under any resulting framework agreement or contract, indeed there is no guarantee that any framework or contract will be put in place in relation to this notice. No compensation etc. will be paid if a tender or resulting framework agreement is withdrawn for any reason. Bidders should take apart in this process only on the basis that they fully understand and accept this position.
Suppliers interested in this requirement should complete Parts 1 and 2 of the online suitability assessment questionnaire (SAQ) including the declaration using the DCO and submit it electronically by 11.00 a.m. on 24.9.2019. Suppliers should also complete their tender, as detailed in the ITT Document under supporting documents on the DCO and should also submit it (via post or courier) to arrive by 11.00 a.m. on 24.9.2019. The SAQ details the grounds for rejecting requests to participate and the minimum levels of capacity and capability that are required to perform the contract.
The contract duration is 24 months with the option for the authority, at its discretion, to extend the duration of the contract in monthly or annual increments up to a total of 48 months.
Suppliers must be a member of the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) or an equivalent trade association and must be registered on a nationally recognised fixing register such as the Register of Qualified Memorial Fixers (RQMF) or the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM).
Any resultant contract will be subject to the conditions detailed in the draft contract document, which uses MOD Standardised contracting template SC2. As well as containing general conditions, it contains conditions relating to supply of contract deliverables, licences and intellectual property, pricing and payment, termination, framework agreements, cyber security, contract price and delivery. Specific Conditions include:
Electronic trading — potential suppliers must note the mandatory requirement for electronic trading using the contracting, purchasing and finance (CP&F) electronic procurement tool. All payments for contractor deliverables under the contract shall only be made via CP&F. You can find details on CP&F at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-contracting-purchasing-and-finance-e-procurement-system
The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement. The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.
TUPE — It is the supplier’s responsibility to consider whether or not TUPE applies to this re-let and to tender accordingly. Notwithstanding this, supplier’s may wish to note that it is the authority’s view that TUPE is unlikely to be applicable as the current supplier undertaking this task, has informed the authority that no employees are in scope for transfer. The authority shall not be liable for this opinion and it remains the supplier’s responsibility to ensure that their tender takes full account of all the relevant circumstances of this contract re-let.
The authority reserves the right to amend any condition related to security of information to reflect any changes in national law or government policy. If any contract documents are accompanied by instructions on safeguarding classified information (e.g. a security aspects letter), the authority reserves the right to amend the terms of these instructions to reflect any changes in national law or government policy, whether in respect of the applicable protective marking scheme, specific protective markings given, the aspects to which any protective marking applies, or otherwise. The link below to the Gov.uk website provides information on the Government security classification. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-security-classifications
This contract opportunity is published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), the MoD Defence contracts bulletin and www.contracts.mod.uk

Eligibility requirements: Suppliers must be a member of the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) or an equivalent trade association and must be registered on a nationally recognised fixing register such as the Register of Qualified Memorial Fixers (RQMF) or the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM).

Award value: 310000