Legal services

Tender description

Crown Commercial Service as the Authority is putting in place a Panel Agreement for General Legal Services (‘the Panel’) for Crown Bodies and other permitted users identified at VI.3) (and any future successors to these organisations) in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (‘Panel Customers’). Panel Customers will then be able to enter into Legal Service Contracts with successful Suppliers for any required services. This Panel Agreement will be for an initial Panel Period of two (2) years, with the option to extend for up to two (2) further periods of twelve (12) consecutive months. The Panel will comprise of 2 tiers. Panel Customers will be required to use the services of Suppliers on Tier 1. Where Suppliers on Tier 1 are unable to accept Orders for services then Suppliers in Tier 2 will be used. This procurement relates to the legal services which are listed in Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR) 2015 as a specific service. This procurement is being conducted under the Light Tough Regime (‘LTR’) is therefore subject to limited regulation and will be conducted in accordance with regulations 74 to 76 PCR 2015. The anticipated maximum number of Suppliers to be appointed to the Panel is eighteen (18), with twelve (12) Suppliers within Tier 1 and six (6) Suppliers within Tier 2. The procurement will be conducted in three (3) stages which will be run consecutively. Full details are available in the Invitation to Tender (‘the Invitation’). The Invitation can be accessed at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in III.2.1) An overview of the stages are as follows: Stage 1 — Eligibility (Eligibility Questionnaire). Potential Providers will be required to complete an Eligibility Questionnaire. Information submitted in the Stage 1 Eligibility Questionnaire will be evaluated to assess eligibility, capability to pursue a professional activity, economic and financial standing, and capacity and experience in accordance with the Invitation. Following the evaluation of Potential Providers' Stage 1 Eligibility Questionnaire Tender Submissions, for the purposes of determining which Potential Providers will be invited to Stage 2, the Authority will rank all Potential Providers from the highest Stage 1 Eligibility Score downwards as detailed in the Invitation. A maximum of 50 Potential Providers will be invited to participate in Stage 2 of this Procurement. Where there are less than 50 Potential Providers assessed as eligible having satisfied the Stage 1 requirements less than 50 will proceed to Stage 2 — Suitability. Where there are more than 50 Potential Providers assessed as eligible, Potential Providers ranked 1st to 50th will be invited via the e-Sourcing Suite to participate in Stage 2 — Suitability. Where there are 2 or more Potential Providers who have tied scores and are placed in 50th position, the Authority will apply a tie breaker to determine which Potential Provider will proceed to Stage 2. The other Potential Provider will then be ranked 51st. Stage 2 — Suitability (Suitability Questionnaire and Stage 2 Pricing): Potential Providers will be required to complete a Suitability Questionnaire which includes the submission of two (2) case studies and a Stage 2 Pricing Matrix together forming the ‘Stage 2 Tender Submission’. The Authority will evaluate the Stage 2 Tender Submissions as set out in the Invitation. Stage 2 evaluation will be based on quality and price. The Stage 2 Quality Evaluation is weighted as 70 %. The Stage 2 Price Evaluation is weighted as 30 %. Following the evaluation of Potential Providers' Stage 2 Tender Submission for the purposes of determining the Potential Providers to be invited to Stage 3, the results of the Stage 2 Tender Submission will be ranked from the highest Stage 2 final score downwards. A maximum of 24 Potential Providers will be invited to participate in Stage 3 of this Procurement. Where there are 2 or more Potential Providers who have tied scores and are placed in 24th position, the Authority will apply a tie breaker to determine which Potential Provider will proceed to Stage 3. The other Potential Provider will be then be ranked 25th. Stage 3 — Compatibility (Compatibility Meeting and Stage 3 Pricing): Potential Providers will be required to attend a Stage 3 Compatibility Meeting and submit a Stage 3 Pricing Matrix. The Authority will evaluate one (1) of the case studies submitted at Stage 2 during the Stage 3 Compatibility Meeting (‘Stage 3 Quality Evaluation’). The Authority will evaluate the Stage 3 Pricing Matrix (‘Stage 3 Price Evaluation’) in accordance with the Invitation. The Stage 3 Quality Evaluation is weighted as 70 %. The Stage 3 Price Evaluation is weighted as 30 %. Following the evaluation of Stage 3, for the purposes of determining the final decision to award all results will be ranked from the highest Stage 3 final score downwards. Although this Procurement is being run under the Light Touch Regime, the Authority has chosen to observe a Standstill Period. Following a Standstill Period of ten (10) calendar days and subject to there being no substantive challenge to the Intention to Award, a Panel Agreement will be formally awarded, subject to contract, to: Potential Providers ranked in 1st to 12th position a Tier 1 Panel Agreement; and Potential Providers ranked in places 13th to 18th position a Tier 2 Panel Agreement. Where there are 2 or more Potential Providers who have tied scores and are placed in the 12th position, the Authority will apply a tie breaker to determine which Potential Provider will be awarded a place on Tier 1. The other Potential Provider will then be ranked as 13th and awarded a place on Tier 2 of the Panel. Where there are 2 or more Potential Providers who have tied scores and are placed in the 18th position, the Authority will apply a tie breaker to determine which Potential Provider will be awarded a place on Tier 2 of the Panel. The other Potential Provider will then be ranked in 19th position.