Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2016-03-25
Buyer: Workers Educational Association
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Contract award without prior publication
CPV classification: 72222300: Information technology services | 72253000: Helpdesk and support services | 72315000: Data network management and support services
Estimated value:  GBP

Technical requirements: This a voluntary ex ante transparency notice (veat) notice. Workers Educational Association intends to extend existing contract by means of use of Negotiated procedure without prior publication 2015-No102-part2-chapter2-section3-regulation32(b) (ii) Completion is absent for technical reasons (subject to the associations internal approval process). The WEA has published this veat notice and intends to award an extension of contract for 12 months to incumbent supplier following the expiry of 10 full calendar days after the expiry of this notice. A new tender process will commence 2017 for a January 2018 contract start date with no preference to the incumbent and the process will be channelled via e sourcing portal intend. Agreement will be a 3 year contract.
Business Case for arranging a temporary extension to the WEA's current ITC Support Contract Current Situation The WEA has contracted a third party to provide technical support services for the WEA's IT users. This contract commenced in January 2011 for an initial term of 3 years. It included an option to extend this term once, for a further contiguous 3-year period. This option was exercised and the term now will end in January 2017. The services are critical to the WEA's operational activities, and the absence of them would detract very seriously from the WEA's ability to undertake its day-to-day activities, and present a serious risk to the WEA's ability to recover from a ‘problem’ or ‘disaster’ scenarios that might adversely affect the WEA's ICT infrastructure and services. Reasons for delaying renewal (retendering) for these services The WEA has drawn up a plan (time-line) identifying actions needed to execute a retendering process. Fundamental to this is identifying the requirements the WEA now has for ICT support services. It is recognised these will be different to those identified when the current contract was arranged during 2010. However, it is still not clear what those services might be with the clarity needed to construct an ‘Invitation-to-Tender’ document. The WEA is currently going through a period of great change. The consequential requirement the organisation will have for ICT facilities and support services for the next 3-5 years is still being determined. Change is expected to be far-reaching, so the requirement for ICT services is to be informed by an ICT Strategy which will signpost the technical and operational directions the organisation has chosen to follow for the next 3-5 years. The Strategy will need to meet requirements now being determined in parallel studies to identify the activities the organisation plans to undertake (and the structure it will need to achieve the goals it sets itself) for this period. The need for change is being driven by the anticipated effect of government spending cuts, and an appreciation of the need the organisation has to adapt to the realities of the ‘new digital age’ and so continue as a viable organisation providing valuable services to the disadvantaged communities it now serves. Reasons for seeking a temporary extension to the current contract until the WEA is clear on the requirements it has for ICT support services it cannot prepare ‘Invitation to Tender’ documents. The WEA cannot function without ICT support services in place. Its resources are already fully committed to the change programme and there is no residual capacity for engaging with and training dedicated staff, or making short-term arrangements for these services with an alternate service provider. A temporary extension of 12 months to the current support contract is therefore sought to maintain operational viability whilst allowing the WEA time to decide what services it will need for the future, and follow due process for arranging these via a properly executed tendering process.