Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2018-05-09
Buyer: The Council of the Borough of Kirklees
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 85000000 | 85100000: Health services | 85140000: Miscellaneous health services | 85300000
Award criteria: Lowest price

Technical requirements: Tenders are invited by the Council of the Borough of Kirklees (the “Contracting Authority”) with relevant experience and the ability to deliver the Healthwatch Kirklees Service (the “Service”). The purpose of Local Healthwatch is to empower citizens and communities by giving them a stronger voice to influence and challenge how health, social care and public health services are provided within their locality with the aim of improving the quality of services, the public’s experiences and outcomes.
Local Healthwatch will provide a consultative role to local health, social care and public health commissioners as well as being a “critical friend”.
Tenders are invited by the Council of the Borough of Kirklees (the ‘contracting authority’) with relevant experience and the ability to deliver the Healthwatch Kirklees Service (the ‘Service’). The purpose of Local Healthwatch is to empower citizens and communities by giving them a stronger voice to influence and challenge how health, social care and public health services are provided within their locality with the aim of improving the quality of services, the public’s experiences and outcomes.
Local Healthwatch will provide a consultative role to local health, social care and public health commissioners as well as being a “critical friend”.
Due to the size and nature of the Local Healthwatch Kirklees Service, the contracting authority believed it was not appropriate to split this contract in to lots. Further, the contracting authority has considered social value throughout the development of this opportunity.
In order to improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing, the Contracting Authority would expect the chosen economic operator to be embedded within the local area to ensure the optimisation of local skills, capacity and resources.
Local Healthwatch will actively contribute to driving sector-led improvement by working in partnership with local authorities, Clinical Commissioning Groups, the Strategic Transformation Partnership (“STP”), the Local Government Association (“LGA”), Healthwatch England and other key stakeholders through peer support and the development of local solutions.
The contract will initially be for three (3) years commencing on 1.10.2018 and will expire on 30.9.2021. The Contracting Authority will then have the option to extend this contract by up to a maximum of two (2) further twelve (12) month periods.
The Contracting Authority considers that this framework agreement may be suitable for economic operators that are Small or Medium Enterprises (“SMEs”). However, any selection of economic operators will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement, and the framework agreement will be awarded to the most economically advantageous tender. Provided that the Tender is submitted fully in accordance with the requirements set out within the “Service Specification” and the remaining sections of the Tender Documents, the Contract will be awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender based on: one hundred per cent (100 %) Service Delivery (for further details please refer to Sections B and C of the Supplier Submission Document, which is available at the address set out in Section I.1 of this Notice.
Please note that Tenders will only be evaluated substantively once suitability of economic operators has been assessed in accordance with the SQ, which will be marked on a pass or fail basis as detailed in the Supplier Submission Document. Economic operators who fail to pass the minimum Selection Criteria within the SQ will be excluded from the process at this stage and their tender submission will not be subject to further evaluation. Economic operators found to be suitable by the Contracting Authority will proceed to have their submissions evaluated using the award criteria and the evaluation methodology set out in the procurement documentation.
In accordance with Regulation 86 (Notices of decisions to award a contract or conclude a framework agreement), Regulation 87 (Standstill periods) and Chapter 6 (Applications to Court) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102), the Contracting Authority will incorporate a minimum ten (10) calendar day standstill period at the point that information on the conclusion of the contract is communicated to economic operators. This period allows any unsuccessful economic operator(s) to seek further debriefing from the Contracting Authority before the award of the contract. Such additional information should be requested from the address at Section I.1 above. If an appeal regarding the award of the contract has not been successfully resolved, then the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102) provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court(England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Any such action must be started within thirty (30) days beginning with the date when the aggrieved party first knew or sought to have grounds for starting the proceedings had arisen. The Court may extend the time limited for starting proceedings where the Court considers that there is a good reason for doing so, but not so as to permit proceedings to be started more than three (3) months after that date. Where the contract has not been awarded, the Court may order the setting aside of the award decision or order the contracting authority to amend any document and may award damages. If however the contract has been awarded, the Court may only award damages, or (where the contract award procedures have not been followed correctly) declare the contract to be ineffective.