Tender for Visitor Information Services
within the district of Rother
April 2012 to March 2015.
Tender - Evaluation Guidance
1.INTRODUCTION
The Council invites Tenders for the provision of Visitor Information Services in the Rother District on a 3 year contract commencing on the 1st April 2012.
The detailed requirements of this service are set out in the ‘Visitor Information Services within the District of Rother’ Specification Document, enclosed.
An electronic copy of the Tender and evaluation guidance can be obtained by contacting Emma Oldham, Regeneration & Tourism Officer, email , Tel: 01424 787838.
Issue of Tender Documents
The invitation to submit a Tender does not necessarily mean that you have satisfied the Council regarding any matters raised in the questionnaire previously submitted. Notwithstanding having invited you to tender or included you on any list of selected candidates, the Council makes no representations regarding your financial stability, technical competence or ability in any way to carry out the Services. The right to return to any matter raised in the questionnaire as part of the former PQQ evaluation is hereby reserved by the Council.
Timetable
The deadline for completed Tender Submissions and any supporting information is 12 noon on X of X 2011. The tender submission must be returned in an envelope provided by the Council which shall be securely sealed and shall bear the word ‘Tender’ followed by the subject to which the tender relates, but shall not bear any distinguishing matter or mark intended to indicate the identity of the sender. It should be marked ‘strictly confidential’, addressed for the attention of:
Mr Graham Burgess, Head of Regeneration
Rother District Council, Town Hall, Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex TN39 3JX
Following receipt of Tenders, the Council’s evaluation team will evaluate the Tenders and clarify any matters of detail. The Tenderers’ proposals will also be examined in order to ensure they are financially and operationally sound.
The evaluation team, if appropriate, may wish to make a site visit to the tenderer should they have a business within the nearby locality. Prior notification would be given to the tenderer and these would be organised during week beginning X of July 2011.
The Council will invite all tenderers’ to attend an interview to present and discuss their proposals in more detail. The interviews will be held at BexhillTown Hall week beginning X of July 2011.
It is anticipated that the Council will be in a position to appoint the successful Tender and to notify unsuccessful candidates no later than week beginning 1st August 2011.
Questions / Queries on the Tender
If any points in the documents issued for the purpose of the tender are considered by the Tenderer to not be clear, queries should be addressed to Emma Oldham, Regeneration & Tourism Officer, email: by X of X 2011 in order to obtain sufficient explanation before submitting a tender. Answers will then be provided to all parties invited to tender but anonymity will be maintained.
Submission of Tender
The tender, as detailed above, should be returned along with any supporting documentation to the Council by 12:00noonon X of X 2011. Please ensure that the submission includes a signed Undertaking as detailed in Section 5 of the tender.
Acceptance of Tender
Following Tender acceptance, prior to the commencement of the Services, the successful Tenderer will be required to execute a formal Contract under seal comprising the Contract Documentation for the provision of the Services to the Council for the period commencing 1st April 2012.
2.EVALUATION MATRIX AND SCORING
The tender submissions will be evaluated consistently and objectively according to a defined model which has been finalised prior to opening and commencing the evaluation of the tender submissions.
The Council’s evaluation team for the Visitor Information Services Tender will carry out their evaluation of completed tender submissions using Table 1 detailed below. Each section carries a score, with some being weighted depending on their importance or relevance to the contract. The submission with the highest overall score will win.
Table 1 – Tender Evaluation Matrix for the Visitor Information Services Tender
Information requested / Weighting / Total points availableOPERATIONAL PLAN
Is the applicant able to fulfil the requirements of the specification? (Section1.1) / x 2 / 10
Do the proposals for establishing the hub TIC, satellite information points and the local tourist information points meet the requirements of the specification?
(Section 1.2) / X 3 / 15
Are there adequate proposals for managing and monitoring the satellite information points and local tourist information points? (Section 1.2) / X 3 / 15
Is the capacity of company, including staffing, recruitment and training, sufficient?
(Sections 1.3, 1.4) / X 2 / 10
Are the enquiry handling arrangements adequate? (Section 1.5) / X 2 / 10
Engagement with key stakeholders, local organisations and community
(Section 1.6) / X 1 / 5
Information requested / Weighting / Total points available
Promotion and signposting of the Hub, satellite points and information points? (Section 1.7) / X 1 / 5
Robust complaints procedure?
(Section 1.8) / X 1 / 5
Consumer data capture arrangements
(Section 1.9) / X 1 / 5
Experience in tourism or customer service industry? (Section 1.10) / X 3 / 15
Added Value (Section 1.11) / X 1 / 5
FINANCIAL PLAN
Cash flow forecast / profit and loss
(Section 2.1) / X 10 / 50
GENERAL
History, background of company and CV’s of relevant personnel
(Section 3.1) / X 3 / 15
The sections not scored are for the evaluations team’s information. Sections will be scored according to a scoring system of 0 – 5; 0 being unacceptable and 5 being excellent.
3)TENDER – GENERAL GUIDANCE FOR EVALUATION
Failure to provide a satisfactory response to any of the points highlighted in the tender documentation may result in the Council not proceeding further with the candidate. The information supplied will be checked for completeness and compliance before tender submissions are evaluated.
References
By submitting two references provides the Council with authorisation (unless stated otherwise) to approach the contacts for a reference on the candidate.
Undertaking
By signing the undertaking in section 5 of the tender, the candidate is confirming that the information provided within the tender submission is accurate and complete.
If the undertaking is not signed and dated, the candidate may fail this section and may not proceed to the evaluation process.
4)TENDER – EVALUATION MILESTONES
The table below identifies the key milestones during the evaluation process:
KEY TENDER EVALUATION MILESTONES / DATEDeadlines for questions relating to the tender or scope of services / x
Closing Date for Tender Responses / x
Tender Evaluation Process / x
Site Visits (if required) & Interviews / x
Notification of successful and unsuccessful Candidates / x