Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
General Optical Council
1150137 (Registered Charity)
10 Old Bailey
London
EC4M 7NG
UK
Contact person: Keith Watts
Telephone: +44 2073073455
E-mail: kwatts@optical.org
Fax: +44 2074363525
NUTS: UKI
Internet address(es)
Main address: www.optical.org
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.mytenders.co.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA14321
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
https://www.optical.org/en/about_us/working_for_us/goc-tenders-.cfm
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
www.mytenders.co.uk
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Social protection
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
GOC Legal Support Services
II.1.2) Main CPV code
79100000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
The requirements of the service are:
1) Conduct of investigative work on the GOC’s behalf in relation to fitness to practise allegations;
2) Preparation for, and presentation of, the GOC’s case at substantive Fitness to Practise Committee hearings;
3) Occasional preparation for, and presentation of the GOC’s case at non-substantive hearings (interim order applications/reviews/extensions, substantive order reviews) and Registration Appeal Committee hearings;
4) Provision of advice relating to the conduct of individual investigations into the fitness to practise of GOC registrants and also relating to interpretation of GOC legislation/Rules;
5) Provision of training to Council members, Committee members, Case Examiners and staff.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKI
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
We are seeking to procure legal support services for our Fitness to Practise (FTP) directorate, with effect from 1.5.2019.
This year (2018-19) it is forecast that we will open approximately 300 fitness to practice investigations. Approximately 25 % of investigation cases are referred to the Fitness to Practise Committee each year. We expect to instruct approximately half of these referred cases out to the appointed providers, either for advocacy only, or for investigation and advocacy (for the sake of clarity, we expect to manage the other half in-house). We also expect to instruct appointed providers to undertake initial-stages investigations in a (total) maximum of 10-20 cases per annum.
The provision of legal services will be governed by an agreement commencing 1.5.2019 and concluding 31.3.2021. We are looking to appoint a minimum of 2 service providers.
The requirements of the service are:
1) Conduct of investigative work on the GOC’s behalf in relation to fitness to practise allegations;
2) Preparation for, and presentation of, the GOC’s case at substantive Fitness to Practise Committee hearings;
3) Occasional preparation for, and presentation of the GOC’s case at non-substantive hearings (interim order applications/reviews/extensions, substantive order reviews) and Registration Appeal Committee hearings;
4) Provision of advice relating to the conduct of individual investigations into the fitness to practise of GOC registrants and also relating to interpretation of GOC legislation/Rules;
5) Provision of training to Council members, Committee members, Case Examiners and staff.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Start:
01/05/2019
End:
31/03/2021
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
Option to extend for 12 months.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
Envisaged minimum number: 5
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.2) Conditions related to the contract
III.2.1) Information about a particular profession
Participation is reserved to a particular profession: Yes
Reference to the relevant law, regulation or administrative provision:
The service is a legal service.
Candidates must be able to demonstrate that they (or their organisation/team) possess the appropriate legal qualifications/authorisation to permit them to provide legal services.
The service is governed by the Opticians Act 1989 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/44/contents) and by the Legal Services Act 2007 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/29/contents).
III.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract
Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted 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.
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:
22/02/2019
Local time: 17:00
IV.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
Date:
01/03/2019
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
Duration in months: 3 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
Yes
Estimated timing for further notices to be published:
Not before October 2020.
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3) Additional information
Before applying, please ensure you are familiar with the fitness to practise function of the General Optical Council: https://www.optical.org/en/Investigating_complaints/index.cfm
The GOC is the regulator for the optical professions in the UK. Our purpose is to protect the public by promoting high standards of education, performance and conduct amongst opticians. We currently register around 30 000 optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians and optical businesses.
A brief description of our four core regulatory functions is:
1) Setting standards for optical education and training, performance and conduct;
2) Approving qualifications leading to registration;
3) Maintaining a register of individuals who are qualified and fit to practise, train or carry on business as optometrists and dispensing opticians;
4) Investigating and acting where registrants’ fitness to practise, train or carry on business is impaired.
Note: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the myTenders website at https://www.mytenders.co.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=214480
The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.mytenders.co.uk/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx
Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems.
(MT Ref:214480)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Public Procurement Review Service (Cabinet Office)
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
UK
Telephone: +44 3450103503
E-mail: publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit
VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Public Procurement Review Service (Cabinet Office)
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
UK
Telephone: +44 3450103503
E-mail: publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
22/01/2019