Social and other specific services – concessions
Prior information notice
Section I: Contracting
authority/entity
I.1) Name and addresses
University of Keele
Procurement Office, Finance Department, Innovation Centre 2, Keele University Science and Innovation Park, Staffordshire
Keele
ST5 5BG
UK
Contact person: Darren Pearce
Telephone: +44 1782734124
E-mail: d.pearce@keele.ac.uk
NUTS: UKG24
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.keele.ac.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofkeele/aspx/Home
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Education
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Concession Contract for Online Programme Management Partner
Reference number: KU/257/DP/HO/2019
II.1.2) Main CPV code
80300000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Tenders are invited for an online programme management partner (the ‘OPM Partner’) for the University of Keele in accordance with the invitation to tender (ITT) documentation. The services required under the contract are specified in the scope of services in Section 2 of the ITT.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
5 000 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
80430000
80420000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKG24
Main site or place of performance:
University of Keele.
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The University of Keele (the ‘University’) requires an Online Programme Management Partner (the ‘OPM Partner’) to work in partnership to develop a suite of online/blended Master’s programmes, targeted at the post-experience working professional market in the UK and worldwide. The programmes are to be fully online, but with a possible design that caters for students to attend optional face to face delivery.
The adoption of a highly scalable partnership to target a diverse audience of adult learners across the globe will positively impact a number of the aims of the University’s Strategic Plan. These include increasing diversity, widening participation, improving student satisfaction, increasing completion rates and diversifying income.
The contract for the online programme management partner is a services concession contract. Tenderers should therefore note the following critical contract requirements:
(i) the consideration (payment) to the appointed OPM Partner (‘Concessionaire’) will consist solely in the right to exploit the services that are the subject of the contract. There will be no payment from the University to the concessionaire;
(ii) The University will transfer to the concessionaire the operating risk in exploiting the services..
Your Financial Model must adhere to the critical contract requirements detailed in ‘i’ and ‘ii’ above. Any tenderer who submits a financial model on a different basis that fails to meet these critical contract requirements will be deemed to have submitted a non-compliant tender and will not be considered further.
The concession contract for the online programme management partner will run for a period of 5 years with an option to extend for a further 5 year period. The estimated total value of the concession contract over its duration (including the extension option if this is taken up) is 5 000 000,00 GBP excluding VAT. The University gives no guarantee whatsoever as to the level of business that will be achieved by the appointed OPM Partner (Concessionaire) under the concession contract.
Given the need for one OPM Partner (Concessionaire) to coordinate the delivery of all of the services required, the concession contract has not been divided into lots.
The University is undertaking this procurement in accordance with the 'Light Touch Regime' ('Social and other specific services') — Regulation 19 of the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 (CCR16).
The tender evaluation is divided into 2 stages — the selection stage evaluation and the award stage evaluation as detailed in the invitation to tender (ITT) documentation.
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
5 000 000.00
GBP
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement, dynamic purchasing system or concession
Duration in months: 120
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.1.4) Objective rules and criteria for participation
As stated in the procurement documents.
III.2) Conditions related to the contract
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
04/11/2019
Local time: 12:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3) Additional information
Tenderers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the tenderer in connection with taking part in this procurement, regardless of whether such costs arise as a direct or indirect consequence of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the University at any time.
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
High Court of England and Wales
Royal Courts of Justice, Strand
London
WCA2 2LL
UK
Telephone: +44 2079477882
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.justice.gov.uk
VI.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
University of Keele
Procurement Office, Finance Department, Innovation Centre 2, Keele University Science and Innovation Park
Keele, Staffordshire
ST5 5BG
UK
Telephone: +44 1782734124
E-mail: d.pearce@keele.ac.uk
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.keele.ac.uk
VI.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:
Any review proceedings should be promptly brought to the attention of the Director of Finance of the University at the address provided above, and will be dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 (CCR16). Any review proceedings must be brought within the timescales specified by the applicable law, including without limitation, CCR16. In accordance with CCR16, the University will incorporate a minimum 10 calendar days standstill period from the date information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers.
VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
University of Keele
Procurement Office, Finance Department, Innovation Centre 2, Keele University Science and Innovation Park
Keele, Staffordshire
ST5 5BG
UK
Telephone: +44 1782734124
E-mail: d.pearce@keele.ac.uk
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.keele.ac.uk
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
02/10/2019