Frequently asked questions
1. Are you planning to have a face to face service?
No.
2. Can more than one company get together and bid?
Yes. Arrangements for subcontracting and consortia are outlined in section 3 of the PQQ.
3. Will DECC disclose the other companies that are interested in bidding for the service?
Not at this stage of the procurement.
4. Can you give any indications of call volumes?
Call projections will be included within the ITT. However, question 5.19 of the PQQ asks details of a previous experience in dealing with 750,000 calls per year. This figure should be taken as indicative of the lower end of expectations on call demand.
5. Should text-based answers (e.g. to questions in section 5) be written in the boxes on the form or attached as separate annexes?
Answers can be provided in the boxes or as annexes, as long as it is clear which answer relates to which question.
6. Can you confirm the contract value?
Should you be successful in being invited to submit an invitation to tender. You will be asked to provide a price and full costings against the requirement.
7. Will information be provided to the successful supplier to fulfil the advice requirements in Tables 1, 2 & 3 of Section 2.2 in the form of training material etc?
DECC is commissioning National Occupational Standards which will cover most of the areas of advice required. The NOS will provide a framework which should facilitate training of staff. However, DECC will expect the supplier to arrange for training provision to meet the requirement and will not be providing materials to assist with this.
8. Are you specifically looking for an existing energy advisory company?
It is not a requirement that a supplier is currently, or has previously, provided energy advice. DECC will judge suppliers on the basis of their PQQ responses, and if invited to tender, their subsequent proposals.
9. We are considering forming a contractual consortium acting as the prime contractor with the other parties operating as principal subcontractors. However we would not want to form a separate legal entity. How should we respond to the “CONSORTIA AND SUB-CONTRACTING” question, as the option being considered combines elements of both “(b) Your organisation is bidding in the role of Prime Contractor and intends to use third parties to provide some services” and “(c) The Potential provider is a consortium”?
It is for bidders to decide which form you take in expressing an interest for this procurement. If you are expressing an interest as a Consortia you will have to form a separate legal entity if that is what we (the Contracting Authority) require.
10. Question 5.7 refers to requirements for qualifications specified in Annex A. The annex only refers to the new NOS for Green Deal advice, which we understand isn’t fully finalised yet. Do you intend for bidders to supply details of our existing qualifications instead?
It is correct that the NOS isn’t finalised yet. However, more information on this will be included in the ITT.
There is no requirement for suppliers to have existing qualifications and suppliers are not required to answer this question.
11. Will information be provided to the successful supplier to fulfil the advice requirements in the Tables of Section 2.2 in the form of training material etc, or are you specifically looking for an existing energy advisory company?
Contact Centre staff will be required to demonstrate competence against the National Occupational Standards (NOS) units for Green Deal that are relevant to their role. These units are currently under development.
Following the development of the NOS, the units will be converted to new Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) units and Rules of Combination, which will enable the creation of qualifications where appropriate.
Further information can be found on the Asset Skills: Green Deal National Occupational Standards and Qualifications project web page.
It will be for tenderers to specify how competence against the NOS should be demonstrated by contact centre staff. Whilst the supplier will be expected to arrange training for staff itself, DECC policy teams will work with the supplier to ensure that the training meets DECC requirements.
12. Section 7.14 states, “The Department may require candidates and tenderers to offer evidence that conflicts of interest are not present in related offers and reserves the right not to award a contract should the evidence offered not be satisfactory in the opinion of the Department”. Can the Department advise what is the quantity and scope of future contracts referred to in stating “the Department will offer a number of related contracts in the coming months”?
The Energy Saving Advice Service is the first procurement directly involved in Green Deal Delivery. The other procurements required have not been finalised. However, they may include:
- A supplier which will oversee the authorisation scheme for Green Deal participants
- A supplier which will support the administration of the new energy company obligation (ECO)
It is anticipated that these two contracts will be significantly lower in value than the Energy Saving Advice Service.
There may be additional future procurements. However, we can provide no further information on the nature of scale of these at this time.
13. Who is currently providing the same or similar services on behalf of the Department and what are the TUPE liabilities linked to this contract?
We believe TUPE may apply but the Department cannot determine this until tenders are received. The Department is seeking to secure the legally required TUPE liability information which will be made available to candidate companies with the Invitation to Tender.
14. Can a subcontractor/partner exist in more than one consortium?
Yes.
15. Can an organisation lead more than one consortium?
In theory this is possible provided full and fair competition is not distorted, the Department is prepared to consider all tenders from selected suppliers that are competing fairly. What is fair can only be assessed by the Department when the constitution of consortia are known to it.
16. Can an organisation lead one consortium and act as a subcontractor/partner in another?
In theory this is possible provided full and fair competition is not distorted, the Department is prepared to consider all tenders from selected suppliers that are competing fairly. What is fair can only be assessed by the Department when the constitution of consortia are known to it.
17. If we were to hand deliver the tender response do we deliver it to reception at 3 Whitehall Place?
Yes.
18. Could you clarify if a potential provider can submit a PQQ as part of a consortium and also separately on its own?
In theory this is possible provided full and fair competition is not distorted, the Department is prepared to consider all tenders from selected suppliers that are competing fairly. What is fair can only be assessed by the Department when the constitution of consortia are known to it.