Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Invest Northern Ireland
Bedford Square, 1 Bedford St
BELFAST
BT2 7ES
UK
Contact person: SSDAdmin.CPDfinance-ni.gov.uk
E-mail: SSDAdmin.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Address of the buyer profile: https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to the abovementioned address
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
ID 5121238 - DfE - Invest NI - Invest NI Framework Agreement for Patent Appraisal Services 2023-2027
Reference number: ID 5121238
II.1.2) Main CPV code
79120000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Invest NI wishes to establish a framework list of Contractors to undertake Patent Appraisals /Reviews of PoC proposals. Other Divisions from within Invest NI may, on occasions, use the Framework for similar proposals. The programme is not sector specific, but applications generally fall into the following sectors: Life Sciences , ICT, Engineering. The appointed Contractors will carry out patent appraisals on each of the PoC project proposals and provide a comprehensive report (circa 15-20 pages) for each.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
220 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
79000000
79100000
79121000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKN
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Invest NI wishes to establish a framework list of Contractors to undertake Patent Appraisals /Reviews of PoC proposals. Other Divisions from within Invest NI may, on occasions, use the Framework for similar proposals. The programme is not sector specific, but applications generally fall into the following sectors: Life Sciences , ICT, Engineering. The appointed Contractors will carry out patent appraisals on each of the PoC project proposals and provide a comprehensive report (circa 15-20 pages) for each.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
220 000.00
GBP
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 24
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Framework Agreement will run for an initial period of 2 years and with the option to extend for 2 further periods of up to and included 12 months each.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
The Framework Agreement will run for an initial period of 2 years and with the option to extend for 2 further periods of up to and included 12 months each.
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
II.2.14) Additional information
Contract Value. The figure indicated in Section II 1.5 represents an estimated Framework value. This value reflects the potential scale of the Framework and takes into account potential optional extension periods and the uptake of potential optional services as detailed in the tender documents. This figure does not however take into account the application of indexation. Neither CPD nor the Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this Framework. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Economic Operators remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Economic Operator in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and an Economic Operator shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority. Economic Operators should note that all dates, time periods and figures in relation to values and volumes specified in this notice and the procurement documents are approximate only and the Contracting Authority reserves the right to change any or all of them.
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement with several operators.
Envisaged maximum number of participants to the framework agreement: 3
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
11/09/2024
Local time: 15:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
IV.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Tender must be valid until:
10/12/2024
IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date:
11/09/2024
Local time: 15:30
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
No
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3) Additional information
Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public. purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of. contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified. time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in CPD for further action. If this occurs and the performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, it may be regarded as an act of grave professional misconduct and they may be issued with a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance and the their place on the contract may be terminated. The. issue of a Notice of unsatisfactory Performance will result in the contractor being excluded. from all procurement competitions being undertaken by Centres of Procurement Expertise on behalf of bodies covered by the Northern Ireland Procurement Policy for a period of twelve months from the date of issue of the Notice.
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
The UK does not have any such bodies with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures. Instead, any challenges are dealt with by the High Court, Commercial Division, to which proceedings may be issued regarding alleged breaches of the PCR 2015 as amended
UK
UK
VI.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:
CPD will comply with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and, where appropriate, will incorporate a standstill period (i.e. a minimum of 10 calendar days) at the point information on the award of contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the award decision. This provides time for the unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into.
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
22/08/2024