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Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has a key role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity in Northern Ireland. As part of this commitment the agency has a programme to protect the best examples of biodiversity and geodiversity by designating ...

Contract award notice

Services

Directive 2004/18/EC

Section I: Contracting authority

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

Department of Finance and Personnel Northern Ireland
Clare House, 303 Airport Road West
For the attention of: Angela Calderwood
BT3 9ED Belfast
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:

I.2)Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.3)Main activity
General public services
I.4)Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities
The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: yes

Section II: Object of the contract

II.1)Description
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract
NIEa aerial monitoring and analysis of areas of special scientific interest.
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Services
Service category No 3: Air transport services of passengers and freight, except transport of mail
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Northern Ireland.
NUTS code
II.1.3)Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)
II.1.4)Short description of the contract or purchase(s)
Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has a key role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity in Northern Ireland. As part of this commitment the agency has a programme to protect the best examples of biodiversity and geodiversity by designating areas of special scientific interest (ASSIs). These sites have to be monitored, on an annual basis, to ensure the features of special interest are not damaged and that they are being managed and maintained in accordance with the appropriate conservation priorities.
Whilst some of this monitoring work is carried out by staff on the ground, many of the sites require monitoring from helicopters by staff using photographic equipment to capture images or by a service provider digitally recording and aerial photographing ASSI sites. ASSI monitoring requires low-level reconnaissance mostly over farmed countryside across Northern Ireland (NI) and including all major water bodies, uplands, large sections of coast including Rathlin Island and many rivers.
The aim of this framework is to provide NIEA with the means of monitoring ASSI’s sites by calling off from the service options listed below.
(I) Lot one - helicopter hire services.
NIEA requires the services of a licensed operator able to provide a helicopter hire service and pilot for low-level reconnaissance to enable its staff to monitor various sites. The craft will need to carry up to 2 NIEA staff with sliding window facility to permit photography.
(II) Lot 2 - Site integrity monitoring of designated sites.
Within this lot NIEA require the successful service provider to digitally record and aerially photograph lands that are designated ASSI’s throughout Northern Ireland.
The successful service provider will be required to provide a suitable camera. The camera must be fixed mounted and not handheld to ensure stability and consistency of image capture.
Each photograph must be geo referenced and have software provided to indicate on licensed Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland (OSNI) mapping, the exact location of the photograph in addition to the outline of the designated site boundary.
Calling off the framework.
As and when a monitoring requirement arises NIEA will select the option which best suits their needs. NIEA cannot offer a guarantee as to the level of business which will be generated under this framework.
The accuracy of data recorded under this framework and its historic archive, are of key importance when gathering evidence in potential prosecution cases, by NIEA conservation, designation & protection (CDP) enforcement team, in pursuance of the environment order (NI) 2002. This legislation is the main statutory mechanism affording the protection of ASSI’s.
II.1.5)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

60440000, 79961200, 60410000, 60424120, 90711000, 90711500

II.1.6)Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): yes
II.2)Total final value of contract(s)
II.2.1)Total final value of contract(s)
Value: 362 190 GBP
Excluding VAT

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Type of procedure
IV.1.1)Type of procedure
Open
IV.2)Award criteria
IV.2.1)Award criteria
The most economically advantageous tender in terms of
1. Price. Weighting 60
2. Methodology. Weighting 40
IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction has been used: no
IV.3)Administrative information
IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority
Project 4725
IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

Contract notice

Notice number in the OJEU: 2011/S 113-187062 of 9.6.2011

Other previous publications

Notice number in the OJEU: 2011/S 143-236397 of 25.7.2011

Section V: Award of contract

Contract No: project_4725 Lot No: 1 - Lot title: Lot One - Helicopter hire services.Lot No: 2 - Lot title: Lot Two - Site integrity monitoring of designated sites.
V.1)Date of contract award decision:
29.9.2011
V.2)Information about offers
Number of offers received: 1
V.3)Name and address of economic operator in favour of whom the contract award decision has been taken

PDG Helicopters
The Heliport
IV2 8XB Inverness
UNITED KINGDOM

V.4)Information on value of contract
Total final value of the contract:
Value: 362 190 GBP
Excluding VAT
If annual or monthly value:
Number of years: 2
V.5)Information about subcontracting
The contract is likely to be sub-contracted: yes
Value or proportion of the contract likely to be sub-contracted to third parties:
Not known

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about European Union funds
VI.2)Additional information:
A framework agreement consisting of 2 lots has been established to enable NIEA to select the best approach to aerial monitoring that meets their needs.
Lot 1 Helicopter hire services.
Lot 2 Site integrity monitoring of designated sites.
There is no guarantee as to the level of business that will be generated under this framework.
The framework period is for 2 years with the option to extend for a further two periods of 12 months each.
One tender was received for each lot from the same company. The contract was awarded to PDG helicopters.
NIEA will decide which lot they will use at any time to best meet their needs. NIEA total annual flying time is 96 hours. For the purpose of inserting a total contract costs the annual tendered cost for lot 2 was multiplied by 2 years.
If part of NIEA’s 96 hours annual flying time is called off from lot 1 the actual spend over the initial contract period will be less than 362 190 GBP.
The costs for each lot were based on the annual cost that were received from the tenderer were:
Lot 1 - 114 335.
Lot 2 - 181 095.
The value inserted in the total value of the contract below is the value of lot 2 x 2 years. It is likely the majority of the contract will focus on Lot 1 but NIEA will carry out an.
The estimated contract value was 400 000 GBP over 4 years.
VI.3)Procedures for appeal
VI.3.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures

Please refer to Section VI.3.2

Body responsible for mediation procedures

Please refer to Section VI.3.2

VI.3.2)Lodging of appeals
Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: The Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No 5) 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).
VI.3.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained
VI.4)Date of dispatch of this notice:
23.12.2011