Qualification system – utilities
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
Passenger Services, Department for Transport
Great Minster House, 33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR
UK
Contact person: Paul Carlisle
E-mail: PQQpassport@dft.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-franchising-pqq-passport-documentation
I.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to the abovementioned address
I.6) Main activity
Other: Transport
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
PQQ Passport
II.1.2) Main CPV code
60200000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
60210000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Department for Transport (DfT) is extending the validity of the Rail Franchising PQQ Passport System. The validity of existing Passports will be extended to 26.9.2022. This will help facilitate the smooth implementation of any recommendations from the rail review (www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-williams-rail-review).
Interested economic operators may apply at any time until 26.9.2022. DfT aims to process applications received before noon on 23.9.2019 within approximately 3 months of that date. Applications received after that date will be processed once the next application date window has closed. DfT intends to announce the date of the next application window following the conclusion of the rail review or, if sooner, the announcement of the next competition. This notice does not constitute a call for competition.
Holding a passport allows you to express an interest in future competitions, during the lifetime of the passport, without the need to resubmit certain information. If you do not currently hold one, you must have made your application before the relevant application date of any future competition in which you are interested. DfT intends to offer further opportunities to make a passport application once a call for competition is made. Dates (including application dates) for individual franchise competitions are intended to be announced via an update of this QSN while any direct award will be the subject of an individual PIN. Once the Expression of Interest (EoI) for a specific competition has been released, as a passport holder you can then express your interest following the process outlined in the EoI. If successful, you may then be invited to tender.
DfT considers passport holders to be one of the groups that are representative of the passenger rail market. DfT may wish to involve them in certain market engagement activities. In conducting these activities, DfT will take measures to ensure fairness, equal treatment and transparency. The nature and extent of market engagement activities will remain at the discretion of DfT but may include: policy development and franchise design; strategic issues affecting rail franchising and the wider industry; and early engagement on specific franchise competitions for the purposes of continuously improving DfT’s approach. Please note that early engagement on a specific franchise competition may commence prior to the relevant application date. If you are interested in contributing to discussions on a specific franchise competition you are encouraged to obtain a passport as soon as possible.
Please visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-franchising-pqq-passport-documentation for more details on the rail franchise passport and how to apply for one. The department is currently reviewing the rail franchise schedule (www.gov.uk/government/collections/rail-franchising). The secretary of state has commissioned Keith Williams to undertake a root and branch review of the rail network, including franchising. All currently contracted franchises, ongoing franchise competitions and other live rail projects are outside the scope of the review.
Interested economic operators will be required to sign a Passport Process Agreement (PPA). To receive the Passport PQQ Pack and gain access to the franchising procurement e-sourcing portal and PPA please register by email at PQQpassport@dft.gov.uk
Except in the very limited circumstances described in the passport process document, a passport can only be relied upon by the specific economic operator or specific group of economic operators which made the original Passport application. DfT recommends that Applicants interested in bidding as a group for particular future rail franchise competitions consider potential partners promptly so that the relevant group can apply for a Passport in time.
DfT reserves the right to cancel, change or replace the passport system or its validity period at secretary of state’s sole discretion for any reason.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
II.2.8) Duration of the qualification system
Start:
27/09/2019
End:
26/09/2022
Renewal of the qualification system: Yes
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 IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
For each franchise competition the DfT will, at a later stage, require passport holders that express an interest to respond to a set of franchise specific pre-qualification questions, including questions that relate to economic, financial standing, and, potentially, capability and technical ability. Passport holders may be down-selected on the basis of the scoring of these further questions to generate a shortlist of bidders.
This notice will be updated in the event of a significant change to the information contained herein or in the website pages it refers to. The DfT may make minor changes/updates to the content of the website pages directly without updating this notice, interested parties should check the relevant pages regularly.
Each of the franchise agreements to which the competitions covered by the passport system relate will be a ‘public services contract’ for public passenger transport by rail for the purposes of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road (Regulation 1370/2007).
Therefore, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (by virtue of Regulation 10(1)(i)), Directive 2014/24/EU (by virtue of Article 10(i), as explained in Recital 27); the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 (by virtue of Regulation 10(4)(b)), and Directive 2014/23/EU (by virtue of Article 10(3)); and the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (by virtue of Regulation 21(1)(g)) and Directive 2014/25/EU (by virtue of Article 21(g), as explained in Recital 35), do not apply to the rail franchise competitions.
The passport system is considered to be similar to a qualification system under Directive 2014/25 and so the DfT has determined that this notice is an appropriate means of advertising it. The publication of this notice is voluntary. The DfT does not commit to operating the passport system (or conducting the pre-qualification process or any part of it) in accordance with the provisions on qualification systems (or any other provision) in the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016, Directive 2004/17/EC or Directive 2014/25/EU, and the publication of this notice should not be construed in any way as constituting an undertaking or a representation by the DfT to do so.
The information contained in this notice is neither exhaustive nor binding, and may be amended at the time of issue of any further notice(s) or at any other time. The DfT is not and shall not be liable for any expenses, costs or liabilities incurred by those applying for a Passport, expressing an interest, considering or responding to a Franchise EoI or negotiating or tendering for a franchise agreement or any other agreement entered into in connection with such franchise agreement, or any such costs incurred by their associated entities or any other person.
The DfT reserves the right: not to award any passports or franchise agreements; to make any changes it sees fit to the structure and timing of the passport application or franchise competition process (including issuing further notice(s)) to the application dates or to the structure and timing of a Franchise EoI stage; to cancel the passport system or a franchise competition in its entirety at any stage; to use any additional or alternative method of selecting bidders for any future rail franchise competitions; to require a passport holder to update the information provided in their passport application periodically; and/or where the Authority otherwise considers this is appropriate for any reason to make a direct award pursuant to Regulation 1370/2007.
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Royal Courts of Justice
London
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
28/06/2019