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The Provision of the UK Cochrane Centre (UKCC) for the NIHR.

Contract notice

Services

Directive 2004/18/EC

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)

Department of Health
Skipton House, 80 London Road
For the attention of: Beau Morgan
SE1 6LH London
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:

Internet address(es):

General address of the contracting authority: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health

Address of the buyer profile: http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health/about/

Electronic access to information: http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health/

Electronic submission of tenders and requests to participate: http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health/

Further information can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: The above mentioned contact point(s)

I.2)Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local sub-divisions
I.3)Main activity
Health
I.4)Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities
The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: no

Section II: Object of the contract

II.1)Description
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
The Provision of the UK Cochrane Centre (UKCC) for the NIHR.
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Services
Service category No 27: Other services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: England.

NUTS code UK

II.1.3)Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)
The notice involves a public contract
II.1.4)Information on framework agreement
II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s)

The UKCC has a unique role in providing a link between the work of The Cochrane Collaboration (as a worldwide organization with more activity outside the UK than within it) and the National Health Service (NHS). This link provides benefits to the NHS of the worldwide activity within The Cochrane Collaboration (http://www.cochrane.org/).

The UKCC is an integral part of the NIHR, along with 20 of the 24 UK-based Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs) who receive a contribution to their infrastructure costs from the Department of Health with contributions from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Eire.
The UKCC promotes the production, understanding and the use of high-quality research evidence and in particular systematic reviews in the evaluation of Health and Social Care.
The UKCC provides a link between national initiatives in the UK and the international Cochrane Collaboration. The Cochrane Collaboration is the world's largest organization dedicated to preparing, maintaining and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions. There are now more than 28 000 active participants, in over 120 countries; with 5 700 full Cochrane reviews published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. There are published protocols for more than 2 400 reviews that are in progress. Each year, more than 400 protocols are turned into full reviews and more than 500 of the existing reviews are updated. In 10-20 % of these updated reviews, the findings change such that decision-makers should no longer rely on the earlier version and should consult on the update. Approximately 30-40 % of the activity of The Cochrane Collaboration is in the UK, whether this is measured by counting the number of full reviews, active participants, authors, or editorial bases of Cochrane Review Groups.
The UKCC serves as a hub for much of this activity, in particular through a Learning and Development Programme and an Engagement Programme, in which work is carried out with the Cochrane Review Groups to share approaches and ways of working, helping identify and disseminate good practice. This will include, for example, topic prioritisation and ways of working efficiently. There is a focus on the CRGs based in the UK but information is drawn from CRGs globally.
- Supporting the production of high-quality, relevant, up-to-date systematic reviews and other synthesized research evidence to inform health decision-making;
- Making Cochrane evidence accessible, useful and usable to everybody;
- Advocating for evidence to inform health decision-making;
- Building an effective and sustainable organization.
II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

98113000, 73110000, 98111000, 98112000, 73000000, 73200000, 73300000, 79310000, 72320000, 72310000, 72300000, 75100000, 75112000, 79900000, 80500000, 80530000, 32426000, 79420000, 85140000, 79632000

II.1.7)Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): yes
II.1.8)Lots
This contract is divided into lots: no
II.1.9)Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: no
II.2)Quantity or scope of the contract
II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:
The transition period will commence from 1.1.2015 and the contract delivery from 1.4.2015 to 31.3.2019, with an option to extend up to a further 12 months to expire on 31.3.2020.
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 2 000 000 and 4 000 000 GBP
II.2.2)Information about options
Options: yes
Description of these options: Option to extend up to a further 12 months.
II.2.3)Information about renewals
This contract is subject to renewal: no
II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion
Duration in months: 60 (from the award of the contract)

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions relating to the contract
III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:
Parent Company or other guarantees may be required in certain circumstances. See the Invitation to Tender for further details.
III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
See the Invitation to Tender for further details.
III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:
Requests to participate will be accepted from groupings of economic operators (consortia) and each grouping should explain how they envisage the consortia to operate. In the event of a successful consortium bid, the DH reserves the right to require groupings of entities to take a particular legal form and/or require that a single consortium member takes primary liability or that each member undertakes joint and several liability irrespective of the legal form adopted.
III.1.4)Other particular conditions
The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: yes
Description of particular conditions: See the Invitation to Tender for further details.
III.2)Conditions for participation
III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Any supplier may be disqualified who has breached Regulation 23 of the Public Contract Regulations 2006.
III.2.2)Economic and financial ability
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: See the Invitation to Tender for further details.
III.2.3)Technical capacity
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met:
See the Invitation to Tender for further details.
III.2.4)Information about reserved contracts
III.3)Conditions specific to services contracts
III.3.1)Information about a particular profession
Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession: no
III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service
Legal persons should indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff responsible for the execution of the service: no

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Type of procedure
IV.1.1)Type of procedure
Open
IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate
IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue
IV.2)Award criteria
IV.2.1)Award criteria
The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document
IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction will be used: no
IV.3)Administrative information
IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:
59149
IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

Prior information notice

IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document
Time limit for receipt of requests for documents or for accessing documents: 9.1.2014 - 12:00
Payable documents: no
IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
9.1.2014 - 12:00
IV.3.5)Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
IV.3.6)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up
English.
IV.3.7)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
in days: 90 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
IV.3.8)Conditions for opening of tenders
Date: 9.1.2014 - 12:00

Place:

London, England.

Persons authorised to be present at the opening of tenders: no

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: no
VI.2)Information about European Union funds
The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
VI.3)Additional information

If you require assistance, please contact the Supplier Helpdesk on +44 113 254 5777 or . This helpdesk is available 10:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays. The Department of Health reserves the right to terminate the procurement process (or part of it), to change the basis of and the procedures for the procurement process at any time, or to procure the subject matter of the contract by alternative means if it appears that it can be more advantageously procured by alternative means.

The most economically advantageous or any tender will not automatically be accepted.
Tenders and all supporting documentation for the contract must be priced in sterling and written in English. Any agreement entered into will be considered a contract made in England according to English law and will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/246) may apply to this procurement.
Transparency:

Potential suppliers should note that, in accordance with the Government's policies on transparency, DH intends to publish the invitation to Tender (ITT) document, and any Contract awarded, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of DH. The terms of the proposed Contract will also permit a contracting authority, awarding a Contract under this Contract, to publish the text of that Contract, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the contracting authority. Further information on transparency can be found at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/guidance-transparency.

The Authority is fully committed to supporting the Government's small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) initiative; including the aspiration that 25 % of central government spend goes to SME's by 2015. All Tenderers, as potential suppliers to the Authority, will also be expected to support this initiative both directly and through their supply chains.
This procurement exercise will be completed via the DH eTendering portal (BMS) and candidates wishing to be considered for this (or any other) DH contract must submit their response via BMS. The BMS reference number for this exercise is 59149.
Additional information to IV.3.2) Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract
yes
Prior information notice

Notice number in the OJEU: 2013/S 000-319356 of 24.9.2013.

VI.4)Procedures for appeal
VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures

High Court
The Strand
London
UNITED KINGDOM

VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals
Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: The Department of Health will incorporate a standstill period at the point information about the actual award of the contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the award decision.
The standstill period, which will be for a minimum of 10 calendar days, provides time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into.
The Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (SI2006 No5) provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by breach of the rules to take action in the High Court.
VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained

High Court
The Strand
London
UNITED KINGDOM

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:
25.11.2013