PANEL OF ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS

COMPULSORY BRIEFING SESSION

Questions and Answers

RAF has embarked on a tender process to procure a new panel of accident investigators (aka assessors).

Compulsory Briefing Sessions were held as follows:

PROVINCE / DATE / ADDRESS / TIME
Mpumalanga / 8 July 2013 / Rob Ferreira hospital
Cnr. Piet Retief Street and Madiba Drive
Admin block -Boardroom
Nelspruit / 12h00 p.m.
Gauteng and
North West / 09 July 2013 / The Road Accident Fund
Big Boardroom
38 Ida Street ,
Menlyn, Pretoria / 11h00a.m.
Limpopo / 10 July 2013 / Capricorn High School
Thabo Mbeki Street
Polokwane / 12h00 p.m.
The free state and Northern Cape / 11 July 2013 / Protea hotel Central, East burger Street, Bloemfontein / 11h00 a.m.
Western Cape / 17 July 2013 / The Road Accident Fund
5th floor boardroom
No. 1 Thibault Square,
Long Street,
Cape town / 11h00 a.m.
Eastern Cape / 18 July 2013 / The Road Accident Fund
Training Room
Metropolitan Life Building, 4th floor, C/o Drury Lane & Caxton Street,
East London / 10h00 a.m.
KwaZulu-Natal / 19 July 2013 / The Road Accident Fund
The Embassy Building,
12th Floor Boardroom,
199 Anton Lembede Street,
Durban / 10h00 a.m.

Closing date of the bid:5 August 2013 @ 11h00 sharp as per the clock at the RAF reception.

The procurement process and compliance issues were discussed:

  • Mandatory requirements : Physical Presence in the province you were bidding for and proof thereof

SLA provisions must be accepted

Contract must be signed 60 days after award is given

  • Technical and Functional requirements: Skills and Experience: use of scoring matrix and CV required.

Infrastructure: Computers, software licenses etc

References: Questionnaire must be completed

Technical / Functional Criteria / Points
6.2.4 Reference/Track Record
  • Proof where similar service was rendered
Please furnish two (2) references where similar work was done in the past three years. Questionnaire included must be completed/populated by your listed references; information will be verified by the RAF.
NB: No RAF populated reference questionnaire by listed referencees means no point scored. / 30
Substantiate / Comments

The number 6.2.4 above should read 6.2.3

  • Price and BEE – 90/10 principle to be used
  • Bid response Format was discussed
  • Scope of work and Tariff were discussed
  • SLA requirements were discussed: Suspensions, Terminations and penalties etc.

The following are the questions that emanated form the different sessions including emails:

  1. Q: References: Can panel attorney give references for the bidder?

A:Yes they can be used

  1. Q: What do subsequent instructions mean in the tariff?

A:An example was given, initially was instructed to consult with the Insured driver, a subsequent instruction will be to take insured to court.

  1. Q:Radiuses of instructions – the instruction is to investigate loss of support. The deceased

lived in Polokwane but as you investigate it leads you to a family in Mpumalanga. What

do you do?

A:We advised that authorization must be obtained from the RAF should the assessor realize that long distances will be involved.

  1. Q:Instruction given in Gauteng, but you has to travel to Polokwane?

A:Inform the RAF about this. Prior authorization from the RAF must be obtained.The instruction might have to be referred to an assessor that forms part of the panel in Polokwane.

  1. Q:Instruction is to obtain documents but they are not detailed. What do you do?

A:Refer the instruction back to the relevant claims officer/attorney and request detailed instructions

  1. Q:Instruction is to locate the insured but the insured has changed employment/

Addresses and you cannot locate him until you go to where he lives?

A:In terms of the tariff, the fee the assessor will be entitled to depending on the radius. Only the set fee can be charged regardless of the number of times it has taken you to trace the insured.

  1. Q:Instruction is received to go to Zimbabwe? Tariff doesn’t include long distance

travel and is unfair as travelling time and expenses are not provided for separately?

A:Prior authorization must be obtained from the RAF. A written quotation/estimation must be supplied in order for the authorization to be obtained.

  1. Q:having problems obtaining information from claimant’s as claimant’s attorneys do not

allow assessors to speck to claimant?

A:Ensure that consent is obtained from the Claimant’s attorney first.

  1. Q:will there be workshops held with new panel of accident investigators?

A:yes there will be, probably twice a year.

  1. Q:Whose details must appear on the bid documents for each province?

A:Lead investigators details for each province must be on the bid documents

  1. Q:Can you instruct someone to take over your instruction in Polokwane if the

investigation leads you there, whereas you are based in Mpumalanga?

A:Prior authorization must be obtained from RAF.

  1. Q:what are the terms of the contract period?

A:5 years

  1. Q:how will instructions be given to assessors

A:Rotational system to be decided upon by Operations

  1. Q:Are disbursements part of the fee? If the assessor requires accommodation will it

Bepart of the fee?

A:Payments for hospital records etc. are disbursements and do not form apart of the investigation fee.

  1. Q:What is the payment period?

A:As per SLA – 30 days from receipt of invoice

  1. Q:What will be the cut – off date for the old panel, when the new panel comes into

operation?

A:on the date of appointment of the new panel, all instructions to the previous panel will cease.

  1. Q: Can you still submit a reference letter if you completing the matrix?

A:Yes, it can be attached to the matrix

  1. Q:is the certificate or letter from your auditor acceptable for BEE certification?

E.g. IRBA certification

A:Yes, provided that you qualify as an exempted micro enterprise.

  1. Q:How many copies of the bid documents are required?

A:1 original and 3 copies

  1. Q:Will there be a dedicated contracts management resource that the panel

can communicate with?

A:Panel of accident investigators can communicate with Central Panel management Unit.

  1. Q:The roll out of New E Tolls? Is this a disbursement?

A:E-tolls, petrol, flights, etc are all included in the fee and will not be paid additionally.

  1. Q:If you had to secure 10 witnesses for a matter? OnlyR1400 will be paid,

this fee is unfair as sometimes you have to travel to places like Zimbabwe?

A:This is a fee per instruction. If all ten witnesses are located at the same address, it is one fee.

  1. Q:Was marketresearch done to set the tariff?

A:Yes, Market research was done.

  1. Q:Generally, long distances that you have to travel, the fees do not accommodate for this?

A:We require accident investigators in different provinces and this will reduce the travelling hours

  1. Q:if you are unable to obtain a document/witness and have to travel to their place

a few times? How will the tariff work in this instance?

A:You can only charge as per the set tariff.

  1. Q:There are different hospitals in a province, and the new tariff does not justify the

cost to documents etc.

A:You can only charge as per the set tariff.

  1. Q:Can the new panel have a letter from the RAF to assist in obtaining documents

from SAPS etc.

A:The letter of instruction should be utilized to obtain documents from various institutions.

  1. Q:Sometimes an assessor is instructed to take the sheriff to a witness so the subpoena

can be served? How will the tariff cover these costs?

A:You can only charge as per the set tariff.

  1. Q:How will the allocation of work be done? E.g. if the accident happens in PTA but

the family is in Polokwane. Who will get the instruction?

A:Operations must look at where the work has to be done before allocating the instruction.

  1. Q:Deceased is in Polokwane, one wife is in Gauteng and the other is in Bushbuck-ridge?

How will this be addressed?

APrior authorization must be obtained from the RAF. A written quotation can be provided to RAF.

  1. Q: Will you be allowed to work for Plaintiff Attorneys as per the SLA?

A:Yes, as long as it is not in the same matter.

  1. Q:which tax Clearance Certificate is required? As you get different ones for VAT, etc.

A:Tax Clearing Certificate – Tender or Good Standing

  1. Q:Overlapping of instructions in the provinces. How will this be dealt with?

A:the RAF must be informed and formal instruction must be obtained from RAF.

  1. Q:if you had a head office at PTA for e.g., and different branches in the different provinces, how will the instructions will be given? Can you give the instruction to your other branches?

A:A bid document must be submitted for all provinces. The instruction will be given to that branch directly.

  1. Q:As per the SLA penalties, are there different turnaround times for the

different categories of work/investigations?

A:No. Refer to clause 17 of the SLA.

  1. Q:will there be an instruction letter template?

A:Yes

  1. Q:Unfair not to be able to charge for travelling kilometers?

A:you are entitled to a set fee as per the tariff.

  1. Q:Disbursements such as Hotel Accommodation, Toll Gate Fees, Hospital record costs,

Court Record costs etc are not provided for

A:Disbursements costs such as toll gate fees, are included in the fixed tariff. Hotel accommodation for witnesses, hospital records costs etc, will be paid for separately.

  1. Q:How can a Tariff be fixed for a Merit or Quantum Investigation? Is this Crowd Sourcing?

A:RAF is entitled to set a price in the tender. The bidder can decide whether to bid or not for the tender.

  1. Q:Why were current service providers not notified in writing of the tender to be issued?

A:The tender was advertised in the Government tender Bulletin and the Sunday Times.

  1. Q: Why was tender not published in national media?

A:The tender was advertised in the Government tender Bulletin and the Sunday Times.

  1. Q:The tender notice is too short and ineffective?

A:Legislation requires that a tender be published for a minimum 21 days. The Panel ofAccident Investigators have been advertised for thirty (38) eight days.

  1. Q:Members cannot supply Tax Clearance Certificates due to poor payment from RAF?

Will the payment agreement with SARS suffice?

A:No

  1. Q:Can tenders be submitted before closing date as courier services cannot be trusted?

A:Tenders may be submitted before the closing date.

  1. Q:The pricing: the indication is that the prices on the bid documentare not fixed/ fixed, are we expected to submit our break-down pricing schedules?

A:The pricing is fixed as per the tariff in the bid documents.

  1. QUnabridged Certificate: the minimum waiting period for unabridged certificates

at Home Affairs is six to eight(6-8) weeks, that can affect the submission ofa

report, will arrangement be made to the saiddepartment?

A:A request can be made to RAF to check for this information at FID

  1. QInquest:post-mortems, witness statementsfrom either SAPS or Magistrates

Offices:the delay will have an impact in submitting the report in time.

A:When submittingthe report advice as to what caused delays.

  1. QInsured driver to court: securing the insured driver to court will that be regarded

as subsequent instruction?Normally the request comes long after the final report has been submitted.

A:Yes it will.

  1. Q:How will matters be shared/rotated amongst the assessors in Western Cape as the

current panel do not receive sufficient instructions from RAF.

A:The Rotation system will be utilized. RAF has the right to decrease or increase number of assessors required in each Region.

  1. Q:Can prices or tariff be negotiated?

A:No

  1. Q:What about price adjustments over the years?Will the price remain the same for the

next 5 years?

A:RAF has the discretion to determine when and how the prices may increase.

  1. Q:References – how will you obtain them if you have only worked for the RAF?

A:Managers/ Senior Managers can be contacted at RAF for completion of the questionnaires.

  1. Q:Can assessors also penalize RAF for non payment of invoices?

A:No, escalate non payments to relevant managers

  1. Q:if you had to go to trace a witness 5 times, how will RAF prove they went once?

A:RAF will only pay one fee for one piece of work done, even if you had to trace the witness 5 times.

  1. Q:Radiuses – how is it calculated? Is it one way or per return trip?

A:Per one way trip – e.g. if the insured driver is 90 km away, 0-100 km radiusmust be charged.

  1. Q:Courier Services – how do you utilize them?

A:Arrange sufficient delivery time before closing date and time, delivery must be counter to counter. The Courierservicemust register the bid response inthe submission register at RAF Menlyn reception.

  1. Q:What happens if an instruction is with the current panel of assessors and that

assessor is not successful in the panel?

A:Existing instructions with current panel of assessors must be finalized.

  1. Q:Can an assessor turn down an instruction?

A:Not prohibited in SLA

  1. Q:Must the bid document be fully completed?

A:Yes, the documents will be checked for completeness.

  1. Q:How was the tariff drafted?

A:Market research was done.

  1. Q:How will instructions be given, and confirmed? Claims officers are unresponsive.

Will officers be trained?

A:Instructions will be given in writing. Prior authorization must be obtained from RAF before doing any work outside their scope. Training will be recommended for claims officers.

  1. Q:Do we need to sign and initial the Draft SLA document?

A:Option to Sign or initial.

  1. Q:Do we need to also make 3 to 4 copies of same SLA document just as expected

with the bid document ?

A:the Draft SLA must be part of the original bid response, where 3 copies will be made.

  1. Q:Being an individual bidder do you have to get your Financial statements audited like

companies / cc’s?

A:It is correct to do so.

  1. Q:How many references do you require to complete the reference questionnaire?
  1. Two, as per technical requirements.

Concerns raised:

  • All investigations are different and rely on people and their co-operation.
  • No control over delays at Institutions such as SAPS, Hospitals etc, Private Companies,
  • 90% of their time is spent driving – Person Investigation is faster that writing or telephonically.
  • Instructions are given so long after the accident, it is more difficult to trace insured drivers, witnesses etc
  • Witnesses do not stay in one area
  • Assessors are professional people who sell time
  • The tariff will disadvantage RAF: the investigators will not work according to the dynamics of each claim. No incentive to do objective and trustworthy investigations. No witnesses will be brought to court, no incentive to uncover fraud, quality of work will reduce

Average Fees for assessors currently:

Type of investigations / Assessors / New Tariff
Merits Investigations: / R 8500 inclusive of VAT including taking witnesses / R 5 800 + 1400 = R 7 200.00
Quantum / R 7 000 / R 6 800
Joint merits and quantum / R 10 500 / R 9 100

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