Defra

123456789

17 Nobel House

London

SW1P 3JR

UK

Telephone: +44 2072385921

E-mail: Marcus.ritchie@defra.gov.uk

NUTS: UK

Internet address(es)

Main address: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs

II.1.1) Title

II.1.2) Main CPV code

98000000

II.1.3) Type of contract

Services

II.1.4) Short description

The Contractor shall act as Fund Manager and will award grants for capital improvements to eligible village halls in England. The Authority shall transfer a ring-fenced budget to the Contractor for the purpose of awarding grants under the scheme; the Contractor shall be the Acting Agent on behalf of the Authority for delivering these services.

II.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

II.1.7) Total value of the procurement

Value excluding VAT: 180 000.00  GBP

IV.1.1) Type of procedure

Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition

Justification for selected award procedure:

The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the Directive

Explanation

There is a very limited market for this service as the award recipient needs to have a detailed technical understanding of Village Hall buildings management as well as the dynamics of how financing for Village Halls can be managed. They need an understanding of what is eligible/ineligible spend in terms of CDEL funding and need to be able to offer advice as well as administer a competitive grant scheme. Previous experience of running a nationwide (England) grant funding scheme is required. Early Market Engagement activity was conducted in the form of a request for Expressions of Interest (EOI) followed by a formal Request For Information (RFI) process. 6 organisations completed an EOI and 2 organisations then went on to complete the RFI document. Applicants needed to evidence extensive knowledge of, and experience in, dealing with village halls and grant funding, including an in depth knowledge of current grant funding available to halls. The recipient evidenced:-

- a detailed understanding of Village Hall Buildings Management which allows them to effectively carry out initial sift and re-direct ineligible applications to other funding sources.

- Significant experience of Village Hall planning requirements, the regulatory environment, maintenance challenges (eg asbestos) eligible/ineligible costs for funding, the financing options for improvement works available to Village Halls.

- National reach via regional hubs across England offering local knowledge and allowing prompt access to halls requiring site visits.

- The recipient runs a Village Hall Advisory Service which is not affiliated with Defra. All data they hold is theirs and they will not share this information with other suppliers. In the event of a Village Halls focused competition, it would be difficult to prepare a specification that did not provide an advantage to them, thereby restricting competition.

The second supplier who completed an RFI failed to provide any examples of when they or their partners have worked on village hall projects. There were multiple references to partnership working but no details of specific partners or intelligence that evidences village hall knowledge or experience. It is clear from the RFI response that the 2nd supplier, whilst credible in their specialist field, do not have the requisite experience and competence in Village Hall maintenance and funding.

IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No

ACRE

The Quadrangle, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1LH.

Woodstock

OX201LH

UK

Telephone: +44 1283653477

E-mail: contact@acre.org.uk

NUTS: UK

Internet address(es)

URL: https://acre.org.uk/

The contractor is an SME: Yes

VI.4.1) Review body