SCHEDULE 1 SPECIFICATION SCHEDULE

1. INTRODUCTION TO DFP PROPERTIES DIVISION

1.1The Department of Finance (DoF) Properties Division (PD) is responsible for property management and accommodation services to the Northern Ireland Civil Service and wider public sector. Providing a range of professional and technical services to a range of clients, Properties Division currently maintains around two hundred properties across Northern Ireland on behalf of Government Departments, their agencies, non-departmental Public Bodies and Centre of Procurement Expertise (COPES). Hereafter referred to as Clients.

2. BACKGROUND TO THE REQUIREMENT

2.1The Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) Estate, including Agencies and non Departmental Bodies buildings, are a combination of small satellite offices which hold a low number of staff, larger offices which hold between ten and fifty staff in and around rural towns, and large Departmental Headquarter buildings in highly populated locations, occupied by hundreds of staff.

2.2A major requirement of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) is to ensure that all staff are able to conduct their work and business in offices and buildings that meet with the user needs and comply with all legal requirements. The Department has identified a need to supply floor coverings and flooring accessories throughout the NICS Office Estate and other Northern Ireland Public Sector buildings.

2.3The Department of Finance for Northern Ireland, having reviewed this need, is inviting tenders from companies to supply and deliver floor covering productsthroughout its own property and Estate buildings and the properties of its Clients.

3.SCOPE

3.1Approximately 75% of the sites and offices are located within the Greater Belfast area. The volume of work generated from this contract tends to reflect this, with the larger portion of work being required within that Greater Belfast area. It should also be noted that there may be a number of jobs going on at any given time, at a number of locations throughout the NICS Estate.

3.2Historical information shows that over an average 12 month period within the 5 years of the previous contract the following orders were placed:-

  • Lot 1 Carpet Tiles: 171 purchase orders were placed

Estimated Value £350,000 per annum

  • Lot 2 Broadloom Carpet: 3 purchase orders were placed

Estimated Value £1,700 per annum per annum

  • Lot 3 Sheet Vinyl Flooring: 55 purchase orders were placed

Estimated Value £33,000 per annum

  • Lot 4 Sheet Rubber Flooring: 9 purchase orders were placed

Estimated Value £18,000 per annum

  • Lot 5 Sheet Linoleum Flooring: 1 purchase order was placed

Estimated Value £90.00 per annum

  • Lot 6 Stair Nosings: 12 purchase orders were placed

Estimated Value £10,000 per annum

  • Lot 7 Carpet Underlay: 1 purchase order placed

Estimated Value £170.00 per annum

  • Lot 8 Sheet Entrance Flooring: 1 purchase orders placed

Estimated Value £1,000 per annum

3.3The majority of thesewere single purchase orders for small quantities of floor covering in the region of forty to one hundred sq metres however larger quantities, in the region of one thousand square metres were required for some buildings. The figures above are to provide an indication of the potential volumes; it is not a guarantee of level of business. Volumes will fluctuate during the lifetime of the contract and is demand led.

4.Flexibility

4.1The Northern Ireland Civil Service has undergone a period of review and on 1 April 2016 government departments reduced from thirteen departments to nine. There is also a review on the current use of the government estate and a commitment under the Asset Management Strategy to achieving savings through efficient use of assets. Under the Stormont Executives Asset Management Strategy for central office accommodation the intention is to exit leases upon expiry. Asset management decisions are being made on a property by property basis depending on the business need. It is estimated that of the current 550,000 sq m office estate that there will be a reduction 5% per annum in the period to 2020.

The attached links provides further information on the strategy. And the State of the Estate Report details the government’sproperty portfolio

4.2As such the Contractor shall be flexible in delivery of the supplies during the contract period. This will include allowing the Client to make adjustments to supplies as operational requirements change. The Client is entitled to add or delete to the supplies requirement including reserving the right to add additional product lines from the contract, as operational requirements may change. As such, the Client offers no guarantee that the value of the contract will remain unchanged throughout the contract period. Any additions / reductions will be in line with the Contractor’s commercial offer within their tender.

4.3During the contract period any clients covered under the Northern Ireland Public Procurement Policy (NIPP) are named as a Participating Body may be added to the contract. Any additions / reductions will be in line with the Contractor’s commercial offer provided within their tender.

4.4All changes to the Specification shall follow the Change Control process and be the subject of a Variation Order (see clause 24.2 of the Conditions of Contract). Notwithstanding and without prejudice to the Conditions of Contract the Contractor shall provide a flexible service to meet the needs of the Client on a day-to-day basis.

4.5. Objectives

  • Deliver consistent quality products within the lead times identified for Clients, meeting theSpecification Schedule and Key Performance Indicators(KPIs)
  • Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations including Health andSafety, and to liaise with statutory authorities as appropriate.

5. GENERAL CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS

5.1 Key Account Manager

5.2 On award of this contract the contractor shall appoint a named Key Account Manager for the contract period that will be a point of contact for all contractual issues and will be regarded as “Key Personnel” under the Conditions of Contract. The Contractor will be required to ensure that contingency measures are in place in the event that the Key Account Manager is unavailable. The Key Account Manager will oversee all aspects of the contract which will include

  • order fulfilment;
  • delivery/invoice queries;
  • operational issues;
  • faulty goods;
  • after sales service

5.3.OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

5.4Delivery of Goods & Lead-Times

5.5Delivery will include, offloading and placing in position within the room, or store in building, or to the person named for any location within Northern Ireland goods as detailed in the purchase order. The Contractor shall make all deliveries within the completion date stated on each purchase order and contact the named person on the order at least twenty four hours prior to delivery. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to instigate this action at least twenty four hours prior to despatch, by telephoning the named person identified on the individual order.

5.6The lead-time is the time span allowed for completion of work and will be calculated from the date of issue of the purchase order to delivery of the goods detailed on the order.

5.7 The Clients’ lead-times are based on order value and are detailed asfollows:

Order Value / Acceptable Lead-Time
< £5,000 / Within 15 working days
£5,000 - £10,000 / Within 20 working days
£10,000 / Within 30 working days maximum
(or longer by agreement).

6.0.Standard Office Hours

6.1The Client anticipates deliveries shall be made during standard office hours. Government standard office hours are defined as Monday to Friday08.00 to 18.00 excluding public and bank holidays. The Client does not anticipate any demand for deliveries to be made outside of these hours.

7. ProductPackaging

7.1The Contractor must ensure that all packaging provides sufficient protectionfor products during transit, storage and enables ease of handling. Products must be clearly labeled to identify the weight of each consignment.

8.0.New Products or Replacements

8.1During the period of the Contract the Contractor may seek to replace certain scheduled items with alternatives. For example, some products may become obsolete, or tenderers may be able to source alternatives of equal or higher quality at the same or lower price to that tendered.

8.2 This will be permitted provided the Client agrees that the proposed items meet the minimumrequirement for Health and Safety Standards and the minimum technical standards as specified in the specification schedule.

8.3 All proposed replacement items should be brought to the Client’s notice in advance to allow considerations to be made. Any savings shall be passed to the Client.

9. Contingency Planning

9.1 The Contractor shall have contingency plans in place to deal with supply chain/manufacturing difficulties. A copy of this contingency plan shall be provided by the Contractor within ten days from contract commencement date.

The plan shall address as a minimum:-

  • Planning for any disruption to the Manufacturing process
  • Outlining what contingency measures are in place for both planned an unplanned events
  • Temporary disruption of material supplier to manufacturing facility; and
  • Guarantee of continuity of supply

10. Urgent Demands

10.1On occasions the Client will require floor coverings to be supplied and delivered as soon as possible to meet an urgent demand to replace floor covering damaged as a result of a flood or other unforeseen circumstance. These urgent demand occasions will require floor covering products and accessories to be delivered to the building named on purchase order within seven working days. The Client accepts that under these circumstances the colour range may be limited to stock availability.

11.0 After Sales Service

11.1The Contractor shall provide their complaints handling and escalation procedures within ten days of Contract commencement date for the approval by the Client. Contractors must maintain and review their complaints procedure throughout the lifetime of the contract. This shall identify the roles and responsibilities of the staff involved in the complaints handling process through to successful resolution. The expected reaction time following notification of the complaint is a visit to site, if required, by the Contractors representative within twenty four hours with a resolution to the Clients satisfaction within fifteen working days.

12.Warranty Period

12.1 All carpet tiles shall be guaranteed as free from defects under normal use for the minimum period of ten years from the date of delivery.

Contractors must at their own expense make good to the Client representative’s satisfaction any defects, which may appear during the warranty period, due to faulty materials.

13.0 FUNCTIONAL STANDARDS AND TECHNICAL SPECIFCATION

13.1Technical Standards

The Technical Standards are detailed for each Lot below. Tenderers will be required to confirm that they can meet the Technical Standards and the Techncial Specification for the Lot(s) they are tendering for. The Technical Standards and Requirements of the Specification shall be held throughout the lifetime of the contract and the Client reserves the right to review the Technical Standards of products throughout the lifetime of the contract to ensure compliance.

Lot 1: Carpet Tiles

  • Wear Classification: Class 33as specified in EN 1307:2014
  • Flame spread: Pass En 13501-1
  • Castor Chair Rating: Pass BS EN 985:2001

Lot 2: Broadloom Carpet

Wear Classification: Heavy contract grade.

  • Pile Yarn: 80% Wool 20% Nylon
  • Pile Height: shall be a minimum of 6.00mm
  • Pile weight: shall be a minimum 1000 g/m2

Lot 3: Sheet Vinyl Floor Covering

  • Wear Classification: Class 34 as specified in EN10874:2012

/EN 685:2007

  • Flame Classification: shall comply withBS EN 13501-1:2007+ A1;2009

Lot4: Sheet Rubber Floor Covering

  • Wear Classification: Class 34Heavy Contract Grade as specified in EN 10874:2012/EN 685:2007
  • Flame Classification: shall comply with a pass in accordance with EN 13501-1
  • Electrostatic accumulation: Pass in accordance with tests specified in EN 1815
  • Abrasion: Chair Castor Test be tested and achieve a pass in accordance with EN 425
  • Light Colour Fastness: pass of 5 as specified in ISO 105 BO2

Lot 5: Sheet Linoleum Floor Covering

  • Wear Classification: Class 41 Heavy Contract Grade as specified in EN 10874; 2012/EN 685:2007
  • Flame Classification: shall comply with a pass in accordance with EN 13501-1
  • Electrostatic accumulation: Pass in accordance with tests specified in EN 1815
  • Abrasion: Chair Castor Test be tested and achieve a pass in accordance with EN 425

LOT 6: StairNosings

  • Can satisfy the requirements of BS 8300:2009+A1;2010

Lot 7: Carpet Underlay

  • Wear Classification:Heavy contract use as specified in BS 5808

Lot 8: Sheet Entrance Flooring

  • Wear Classification:Heavy contract use

14.0Technical Specifications

14.1 Lot 1: Carpet Tiles

14.2Carpet Tiles for General / ExecutiveOffices / Corridors

14.3These carpet tiles are required for use on floors in large open plan officeenvironments, conference rooms, committee rooms and smaller individual offices. The carpet tile will also be required for use in corridors, lift lobbies, stair treads, stair landings and stair risers.

14.4These areas will be populated by staff and visitors for short and long term periods up to and including double-day and weekend shifts. The footfall traffic should be considered as heavy daily use for this category and the carpet tile offered should meet this requirement.

14.5The carpet tiles must be heavy use contract grade and certified for installation in areas where computers, multifunction fax printers; other electrical equipment and information technology systems will be operated. It is anticipated that these areas will be densely populated by staff and furniture and will be heavily trafficked with footfall and mail distribution trolleys.

14.6The Client has identified a need forsix different types of carpet tile for general office areas which shall be available under this contract.

14.7The sixtypes of carpet tile are:-

For General / Executive Offices/Corridors

  • Level Loop Pile Carpet (50cm x 50cm approx)
  • Multi Loop Pile Carpet Tile (50cm x 50cm approx)
  • Loop and Tip ShearedCombination Carpet Tile (50cm x 50cm approx)
  • Loop and Tip Sheared Combination Carpet Tile(250cm x 100cm approx)
  • Cut Pile Carpet Tile (50cm x 50cm approx)
  • Entrance Carpet Tile (50cm x 50cm approx)

Schedule 11

14.8 Type 1:Level loop Carpet Tile (50cm x 50cm approx)

Tile Constructionand Specifications

This tile typeconsists of loops constructed at the same height. Patterns may beprinted on the surface of this style type. This type offers a relatively smooth, homogenous surface. Lower density construction may allow the loops to be dispersed farther apart providing the illusion of texture.

The technical specifications for this type of tile are:

  • Pile Yarn:Nylon or Nylon 6.6
  • Shall have a minimum LC rating of 2
  • Pile Weight: shall be a minimum of 590 gms/m2

14.9Type 2:Multi Loop Pile Carpet Tile(Tile size 50cm x 50cm approx)

Tile Construction and Specifications

This carpet tile style utilizes a combination of high and low loop pileto create patterns or textures.

The technical specifications for this type of tile are:

  • Pile Yarn:Nylon or Nylon 6.6
  • Shall have a minimum LC rating of 2
  • Pile Weight: shall be a minimum of 490gms/m 2

14.10Type 3: Loop and Tip Sheared Combination Carpet Tile(50cm x 50cm approx)

Tile Construction and Specifications

This carpet tile style utilizes a combination of cut and loop pile structures which are random coloured providing the appearance of colour splotches over the entire surface.

The technical specifications for this type of tile are:

  • Pile Yarn:Nylon or Nylon 6.6
  • Shall have a minimum LC rating of 2
  • Pile Weight: shall be a minimum of 600 gms/m 2

14.11 Type 4: Loop and Tip Sheared Combination Carpet Tile (25cm x 100cm approx)

Tile Construction and Specifications

This carpet tile style utilizes a combination of cut and loop pile structures which are random coloured providing the appearance of colour splotches over the entire surface.

The technical specifications for this type of tile are:

  • Pile Yarn:Nylon or Nylon 6.6
  • Shall have a minimum LC rating of 2
  • Pile Weight: shall be a minimum of 600 gms/m 2

14.12 Type 5Cut Pile Carpet Tile(50cm x 50cm approx)

Construction and Specifications

Cut pile carpet tiles may also be known as velour/velvet where the tufts have been sheared to one level to produce a luxurious smooth surface.

The technical specifications for this type of tile are:

  • Pile Yarn:Nylon or Nylon 6.6
  • Shall have a minimum LC rating of 2
  • Pile weight:shall be a minimum of800gms/m 2

14.13Carpet Tile for Entrance/ Reception Areas

14.14The entrance Floor Covering is required for use on floors in main entrance and areas of buildings at ground floor level. These areas should be considered as corporate, general staff and public use areas. The requirement is to provide a practical solution to the removal and collection of dust, dirt and surplus moisture from heavy foot traffic at the internal entry point of a building. The carpet tile is required to have a smart, aesthetically pleasing quality appearance at all times and still meets the performance requirements of the heavy usage of these areas. The carpet tile offered should be designed to suit modern office environments and work processes. These areas will be staffed and trafficked for short and long term periods up to and including double-day and weekend shifts.The footfall traffic should be considered as heavy daily use for this category and the floor covering offered shall meet this requirement.

14.15The carpet tile must be heavy use contract grade and approved for installation in areas where computers, multifunction printers, other electrical equipment and information technology systems will be operated. It is anticipated that these areas will be densely populated by staff and furniture and will be heavily trafficked with footfall and mail distribution trolleys.

14.16The dimensional stability of the carpet tile, it’s interlining and the carpet backing material must comply with the need for both of the permanent bond and semi permanent release bonding systems that are approved for carpet tile fitting to sub floors.

14.17The Client has identified a need for a carpet tile for entrance / reception areas where a clean off zone is required to prevent dirt and moisture being walked into the building.

14.18Type 6Reception/ Entrance Areas Carpet Tile(50cm x 50cm approx)

14.19 Tile Construction and Specifications

14.20 This carpet tile is a plain level cut pile with a built in scraper element designed to trap moisture and dirt at the entrance of buildings.

The technical specifications for this type of tile are: