The City of Edinburgh Council

Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street

Edinburgh

EH8 8BG

UK

Contact person: Aga Wieczorkiewicz

Telephone: +44 1314693922

E-mail: aga.wieczorkiewicz@edinburgh.gov.uk

NUTS: UKM75

Internet address(es)

Main address: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00290

II.1.1) Title

Reference number: CT1527

II.1.2) Main CPV code

79720000

II.1.3) Type of contract

Services

II.1.4) Short description

The City of Edinburgh Council (the “Council”) requires a Contract for a Whistleblowing Hotline Service.

The Council’s aim is to appoint a single whistleblowing solutions Contractor to provide an independent whistleblowing hotline service, oversight of investigations, carry out investigations into major disclosures and provide critical friend services on investigations carried out internally.

It is expected that the new Contract shall operate from September 2025 for a period of three years with the option (at the Council’s discretion) to extend for a further two 12-months periods.

II.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: 170 000.00  GBP

II.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

III.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

List and brief description of conditions:

Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents.

III.1.2) Economic and financial standing

Minimum level(s) of standards required:

Part III: Section A, B, C & D - Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 8 and 9 of the Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016.

Part IV: Selection criteria - B: Economic and financial standing – Question 4B.1 - Tenderers are required to have a minimum “general” annual turnover of GBP 68,000 for the last two financial years. Where a Tenderer does not have an annual turnover of this value, the Council may exclude the Tenderer from the competition or may apply discretion seeking supporting evidence to determine the Tenderer’s suitability to proceed in the competition.

Part IV: Selection criteria - B: Economic and financial standing – Question 4B.4 - Tenderers will be required provide the following information in response to 4B.4:

Current ratio for Current Year: 1.10

Current ratio for Prior Year: 1.10

The formula for calculating a Tenderer’s current ratio is current assets divided by current liabilities. The acceptable range for each financial ratio is greater than 1.10. Where a Tenderer’s current ratio is less than the acceptable value, the Council may exclude the Tenderer from the competition or may apply discretion seeking supporting evidence to determine the Tenderer’s suitability to proceed in the competition.

Part IV: Selection criteria - B: Economic and financial standing – Question 4B.5 - Tenderers are required to hold, or commit to obtaining prior to the commencement of any subsequently awarded contract, the types and levels of insurance indicated below:

a. Employers (Compulsory) Liability Insurance - GBP 5m

b. Public Liability Insurance - GBP 10m

c. Professional Risk Indemnity - GBP 5m

Where a Tenderer does not hold or commit to obtaining the types and levels of insurance indicated, the Council will exclude the Tenderer from the competition.

III.1.3) Technical and professional ability

Minimum level(s) of standards required:

CONTRACT SPECIFIC MANDATORY CRITERIA:

Part IV: Selection criteria - C: Prompt Payment – Question 4C.4 - It is a mandatory requirement of this Contract that a prompt payment clause is present in all Contracts used in the delivery of the requirements. This ensures payment of sub-contractors at all stages of the supply chain within 30 days and includes an obligation to provide a point of contact for sub-contractors to refer to in the case of payment difficulties. This will require active monitoring of payment performance as well as the provision of evidence and reports to the Council on request or as contractually scheduled. Bidders should confirm that this condition will be met within the response to this question.

Part IV: Selection criteria - C: Living Wage Payment – Question 4C.5 - Tenderers are asked to confirm that they will pay staff that are involved in the delivery of the Contract, (including any agency or sub-contractor staff) directly involved in the delivery of the Contract, at least the real Living Wage.

Part IV: Selection criteria - C: Environmental Management Measures – Question 4C.7 – Tenderers will be required to provide evidence that their organisation has taken steps to build their awareness of the climate change emergency and how they will respond. Accepted evidence includes but is not limited to: A completed copy of “Appendix 4 Climate Change Plan” including planned projects and actions to reduce the bidder’s carbon emissions. This does not need to contain calculated carbon emissions. Please note Appendix 3 is supplied as an individual document for completion.

Where a Tenderer’s response is of a less than the acceptable standard, the Council may exclude the Tenderer from the competition or may apply discretion seeking supporting evidence to determine the Tenderer’s suitability to proceed in the competition.

Part IV: Selection criteria - D: Health and Safety – Question 4D.1 - It is a mandatory requirement that Tendering Organisations with more than 5 employees have in place a Health & Safety Policy which is approved at a senior level within the Organisation and is reviewed regularly. Bidders should confirm that this condition has been met within the response to this question. Where a Bidder does not have a Health & Safety Policy and is required to do so, the Council may exclude the Bidder from the competition.

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

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.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure

Notice number in the OJ S:

2025/S 000-000441

IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

Date: 14/07/2025

Local time: 12:00

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: 4 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)

IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders

Date: 14/07/2025

Local time: 12:00

Place:

Edinburgh

VI.4.1) Review body

VI.4.3) Review procedure

Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:

A tenderer that suffers loss as a result of a breach of duty under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 may bring proceedings in the Sheriff Court or the Court of Session. The City of Edinburgh Council (the Council) will have a minimum standstill period of 10 days before awarding the contract. The communication of the award decision notice will be sent by fax or e-mail to all tenderers with the standstill period commencing on the next day. If proceedings are started in the Sheriff Court or the Court of Session against the Council in respect of the decision to award the contract within the standstill period then the Council is prevented from awarding the contract. Post contract award the Sheriff Court or the Court of Session may (1) award damages provided proceedings are brought within 3 months from the date when the grounds for the bringing of the proceedings first arose (2) be entitled to issue an ineffectiveness order or impose a financial penalty on the Council. A claim for an ineffectiveness order must be made within 30 days of the Contract Award Notice being published in the FTS or within 30 days of the date those who expressed an interest in or otherwise bid for the contract were informed of the conclusion of the contract or in any other case within 6 months from the date on which the contract was entered into.