UK INDUSTRIAL FUSION SOLUTIONS LTD

14620804

Culham Science Centre

Abingdon

OX143DB

UK

Contact person: William Gibbs

E-mail: william.gibbs@ukifs.uk

NUTS: UK

Internet address(es)

Main address: https://stepfusion.com/about/

II.1.1) Title

II.1.2) Main CPV code

48332000

II.1.3) Type of contract

Supplies

II.1.4) Short description

Procurement of 50x Primavera P6 EPPM licences for use within the Programme and Project Management team using the G-Cloud 14 CCS framework.

II.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

II.1.7) Total value of the procurement

Value excluding VAT: 631 662.08  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 works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: absence of competition for technical reasons

Explanation

A direct award is justified on the basis that the G-Cloud 14 framework (RM1557.14) was established under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) using a framework agreement procedure compliant with Regulation 33. Under Reg. 33(8), contracting authorities may award call-off contracts without reopening competition, provided the call-off follows the rules set out in the framework agreement.

In accordance with the G-Cloud 14 Buyer's Guide and framework rules, the Authority is required to:

- identify services that meet its needs using the Digital Marketplace search function,

- apply objective, non-discriminatory filters aligned to the requirement, and

- award the contract to the service(s) that best meet the Authority's needs from the list of available services returned.

To meet this requirement, the Authority conducted a search on the Digital Marketplace under G-Cloud 14 Lot 2 and 3, using objective filters based on the mandatory technical, functional, security and delivery requirements of the project. These filters were aligned to the Authority's specification and applied consistently in accordance with PCR 2015 Regulation 18 (principles of equal treatment, transparency and proportionality).

The search returned only one supplier (Hyde Park Solutions) offering a service that met all mandatory criteria. No other services listed under the framework met the requirement as defined. Under the G-Cloud framework rules, where only one service meets the requirement, the Authority is permitted to directly award to that supplier, as there are no alternative services capable of satisfying the need and therefore no competition to reopen.

Further competition is neither required nor permitted under the framework where only a single service is identified as capable of meeting the Authority's needs. A mini-competition would not achieve any additional value and would be inconsistent with the framework calling-off procedures set out under Reg. 33(8)(a).

Accordingly, the direct award is:

- lawful under PCR 2015, specifically Regs. 18 and 33(8),

- compliant with the G-Cloud 14 Buyer's Guide and framework rules, and

- transparent and proportionate, given that the Authority relied on objective search criteria and the Digital Marketplace's complete list of framework services.

For these reasons, the Authority considers that the direct award is fully justified and compliant with the applicable procurement regulations and framework requirements.

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

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

Hyde Park Solutions Limited

SC336107

2 2 Octavia Buildings

Kilmacolm Renfrewshire

PA13 4AE

UK

NUTS: UK

The contractor is an SME: Yes

VI.4.1) Review body