QUALIFICATION SYSTEM - UTILITIES

Section I: Contracting Entity

I.1)

Name, Address and Contact Point(s)

I.2)

Main activity or activities of the contracting entity

	Production, transport and distribution of gas and heat
	Electricity
	Exploration and extraction of gas and oil
	Exploration and extraction of coal and other solid fuels
	Water
	Postal services
	Railway services
	Urban railway, tramway, trolleybus or bus services
	Port-related activities
	Airport-related activities

Section II: Object of the qualification system

II.1)

Title attributed to the qualification system by the contracting entity

FA1114 Bulk Raw or Treated Water Supply.

II.2)

Type of contract

II.3)

Description of the works, services or goods to be procured through the qualification system

Category 1 — Supply of raw or treated water in bulk to Thames Water Utilities Ltd.

Category 2 — Supply and delivery of raw or treated water in bulk to Thames Water Utilities Ltd.

II.4)

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

II.5)

Contracts covered by this qualification system are covered by the government procurement agreement (GPA)

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)

Conditions for participation

III.1.1)

Qualification for the system

Please see Section VI. Details in Qualification survey.

Please see Section VI. Details in Qualification survey.

III.1.2)

Reserved contracts

The contract is restricted to sheltered workshops
The execution of the contract is restricted to the framework of sheltered employment programmes

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)

Award Criteria

IV.1.2)

An electronic auction will be used

IV.2)

Administrative information

IV.2.1)

Reference number attributed by the contracting entity

1114

IV.2.2)

Duration of the qualification system

IV.2.3)

Renewal of the qualification system

Please refer to Section 1.2 Additional Information.

Section VI: Complementary Information

VI.1)

One of more contracts covered by the qualification systems are related to a project and/or programme financed by community funds

VI.2)

Additional Information

This notice is designed to refresh the original notice for this service: 2012 / S 104-173999, and subsequent annual renewals.

Please note previous applicants to this notice who are on the register need not apply because their previous applications will have been processed already.

Applications are invited for 1 or more Lots. Thames Water will review the applications for the various Lots and may combine Lots with similar attributes and applicants together. When combining Lots, if an applicant has expressed interest in a Lot which is to be combined with Lots for which he has not expressed interest, Thames Water may ask the applicant if he wishes to express interest in the Lots being combined for which he had not previously expressed an interest.

Since this procurement relates to the purchase of water by a water utility, the Utilities Contracts Regulations do not apply. Thames Water is keen however to ensure maximum publicity for its requirements and that the process is open to competition.

Thames Water anticipates that multiple framework agreements will be formed with participants on the register compiled as a result of this notice. Thames Water reserves the right to include participants on the register who have not responded to this notice and to enter into Framework Agreements with such participants.

Thames Water expects that agreement award will be on the basis of the most economically advantageous offers having followed the negotiated procedure.

Since the regulations do not however apply to this procurement, Thames Water reserves the right to depart from the requirements of the regulations should it be considered appropriate to do so.

Thames Water has provided further and more specific details about its future supply requirements in its Final Water Resources Management Plan 2015 — 2040. The information will be refined as the Company continues to develop its Water Resources Management Plan and gains a clearer understanding of its future supply requirements. Thames Water expects to submit its draft WRMP19 to Defra in December 2017 prior to commencing a public consultation exercise on the plan. Further details of Thames Water's supply area, its existing water resources system, customers and the current and forecast water demand are given in the Company's Final Water Resources Management Plan 2014 — 2040 on its website at:

https://www.thameswater.co.uk/sitecore/content/corporate/corporate/about-us/our-strategies-and-plans/water-resources

Any suppliers who wish to respond to this OJEU notice must request a Qualification survey by emailing procurement.support.centre@thameswater.co.uk.

Prospective bidders must answer all questions as accurately and concisely as possible in the same order as the questions are presented.

Requested accounting and reference materials may be attached as appendices. TWUL retains the right not to review any unrequested material.

Where a question is not relevant to a bidder's organisation, this must be indicated, with further explanation provided.

Supporting information must be presented in the same order as the questions and must reference the relevant question. All questions in this survey must be answered in English.

Failure of a bidder to provide the required information, make a satisfactory response to any question, or supply documentation referred to in its response to this survey or any clarification within the specified timescale may mean that the bidder will not be invited to participate further in this procurement process. Responses to this notice will not be returned.

At the initial qualification stage, registered applicants may either qualify individually or as part of a consortium / joint venture with other registered applicants. There may be an opportunity to form consortia / joint ventures during the qualification phase (as set out below).

It is currently envisaged that the qualification process will be as follows:

1. Applicants' responses to the qualification survey documentation will be evaluated.

2. In the event that a Contract is to be procured through this register of applicants, pre-qualified applicants will be given a period of time to establish (if necessary) consortia or joint ventures with other pre-qualified applicants and to inform Thames Water where they have done so (including any changes to existing consortia/joint ventures). Thames Water reserves the right but is not bound to undertake a second stage qualification exercise at this point to evaluate the strength and capability of the joint ventures / consortia and individual organisations prior to making the final decision on those who will be invited to tender.

3. Thames Water will then issue the invitation to tender to those applicants (including consortia / joint ventures) who have been successful at the end of (2) above.

Applicants should note that this process might require references to be provided and verified, attendances at meetings, talks and presentations at no cost to Thames Water Utilities Limited.

The successful contractor(s) will be required to actively participate in the achievement of social and/or environmental objectives. Accordingly contract performance conditions may relate in particular to social, environmental or other corporate social responsibility considerations. Further details of these conditions will be set out in the contract documents.

This Notice does not preclude Thames Water Utilities Limited or its associated companies (subsidiaries, sister, parent companies etc.) from issuing other contract notices for specific requirements from time to time.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, Thames Water Utilities Limited shall not be responsible for any costs, charges or expenses incurred by applicants and does not accept liability for any costs, charges or expenses incurred by applicants, irrespective of the outcome of the procurement process, or if the procurement process is cancelled or postponed.

Thames Water Utilities Limited reserves the right to terminate the procurement process (or part of it) at any time.

Thames Water Utilities Limited reserves the right to procure any of the services or supplies referred to in this Notice separately.

VI.3)

Procedures for appeal

VI.3.1)

Body responsible for appeal procedures

Body responsible for mediation procedures

VI.3.2)

Lodging of appeals

Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: Thames Water Utilities Limited will incorporate a standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the award decision. The standstill period, which will be for a minimum of 10 calendar days, provides time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into.

The Utilities Contracts Regulations (SI 2006 No 6) 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)

Dispatch date of this Notice