Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, LondonE1 4NS
Procurement Department, Room E109
Dear SirsDate xx/xx/xxxx
Consultants Framework – Construction and Building Maintenance
As the first stage in this procurement process you are invited to submit a pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) for the above framework.
Please follow the instructions carefully and respond as directed.
The Framework will cover 3 lots
Lot 1 - Smaller Consultancy Practices having between 1 and 5 employees.
(Consultants in Lot 1 may alsoapply to be considered for Lots 2 and 3)
Lot 2 - Consultancy Practices regardless of size for projects to the value of between £1,500,000 to £4,000,000
Lot 3 - Consultancy Practices regardless of size for projects to the value of between £4,000,000 and £10,000,000
Within each Lot there will be 6 Service Categories (some having sub categories) :-
a)Project Management – to act as lead consultant within the project team ensuring a collaborative approach is taken by the whole project team. Supporting the Project Sponsor during the project development stage and leading on ensuring project delivery in accordance with time, budget and quality deliverables
b)Design– Design Coordination, Architectural Services, Interior Design & Space Planning
c)Building Services design & engineering services – Building Services Design, Structural Engineering, Public Health & Fire Engineering. BREEAM and Sustainability Services
d)Cost Management – Cost Planning & Benchmarking, Quantity Surveying, Post Contract Cost Management. Service Focus on building fabric, mechanical & electrical services
e)Building Surveyor–Condition Surveys, Dilapidations, Services mapping and contract administration.
f)Specialist services, i.e. Planning Supervisors, Approved Building Inspectors, Moves Management & Fire Consultants
We anticipate having up to 6 consultants in each of these categories across the 3 lots
The expenditure across these categories over the term of the framework to be in the region of £12 to £15 million.
This PQQ has been designed to be as concise as possible, with the focus firmly on technical capability, and experience.
We are keen to receive expressions of interest from organisations from every level of the business spectrum, including smaller organisations and independent consultants, and we have structured our PQQ accordingly.
We wish you well in this venture, and look forward to receiving your response
Yours faithfully
DavidWilliamsMCIPSQueenMaryUniversity Procurement
Index
1 – Background
2 – Introduction
3 – The Process
4 – Communications
5 – The PQQ
6 – Scoring and weighting
7 – The Framework
8 – The Questionnaire
Section A – General Company Data
Section B – Financial Information
Section C – Business Probity
Section D – Health and Safety
Section E – Quality Assurance
Section F – General Operational
Section G – Environmental
Section H - Category Specific Questions
8 - Declaration
1 - Background
Queen Mary, University of London is a research led college accommodating some 16,000 students and 3,000 staff based at five campuses across London in Mile End, Whitechapel, Charterhouse Square, WestSmithfield and Chislehurst (13 hectares of sports grounds).
The Estate comprises of approximately 200,000 m2 of academic teaching, research (laboratories) and support space and approx 57,000 m2 of student accommodation (some 2100 beds).
There is a rich mix of historic buildings, 1960’s building stock and modern, progressive architecture within the Estate and a significant majority of the buildings are of Freehold status with some embedded space held within NHS Trust hospitals (Barts and the Royal London).
Estates aims and objectives
Our Estates Strategy 2006 – 2015 identifies seven key aims and objectives:
- Provide space that combines first class functional design with a distinctive and ambitious style
- Promote and encourage the efficient and effective use of space and as appropriate realise its commercial potential
- Develop and maintain an estate and infrastructure that is compliant with relevant legislation and financially and environmentally sustainable
- Provide a safe, secure and accessible environment on all campuses
- Deliver our projects on-time and on-budget
- Capture reliable management information to enable sustainable decision making
- Adopt an integrated approach to providing Estates services
Capital plan
The college spend was £17m on capital projects in both 2007 and 2008 and £25m in 2009 and 2010.
We are on track to spend £25m in 2011 and have an approved capital plan of £100m - £130m covering the next four years (dependant on the approval in 2011 of funds for a £30m graduate school)
Major refurbishments are planned for a number of our buildings, incorporating substantial fabric, mechanical and electrical works, asbestos clearance, energy/carbon reduction works, space utilisation programmes and extensive programmes of maintenance work.
Substantial decanting and moves management will be required on many of our projects and a “whole life” approach will be key to achieving our aims.
Requirement
In support of the development and delivery of our capital plan it is our intention to procure a new three year Framework Agreement for Consultancy & Professional Services with an option to extend for one further year.
2 - Introduction
QMseeks expressions of interest for the provision of the following service.
Consultants Framework – Construction and Building Maintenance
QManticipates entering into aFramework Agreement with approximately 30 Consultants across a range of 6 categories
Responses to this pre-qualification questionnaire will be used to shortlist contractors who will then be invited to tender.
Only those persons / organisationsproviding evidence of appropriate references, qualifications and recent relevant experience will be considered.
Whilst we prefer candidates to have experience of working with Higher Educational establishments,recent experience of high profile Private Sector projects or other Public Sector work will also be taken into consideration.
References from previous employers, and the review of any contractspreviously carried on behalf of the College by the applicants,will each be scored as part of the PQQ evaluation process.
3 - The Process
QM requires information from prospective contractors who are interested in participating in the above procurement.
This is a competitive procurement conducted in accordance with the EC Public Contracts Directives, as implemented by UK Public Procurement Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 no 5).
The return of the Expression of Interest (EOI) and the Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) is the first stage in the selection process, and will help to determine the capability and suitability of the organisation to provide the works/services required.
Selected organisations will then be invited to participate further in the procurement through an Invitation to Tender (ITT). Unsuccessful applicants will be informed accordingly.
The information provided in response to the PQQ will be used solely for this exercise and not for any other purpose, nor will it be disclosed to any third party.
Information given at this stage will be subject to verification at later stages of the tendering process.
If any error, omission or misrepresentation is discovered, QM reserves the right to disqualify the applicant from participation in the tendering process regardless of whatever stage in the process has been reached when the error, omission or mistake is discovered.
Applicants should note that, should they be successful in being awarded a contract with QM, we reserve the right to terminate the contract if at any time it is discovered that the applicants have made any material misrepresentation in this application form.
All costs and expenses associated with the completion and submission of this pre-qualification questionnaire shall be borne solely by the applicant.
This tendering exercise will be conducted through our electronic tendering portal, In-Tend. Suppliers wishing to express an interest should register onto the In Tend system by logging onto and responses should be submitted by the date requested on the Contract notice.
Prospective Suppliers should answer all questions on this PQQ as accurately and concisely as possible, and where a question is not relevant to the responder’s organisation, this should be indicated as N/A with an explanation.
If required, supporting information should be presented in the same order and should be referenced to the relevant question.
Responses should be placed in the answer box provided, and must conform to the size requirements where indicated. All questions should be answered in English.
5 - The Framework
This Framework Agreement will support our recently awarded Frameworks and other current procurement initiatives, as identified in the table below.
In-house Small Works Team / Framework for works generally <£100k / Framework for building works generally <£2.5M / Projects generally >£2.5M / Framework for consultants / Framework for Asbestos removalDevelopment & management of small works generally <£25k
In house design & space planning
Limited CDM
Low complexity
Churn/moves
Light touch refurbishment
Management & administration of PCF process
Small Works team will call-off contractor and other services from <£100k Framework / General building & decorating
Power & lighting
Life safety
Roofing
Churn/moves
Light touch refurbishment
Locksmith
Other LTM product areas
Scoping & PQQ planned for Winter 2011 / All building trades
Mechanical & electrical works
Life Safety systems
CDM & site management
Award made Oct 2011 / Individual projects will be tendered through a preferred supplier network or via OJEU if more than £4M in value.
One-off procurement & traditional contractual arrangements / Project Management
Architecture & Interior Design
M&E Services design, Structural Engineering & Public Health
Cost Management
Specialist services, e.g. approved building inspectors and Planning Supervisors
Scoping & PQQ planned for Winter 2011 / Asbestos register management
Type 2/3 surveys
Procurement management for asbestos removal services from a preferred list of contractors
Re-inspections
Framework expires in 2013
QM has recently awarded a 3 year Works Building Services Framework to be run using a pre tendered schedule of rates, supported by GC/Works/7 (1999)
The Building Contractors recently appointed onto the QMUL Works refurbishment Framework are
Coniston Ltd
Sykes and Son
Logan and Son
Hutton Ltd
Vinci Facilities ltd
This Framework will facilitate refurbishment and other works to a project value of around £2.5m. The framework will be in force until November 1st 2014, with the option of a 12 month extension.
The Form of Contract to be used in the Consultants Framework – Construction and Building Maintenance will be based upon the GC/Works/ 5 (1999)
Service providers who are successful in this process will be invited to join a collaborative Framework Strategy Group. The aim of this group will be to drive continuous improvement, implement consistently high levels of performance and to support dispute resolution.
4 - Communications
Do not use this process as a means to introduce your company to College staff, and do not send any additional submissions at this stage unless instructed.
No attempt must be made to communicate directly with members of QM staff by any means. Doing so may result in elimination.
If selected, you will have the opportunity to make a formal presentation at the next stage.
Please do not include any promotional or marketing material about your company or your customers in your submission.
Any questions pertaining to this procurement should be submitted via the messaging system using the web portal
During this process, if QM considers any question or request for clarification to be of material significance, both the query and the response will be communicated via the In-Tend portal, in a suitably anonymous formto all Suppliers who have responded. Where the question or request is of a confidential nature, QM will treat responses as commercial in confidence.
Timescales for the process (This chart is for guidance and may be subject to change)
Issue of Contract Notice / PQQ / 8th December 2011Returns required by / 30thJanuary 2012
Evaluations completed by / 12th February 2012
ITT to be issued / 17th February 2012
Returns required by / 30th March 2012
Award to be made / 3rdMay 2012
Contract Start Date / 14th May – June 1 2012
5 - The PQQ
This Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) is being issued as a supplement to the OJEU Contract Notice, to those who express interest in providing services pertaining to the advertised works / services.
This questionnaire has been structured to collect General Company data, which would be generic across all categories, and also Company information specific to each of the 6 categories
Supplier Selection
The objective of the selection process is to assess the responses to the PQQ to select potential Contractors to proceed to the tender stage of the procurement.
Selection criteria will be a combination of both financial and non-financial factors.
Expectations
As part of the ongoing Estates Strategy, QueenMaryUniversity has embarked upon a programme of refurbishment and rebuilding over much of the East London Campus.
Following a rigorous tendering exercise, QM have engaged 5 Building Contractors onto a Framework to support this strategy.
The college will be setting very high standards for these contractors, and alsofor the consultants we engage through this process.
PQQ Evaluation
Suppliers will be assessed to establish whether they have completed the PQQ as requested. Failure to provide answers to any question may result in elimination of the applicant.
Those suppliers that meet the requirements of a general compliance check will then be evaluated against questions from the other sections
Selection
Applicants having the highest scores from the PQQ will be invited to tender.
Scoring
This PQQ has been designed to capture the technical capabilities of the consultant, and their relevant experience, particularly that of the key point of contact nominated to look after the QM account on a day to day basis.
PQQ questions will be scored by a panel of representatives from the QM Estates and Finance Departments
Each member of staff will score the returns, and the marks will be added together to give a total score for each organisation. Individual scores will be reviewed by the panel prior to invitations to tender are issued.
The scores from questions within each section will be weighted as shown in section 6, and only those organisations with the highest overall total scores will be invited to interview.
QMUL will determine the selection cut off points from the scoring returns.
The scoring model will make allowances for smaller organisations, with regards to trading history, financial profiles, and the Health and Safety / Quality Assurance data requirements, so that there is no discrimination shown in favour of the larger organisations.
Scoring Guide
Some key questions have been set as Pass or Fail which may eliminate returns not meeting our expectations. Most Yes / No questions will carry a maximum score of 2 marks, whilst other selected questions will be scored as follows :-
0 – Unacceptable– Poor response. Little or no evidence of appropriate knowledge, skills or experience. (Any organisation scoring 0 for any question may face automatic elimination)
1 – Weak – Some evidence of appropriate knowledge, skills or experience, Meets our criteria in some areas of response, but generally below QM expectation
2 - Acceptable – Detailed evidence provided, and QMUL expectation met.
4 – Preferred – Strong answers provided, with evidence to suggest the candidate would meet and possibly exceed our expectations.
PQQ Guidance by section
A /Organisation details
/ This section is mainly for information only. Although questions regarding the age of the practice, response times, and OJEU experience will be scored.B /
Financial Evaluation
/ In order to score well, an organisation must have met the terms of its banking facilities and loan agreements, met all its obligations to pay creditors and staff, provided bank account details for a reference, be willing to provide accounts and statements, and has provided all the financial information requestedThe response should suggest a stable financial footing,
And that where appropriate, organisations should be able to obtain a guarantee/bond.
C / Business Probity / This section is to establish any risk to the college from the administration of the organisation through the conduct of its’ administration
D / Health and Safety / General Policy Control / Suppliers that employ more than 5 people are legally required to have a written Health & Safety policy. If the supplier does not have a H&S system there may be doubts about its commitment to meet H&S requirements.
Suppliers with less than 5 staff will be marked as appropriate in this section so that they are not discriminated against when compared with larger organisations, however evidence of an understanding of the significance and relevance of the listed policies will be required
For Insurances, QM standard minimum cover required for any one incident, or in any one period of insurance for PI will be:
Lot 1 - Employers Liability £10million
Lot 1 - Public Liability £5 million
Lot 1 - Professional Indemnity £1 million
Lot 2 - Employers Liability £10 million
Lot 2 - Public Liability £10 million
Lot 2 - Professional Indemnity £ 2 million
Lot 3 - Employers Liability £10 million
Lot 3 - Public Liability £10 million
Lot 3 - Professional Indemnity £ 5 million
E / Quality Assurance / Accreditations or Quality Assurance Systems gives some assurances about the suppliers’ ability to provide goods and services to a consistent quality.
F / Environmental / Sustainable Procurement has a high prominence in the QM Estates Strategy, and whilst an environmental management system such as EMAS or ISO14001 is not compulsory, one of the QM’s objectives is a contribution toward carbon reduction, and candidates should provide evidence that environmental management has been addressed. Additionally, evidence of a commitment to ethical sourcing would lead to a higher score.
G / General Operational / We seek to examine the working mechanics and profile of the organisation, and how it allows for commission disruption, and process improvement.
H / Category Specific
Operational Questions / In the section the experience of the organisation is examined, in relation to similar projects to those QM expects to award. Focus has been placed on gathering evidence rethe experience of the person within the organisation who would be the main point of contact. QM see the experience, qualifications, and priorities of this individual, as being a key factor in the selection process
The same questions are listed against each category
7 PQQ Completion and Return
In our attempts to expedite the scoring of this comprehensive PQQ and to ensure it is marked as consistently as possible, we have automated the scoring of many of the yes / no questions supported by the scoring model within the In-Tend e-procurement tool.
There are limitations in the process however, and it is not possible to break the numerical sequence of the questions in order to insert section headings.