Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru /Books Council of Wales
Castell Brychan, Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
SY23 2JB
UK
Contact person: Mererid Boswell
Telephone: +44 1970629544
E-mail: mererid.boswell@books.wales
Fax: +44 1970625385
NUTS: UKL
Internet address(es)
Main address: www.llyfrau.cymru
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA0798
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
www.sell2wales.gov.uk
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to the abovementioned address
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Other: Registered Charity
I.5) Main activity
Education
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
A new system for a Book Wholesale and Distribution business
II.1.2) Main CPV code
48000000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
II.1.4) Short description
The Books Council wishes to engage a winning bidder with the capability to deliver a book distribution (wholesale and distribution) system and professional and technical consultancy support to replace several its existing IT Systems between 2020 and 2022. It plans to replace both its existing system and websites. This Invitation to Tender is only focused upon the system replacement, but proposals should include the system’s ability to interface with other systems, including selling websites.
It is expected that companies choosing to tender will be specialists in the book trade with their systems designed around this. They should be able to provide current and recent examples of successful implementations with other companies in the book trade, and the Book Distribution Industry.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
300 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
48100000
48000000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKL1
Main site or place of performance:
Aberystwyth
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Books Council of Wales is a registered charity, set up over 50 years ago to ensure that Welsh books or books of Welsh content are distributed effectively. After a period of growth, it acts as a distributor to some publishers, and as a Welsh wholesaler to other publishers. The distribution business has a net turnover of 2.7m GBP per annum and employs 15 members of staff.
The current system was introduced in 1996, and several developments over the period has meant a complex relationship with other bespoke products including ONIX feeds, EDI ordering, finance system, order to cash, title database, customer database and the e-commerce platform.
The Books Council of Wales (“Books Council”) is a national charity (number 505262) which supports the publishing industry in Wales and promotes reading for pleasure. Due to the lack of distributors in Wales, it has acted as a book distributor since the 1970’s, focussing mainly on Welsh customers. The charity’s core functions are to provide specialist editing, design, marketing, and distribution services to ensure high standards of book production and publication in both Welsh and English. Funded by the Welsh Government, it also administers and distribute grants to publishers in Wales from our headquarters in Aberystwyth. Another vital element of our work is the active promotion of reading and literacy across Wales through a range of campaigns, activities, and events.
The Books Council is not a publisher and does not publish its own titles, it is concentrated on the Distribution, Wholesale and Consignment of books for Client Publishers.
The Books Council predominantly distributes books focussing on Wales and the Welsh language. Roughly 50% of the titles distributed are written in Welsh and the Books Council promotes titles published both by established Welsh publishers and individual authors. Most of the Welsh language publishers are in an exclusive distribution arrangement with the Books Council, whereas English language publishers will have another main distributor, but will use the Books Council to distribute in Wales. Titles cover multiple subject areas, both fiction and non-fiction, children’s books, academic and professional publishing. Books Council also distributes a limited range of non-book items, e.g. toys, especially where complimentary to a book, or meets the requirement of the customers (schools primarily).
The Books Council’s primary market is the Welsh book trade, libraries, schools and colleges in Wales and sales to the public. It does sell books to the wider UK markets, with some export sales, and acts to some extent as a wholesale operation buying titles from other UK publishers for resale – for example travel guides to Wales, sports titles about Welsh teams and individuals, etc. The Books Council also supplies books on consignment to some customers. It also has the ability, as it does for several clients to provide ‘White Label’ distribution services.
The Books Council wishes to engage a winning bidder with the capability to deliver a book distribution (wholesale and distribution) system and professional and technical consultancy support to replace several its existing IT Systems between 2020 and 2022. It plans to replace both its existing system and websites. This Invitation to Tender is only focused upon the system replacement, but proposals should include the system’s ability to interface with other systems, including selling websites.
It is expected that companies choosing to tender will be specialists in the book trade with their systems designed around this. They should be able to provide current and recent examples of successful implementations with other companies in the book trade, and the Book Distribution Industry.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical Specification
/ Weighting: 65
Price
/ Weighting:
35
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 120
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
Contract will be renewed on an annual basis after the initial 10 years
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
Yes
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.2.2) Contract performance conditions
As this Project is publicly funded, the Books Council will require a commitment from the winning bidder that it has checked it’s supply chain and confirms that it is an ethical employer, compliant with all employment law, and not subject to any ongoing investigations or charges in relation to modern slavery and human rights abuses in respect of the workers and supply chain that will deliver the contract.
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
Open procedure
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
No
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:
2019/S 247-608432
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
24/08/2020
Local time: 12:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
CY
IV.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date:
24/08/2020
Local time: 12:00
Place:
Books Council of Wales, Unit 16, Glanrafon Industrial Estate, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23
Information about authorised persons and opening procedure:
Mererid Boswell & Arwel Evans - Financial
Mike Williams, Arwel Evans, Helgard Krause, Mererid Boswell- Technical
Mererid Boswell & Arwel Evans - Financial
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
No
VI.3) Additional information
It is imperative that all systems support the Welsh language and the extended Welsh character set. The core software can be in English, but all external communication must be in both Welsh and English. Text fields must support Welsh (and offer spelling corrections) as well as supporting characters. Certain fields may need to be completed in both Welsh and English (e.g. title descriptions) and reports must have the option for Welsh and/or English headings.
All websites must fully support Welsh. See www.gwales.com where users can select the Welsh or English version. Customers can further select whether correspondence is to be in Welsh or English and all emails and other communications must fully support Welsh.
All portals must also support both languages.
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=102745.
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.sell2wales.gov.wales/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.
Under the terms of this contract the successful supplier(s) will be required to deliver Community Benefits in support of the authority’s economic and social objectives. Accordingly, contract performance conditions may relate in particular to social and environmental considerations. The Community Benefits included in this contract are:
As part of their tender response, potential contractors are asked to submit a Method Statement in the form of a Community Benefits Plan setting out how they will deliver ‘Community Benefits’ through the contract.
The Community Benefits Method Statement will not be evaluated and scored as part of the tender process. However contractual clauses will set out specific targets for delivery to be agreed within 60 days of commencement of the contract.
(WA Ref:102745)
The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia.
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
High Court
Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
London
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
24/07/2020