Social and economic research framework: re-let contract notice
Tender for a Framework Agreement for research for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Her Majesty’s Customs & Excise (HMRC).
Details
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Her Majesty’s Customs & Excise (HMRC) wish to operate a Framework Agreement with organisations and individuals with appropriate experience and expertise to enable the research and evaluation of its services across all business areas, including Welfare to Work Programmes and policy areas.
The new Framework Agreement will require the use of a wide range of methodologies and technical innovation in order to support the research and evaluation of all DWP and HMRC policy areas.
The supplier activity will include but is not limited to:
- Work and Welfare Strategy (Working Age, including employment skills);
- Families, Children, Poverty, Social Exclusion, Housing Support;
- Ageing and Pensions;
- Disability and Carers including health, work and well being;
- Other Disadvantaged Groups;
- And may also include customer perception and satisfaction levels of current programme delivery.
- HMRC is a major commissioner of external research and has many of the same requirements as DWP, with the addition of areas such as direct and indirect taxes, and benefits and credits.
Additional Information:
- The Framework will operate across a number of Lots, which will be defined in detail in the ITT.
- DWP is a Central Purchasing Body and as such the Framework Agreement will also be accessible to Other Government Departments undertaking social and economic research, specifically HMRC research on direct & indirect taxes, benefits and credits
- DWP will use an eTendering system for this procurement (the BravoSolution portal). To access this opportunity you will first need to have registered on the eSourcing portal - see section below on how to register
Start date: the service will commence from 1 July 2013.
Contract Length: 2 years with an option to extend by 2 further years.
How to register and access the tender documents
The ITT was published on 12 March 2013 and suppliers wishing to express interest in this tender should:
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Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once) and click the link to register. Accept the terms and conditions and click ‘continue’. Enter your correct business and user details. Note the username you chose and click ‘Save’ when complete. You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure).
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Express an Interest in the tender. Login to the portal with the username/password. Click the ‘PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers’ link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier). Click on the relevant PQQ/ ITT to access the content Click the ‘Express Interest’ button at the top of the page. This will move the PQQ /ITT into your ‘My PQQs/ My ITTs’ page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only). You can now access any attachments by clicking ‘Buyer Attachments’ in the ‘PQQ/ ITT Details’ box.
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Responding to the tender. Click ‘My Response’ under ‘PQQ/ ITT Details’, you can choose to ‘Create Response’ or to ‘Decline to Respond’ (please give a reason if declining). You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification. Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ/ ITT. There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available). You must then submit your reply using the ‘Submit Response’ button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.
Further information
Information on research and analysis within DWP