Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Department of Education
Rathgael House, Baloo Road
BANGOR
BT19 7PR
UK
Contact person: ssdadmin.cpdfinance-ni.gov.uk
E-mail: ssdadmin.cpd@finance-ni.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Address of the buyer profile: https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
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
DE - Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) 2023
Reference number: 3657041
II.1.2) Main CPV code
73110000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
TIMSS has been conducted every four years since 1995. Northern Ireland has participated since TIMSS 2011 and TIMSS 2023 will be the fourth cycle of TIMSS Northern Ireland will have participated in. For the 2023 cycle TIMSS will transition to the electronic based assessment version of the study, eTIMSS. The student contextual questionnaire will also be delivered electronically which was initiated in TIMSS 2019. Tenderers should be aware of and reflect the methodology set out by the study organisers the IEA (see Annexes 1 and 2) and approved by the Department, in their tenders. Tenderers should pay particular attention to: • Sampling methodology; • School and pupil participation rates; • Pupil assessment mode; • Contextual questionnaires mode(s); and • Study administration procedures. For each of the above referenced aspects of the delivery of TIMSS 2023, tenderers should note that the NRC will be responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the IEA, as the study organisers, are met.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
750 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
73210000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKN
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
TIMSS has been conducted every four years since 1995. Northern Ireland has participated since TIMSS 2011 and TIMSS 2023 will be the fourth cycle of TIMSS Northern Ireland will have participated in. For the 2023 cycle TIMSS will transition to the electronic based assessment version of the study, eTIMSS. The student contextual questionnaire will also be delivered electronically which was initiated in TIMSS 2019. Tenderers should be aware of and reflect the methodology set out by the study organisers the IEA (see Annexes 1 and 2) and approved by the Department, in their tenders. Tenderers should pay particular attention to: • Sampling methodology; • School and pupil participation rates; • Pupil assessment mode; • Contextual questionnaires mode(s); and • Study administration procedures. For each of the above referenced aspects of the delivery of TIMSS 2023, tenderers should note that the NRC will be responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the IEA, as the study organisers, are met.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
750 000.00
GBP
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 46
This contract is subject to renewal: No
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:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the contract for a further period of up to 6 months.
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.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.2) Conditions related to 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:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
22/11/2021
Local time: 15:00
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
Tender must be valid until:
20/02/2022
IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date:
22/11/2021
Local time: 15:30
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
No
VI.3) Additional information
The successful contractor’s performance on the contract will be regularly monitored. Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in CPD for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, it may be regarded as an act of grave professional misconduct and they may be issued with a certificate of unsatisfactory performance and the contract may be terminated. The issue of a certificate of unsatisfactory. Performance will result in the contractor being excluded from all procurement competitions being undertaken by Centres of Procurement Expertise on behalf of bodies covered by the Northern Ireland Procurement Policy for a period of 12 months from the date of issue of the certificate. . . The authority expressly reserves the rights:.. (i) not to award any contract as a result of the procurement. process commenced by publication of this notice;. . (ii) to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the. tendering competition;. . (iii) to award (a) contract(s) in respect of any part(s) of the [services] covered by this notice; and. . (iv) to award contract(s) in. stages. In no circumstances will the authority be liable for any costs incurred by candidates.
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
The UK does not have any such bodies with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures.
Bangor
UK
VI.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures: Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:.. . Department of Education and CPD will comply with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. and, where appropriate, will incorporate a standstill period (i.e. a minimum of. 10 calendar days) at the point information on the award of contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the award decision. This provides time for the unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract. is entered into.
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
19/10/2021