Prior information notice
This notice is for prior information only
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
THE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH EAST COUNCILS LIMITED
NEPO, Northern Design Centre
Gateshead
NE8 3DF
UK
Contact person: Jake Pattison
E-mail: corporate.services@nepo.org
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: www.nepo.org
Address of the buyer profile: www.nepo.org
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
I.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Tail Spend Management Services
Reference number: NEPO534
II.1.2) Main CPV code
66151100
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
NEPO seeks to establish a single provider Framework Agreement for the provision of Tail Spend Management .
NEPO understands that low value, high volume spend presents many challenges for public sector organisations such as missed commercial benefits, non-compliant spending, increased maverick buying and high associated administration costs.
It is envisaged that the resulting Solution will be a fully managed service for the purchase and management of tail spend across goods and services. The service will be used to enhance tail spend management by utilising improved commercial agreements, reducing administration burdens for procurement and accounts payable teams and consolidating supplier relationship management and the P2P process through the use of eProcurement technology and managed service support.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
130 000 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
66000000
79900000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
NEPO is seeking to establish a Solution in relation to the supply of Tail Spend Management "NEPO534". From stakeholder and soft market engagement, NEPO have identified the need for a Solution to control and manage spend that is below UK Public Procurement thresholds.
The purpose of the prior information notice (PIN) is to provide advance notice to the market place for the future opportunity and the intentions of NEPO to hold market consultation meetings with suppliers to help shape the future Framework Agreement.
NEPO are not advertising this PIN as a mechanism to reduce future procurement timescales. The market consultation meetings are advertised openly via this PIN but are limited to a particular number.
Market consultation meetings will take place Between W/C 14/08/2023 - 01/09/2023.The Market Consultation meetings are advertised openly using this notice.
Suppliers wishing to register attendance must do so in writing to Jake Pattison (jake.pattison@nepo.org) by no later than 12 p.m. (noon) on 11/08/2023.
Each appointment will be no longer than 90 minutes. NEPO intend to conduct these sessions virtually through online meeting platform applications or in person in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
NEPO anticipates that any virtual meeting sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams or other secure meeting platforms. In person meetings will be determined via correspondence but are expected to take place at NEPO's offices. The time and location of each appointment will be confirmed following the registration deadline.
Places will be secured on a first come first serve basis. Suppliers wishing to attend the virtual market consultation meetings should be capable of meeting the requirements outlined within section 2.1.4 and above.
NEPO reserves the right to seek assurances from interested suppliers prior to allocating a place. Attendance at the market consultation is optional and does not provide suppliers with an advantage in any future related procurement. Attendance also does not constitute as an intention to tender for any future related procurement, nor does the meeting location. Please note the above dates may be subject to change depending on availability and supplier uptake.
In addition to the market consultation meetings, NEPO also intends to publish a soft market testing questionnaire via our Open E-Procurement system. The questionnaire will allow a further opportunity for those suppliers unable to attend the market consultation meetings to contribute towards shaping the future NEPO534 Framework Agreement design. Once the Questionnaire is ready for issue, this will be published through Open for access and completion. Suppliers wishing to participate must first register using the following link:
https://open-uk.org/
II.2.14) Additional information
The estimated value included in this prior information notice is based on current volumes per annum and extrapolated across the future Framework Agreement period. The value may however be subject to change on the basis of design development between publication of the PIN and contract notice.
II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:
10/11/2023
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
NEPO is a Central Purchasing Body as defined in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR15). As a Central Purchasing Body NEPO may provide central purchasing activity on behalf of contracting authorities (as defined by PCR15). NEPO intends to make the future Framework Agreement available for use by all contracting authorities throughout all administrative regions of the UK including but not limited to: central government departments and their agencies, local government departments and their agencies, non-departmental public bodies, central government, NHS and HSC bodies (including ambulance services), local authorities, emergency services (including police and fire rescue), coastguard emergency services, educational establishments (including academies), registered social landlords, registered charities and any public body established by or under the Scotland Act 1998 or any Act of the Scottish Parliament. Please see the following websites for further details:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
https://www.gov.uk/check-a-university-is-officially-recognised/recognised-bodies
http://www.schoolswebdirectory.co.uk/localauthorities.phphttp://www.ukschoolsdirectory.net
https://www.gov.uk/find-school-in-england
https://education.gov.scot/ParentZone
http://hwb.wales.gov.uk/https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development
http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/institutions/
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/workprovide/unicoll/heis/
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/workprovide/unicoll/fecs/
http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/AcuteTrustListing.aspx
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/nhswalesaboutus/structure
http://www.scottishambulance.com/TheService/organised.aspx
http://www.hscni.net/index.php?link=trusts
http://www.scottishambulance.com/AboutUs/HowWeOrganised.aspx
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/A-ZOfCentralGovernment/index.htm
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisationshttp://www.northernireland.gov.uk/gov.htm
http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/local-councils-in-northern-ireland
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/02/2421/1
https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/contact
https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/articles/list-public-bodies-which-ni-public-procurement-policy-applies
https://www.ons.gov.uk/
https://www.police.uk/forces/
http://www.police-information.co.uk/index.html
http://www.psni.police.uk/index.htm
http://www.scotland.police.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguard-agency
http://www.fireservice.co.uk/information/ukfrs
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/archive/law-order/Police/PoliceServiceofScotland
http://www.fire.org.uk/fire-brigades.html
http://www.nifrs.org/areas-districts/
http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-area.aspx
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/current-registered-providers-of-social-housing
http://directory.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/pages/default.aspx
https://gov.wales/topics/housing-and-regeneration/publications/registered-social-landlords-in-wales/?lang=en
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/housing-associations
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/About_us/Regulation/Registering_charities_index.aspx
http://www.oscr.org.uk/
https://idea.org.uk/
http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/registerhomepage.aspx
http://www.sell2wales.gov.uk/Search/search_Auth.aspx
http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom/factsandfigures/housingplanning1/facts/socialhousing/?id=1822644A
A complete list of permissible users is shown on the NEPO website below: http://www.nepo.org/associate-membership/permissable-users
Organisations wishing to access the NEPO agreement will be required to register as a NEPO Associate Member in the first instance. Further information can be found at: www.nepo.org
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
04/08/2023