Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House
London
SW1H 9NA
UK
E-mail: cd.digitalchannels@dwp.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
I.1) Name and addresses
Department for Work and Pensions
London
SW1H 9NA
UK
E-mail: cd.digitalchannels@dwp.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract involves joint procurement
In the case of joint procurement involving different countries – applicable national procurement law:
N/A
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://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to the abovementioned address
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
The Department for Work and Pensions: Secure Card Payment Services Procurement
Reference number: Project_25393
II.1.2) Main CPV code
72000000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for administering welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy in the UK, serving around 20 million claimants. The new SCPS Contract is required to ensure continuing capability for the DWP to receive customer payments in a PCI DSS compliant manner and provide all Outbound Telephone calls for the DWP.
The current DWP provision allows business groups to receive customer payments in a Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant manner, including an Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) capability to facilitate payments. The DWP service and SCPS contract currently supports approximately 9,000 agents. The current SCPS contract also includes the routing of outbound calls via the PCI DSS compliant service provider.
The DWP takes approximately 750,000 card payments per annum, totalling approximately £130M per annum. This is collected by two areas of the DWP and Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities: Child Maintenance Group (CMG); and Debt Recovery.
The DWP is undertaking this procurement process to secure a new SCPS Contract that can meet the current and future needs of the service to ensure value for money and service continuity. This contract will replace the current SCPS contract that enables Debt and Child Maintenance business groups to take customer payments using a Dual Tone Masking Frequency (DTMF) facility.
Under the new SCPS Contract, the DWP has identified the following requirements:
1. Secure Card Payment Services (SCPS): The ability to take payments via inbound and outbound calls in secure fashion for 11,000 agents (SIP Licences);
2. Outbound Call Services - Due to the current architecture, all Outbound calls will traverse the SCPS. Regardless of whether a payment is taken or not all Outbound calls will use the Solution provided;
3. Self-Serve IVR Service - This will be used for Child Maintenance Group (CMG) and is to be outside of DWP. This is used to recover payments from non-payees via payroll. It sits outside of DWP Infrastructure within the supplier’s environment;
4. Nailed up PSTN (Optional) – The DWP may require additional outbound call capacity to enable the DWP to deploy a Nailed Up PSTN Solution to deliver voice connectivity to 3rd party outsourcer for up to 6 months after contract start;
5. Additional SIP Licences (Optional) – The DWP may require an additional 2000 agents (with associated SIP Licences) to enable DWP to deploy a Nailed Up PSTN Solution following commencement of the provision of the services.
6. Additional OB channels are required as a tactical Solution to support significant increase in volume of long duration outbound calls being generated by the Genesys platform.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
12 513 595.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
64200000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Through this procurement, the DWP is seeking to appoint a supplier who meets the following requirements:
1. Secure Card Payment Services (SCPS): The ability to take payments via inbound and outbound calls in secure fashion for 11,000 agents (with associated SIP Licences).
2. Outbound Call Services - Due to the current architecture, all Outbound calls will traverse the SCPS. Regardless of whether a payment is taken or not all Outbound calls will use the Solution provided.
3. Self-Serve IVR Service - This will be used for Child Maintenance Group (CMG) and is to be outside of DWP. This is used to recover payments from non-payees via payroll. It sits outside of DWP Infrastructure within the supplier’s environment.
4. Nailed up PSTN (Optional) – The DWP may require additional outbound call capacity to enable the DWP to deploy a Nailed Up PSTN Solution to deliver voice connectivity to 3rd party outsourcer for up to 6 months following commencement of the provision of the services .
5. Additional SIP Licences (Optional) – The DWP may require an additional 2000 agents (with associated SIP Licences) to enable DWP to deploy a Nailed Up PSTN Solution. Additional OB channels are required as a tactical Solution to support significant increase in volume of long duration outbound calls being generated by the Genesys platform.
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:
12 513 595.00
GBP
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 72
This contract is subject to renewal: No
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:
The selection criteria and scoring methodology that will be used to shortlist Potential Suppliers is set out in the procurement documents.
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
The DWP intends to enter into a contract for an initial 3-year period with the option, exercised wholly at the discretion of DWP, to extend for a period or periods not exceeding a total of 36 months in aggregate.
The DWP may require the supplier increase the number of SIP licences by 2,000 during the Contract Period as further detailed in the procurement documents.
DWP may require the supplier to retain the Nailed Up PSTN capability for up to 6 months following the commencement of the provision of the services.
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
II.2.14) Additional information
The DWP reserves the right to discontinue the procurement at any time and thereafter recommence a new procurement process on the same or any alternative basis at any stage or chose not to award a contract as a result of the procurement process.
The DWP will not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by Potential Suppliers/Tenderers in relation to this procurement.
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 set out in the procurement documents.
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted 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.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:
2023/S 000-037265
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
13/03/2024
Local time: 13:00
IV.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
Date:
15/04/2024
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: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
No
VI.3) Additional information
Following the publication of PINs: 2023/S 000-004912 dated 17th February 2023 (as modified by PIN 2023/S000-005854 dated 28th February), 2023/S 000-032248 dated 1st November 2023 and 2023/S 000-037265 dated 19th December 2023, the DWP is now seeking to procure the provision of Secure Card Payment Services (SCPS).
The DWP anticipates entering into a Contract for an initial 3-year period (with an estimated value of circa £5.8 million (Exc VAT) with the option, exercised wholly at the discretion of the DWP, to extend the Contract for a period or periods not exceeding a total of 36 months in aggregate (with an estimated value of circa £6.7 million (Exc VAT).
The total estimated contract value including the maximum potential extension period of 36 months and the optional requirements is circa £12.5m.
The DWP anticipates that the effective date of the Contract will be on or around 1 September 2024 following which there will be an estimated 6-month implementation period before the commencement of the delivery of the services under the Contract.
The Contract will be procured using the Restricted Process through FaTS. The form of contract will be the Cabinet Office Mid-Tier Services Contract, amended as necessary to reflect the DWP’s requirements.
The dates stated above remain approximate and are subject to achieving the necessary governance approvals.
DWP is conducting this procurement using the Restricted Procedure in accordance with Regulation 28 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
Potential Suppliers are referred to the Procurement Documents accompanying this Contract Notice for additional information on this procurement and in relation to this Contract Notice under the following link under ref project_25393:
https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml
Suppliers Instructions:
How to Express Interest in this Tender:
1. Register on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once):
https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk & click the link to register - Accept the terms & conditions & click 'continue' - Enter your correct business & user details - Note your chosen username & click 'Save'. You will receive an email with your password (keep this secure)
2. Express an Interest in the tender - Login to the portal with the username/password - Click the 'PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers' link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) - Click on the relevant exercise to access the content. - Click the 'Express Interest' button at the top of the page. - This will move the PQQ /ITT into your 'My PQQs/ My ITTs' page. (A secure area reserved for your projects only) -You can now access any attachments by clicking 'Buyer Attachments' in the 'PQQ/ ITT Details' box
3. Responding to the tender - Click 'My Response' under 'PQQ/ ITT Details', you can choose to 'Create Response' or to 'Decline to Respond' (please give a reason if declining) - You can now use the 'Messages' function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification - Note the deadline for completion. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ/ ITT - There may be a mixture of online & offline actions to complete (detailed online help available). To submit your Tender use the 'Submit Response' button (top of the page).
For further assistance please consult the online help, or the eTendering help desk.
The DWP expressly reserves the rights: (i)to cancel this procurement at any stage; (ii)to not award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice; (iii)and in no circumstances will DWP be liable for any costs incurred by Potential Suppliers.
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
High Court
Royal Courts of Justice
London
WC2A 2LL
UK
VI.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:
The DWP will incorporate a minimum 10 calendar day standstill period at the point information on the award of the Contract is communicated to Tenderers. The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102) provide for aggrieved parties to take action in the High Court. Any such action must be brought within the relevant time limits. Where a contract has not been entered into, the court may order the setting aside of the award decision or order the authority to amend any document and may award damages. If the contract has been entered into, the court may award damages and in the case of specified breaches of the rules may also order the termination of the contract and the levying of fines. Precise deadlines and the situations in which the deadlines can be extended are contained within part 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102).
VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
High Court
Royal Courts of Justice
London
WC2A 2LL
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
29/01/2024