Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2018-04-07
Buyer: Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 30213300 | 34943000 | 48000000 | 48100000 | 50300000

Technical requirements: Network Rail is informing the market that we will be implementing a Technology supplier qualification system (SQS). A Qualification system notice and further supporting information will be issued via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) at the point in time which the SQS goes live which is currently anticipated to be on 10.5.2018.
The scope of the SQS will include all IT goods and services (and where part of a monitoring system, the associated Operational technology) required by any function within Network Rail.
There will be no cost associated with registration onto the Technology SQS. The SQS will provide a lean single point of supplier qualification, specific to Technology categories selected by a supplier, which will negate the need for a supplier to demonstrate suitability and capability every time they are invited to bid for a tender.
Please note that Railway industry supplier qualification scheme (RISQS) will continue to operate as Network Rail’s preferred SQS for auditable and non-IT related categories. Auditable categories are defined as those for which companies are required to have an audit undertaken of their company’s Health, safety, environment and quality capabilities based on the level of risk associated with the product code and the requirements set by the RISQS Community. The level of risk assigned to each code is dependent on the business impact that the product or service has to RISQS members.
The scope of the SQS will cover Technologies, Professional services, Solution delivery and support services. Network Rail encourages all suppliers with experience in the below domains to register on the SQS.
It is anticipated that the total value of spend under the SQS, including associated Dynamic purchasing system (DPS), Frameworks, Contracts and Innovation Partnerships will be c. 2 000 000 000 GBP over 10 years, although this value is subject to change in the event of increased demand. The SQS will be the primary contracting method for all non-auditable Technology categories during the next 10 years and it is therefore imperative that all suppliers who wish to be eligible for future procurement opportunities register their details and complete the qualification questions when the notice is issued.
Establishing a Supplier qualification system allows for flexibility of procedure allowing a number of different procurement techniques; Dynamic purchasing systems, Frameworks and call-offs, Innovation partnerships and standalone contracts. Please view the opportunity listing at https://networkrail.bravosolution.co.uk for a diagram which shows the structure of the proposed procurement.
It is Network Rail’s intention to start procurement exercises for a DPS and each of the two frameworks under the SQS on 12.6.2018, although this is subject to change. Suppliers registered and qualified against the relevant categories on the SQS will be notified when the DPS and Framework procurements commence.
DPS – This will allow Network Rail to access a dynamic supply chain, with suppliers able to apply to join at any point during the lifetime of the DPS. It is our intention that the DPS will be used to procure Software Applications and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
— IT Professional services (IT Architecture, IT Benchmarking, IT Consultancy and information security).
Network rail would encourage organisations to provide feedback on the proposed procurement approach via the following link: http://www.demographix.com/TechnologyServicesprocurement and to advise whether they would be interested in a supplier briefing event. The supplier briefing event will be subject to the number of responses received and a WebEx may be used instead. Should you require any further information please contact Daniel.Tough@networkrail.co.uk or Alex.Jerome@networkrail.co.uk
Once the SQS is live, any further discussions cannot occur between Network rail and interested suppliers in order to ensure fairness, openness and transparency, and to follow EU procurement regulations. The Prior information notice is issued solely for the purpose of conducting pre-procurement market engagement and does not constitute any commitment to undertake any procurement in the future. Interested parties will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to the PIN event and a response to this PIN does not guarantee any invitation to participate in this event or any future procurement.
This PIN does not constitute a call for competition to procure any services, supplies or works mentioned in this PIN and the Contracting Authority will not accept any proposals offered in response to this PIN. Network Rail is not liable for any costs, fees, or expenses incurred by any party in replying to the PIN or attending any briefing day. Any procurement of any services, supplies or works by Network Rail will be carried out strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016.