Market research services

Tender description

Introduction: The Office for National Statistics (‘ONS’) has a requirement to procure specialist data collection services to support the delivery of a new Services Turnover Survey (‘Servcom’) to improve the measurement of the services sector of the UK economy. Background: An independent review of UK economic statistics conducted by Sir Charles Bean (March, 2016), highlighted there is insufficient measurement of the UK service economy. The service economy accounted for roughly 80 % of the UK economy in 2015; however, the breakdown of the services industries is far less detailed than the production industries, which only accounted for roughly 10 % in 2015. At present, output is mainly classified under the primary activity of the business; however, it is likely that business also generates output outside their main industrial classification. Analogous to the Products of the European Community (Prodcom) survey for the manufacturing industries, a Services Turnover Survey (Servcom) would provide a detailed product level breakdown of service industry output. Servcom will benefit users of our economic statistics by addressing some of the issues raised by them and reported in the Bean Review. Key stakeholders include: — ONS; — Bank of England; — HM Treasury; — Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as key users of economic statistics; — Users of economic statistics such as general users of GDP. Currently service sector measurement is made up of information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Business Survey (ABS), International Trade in Services (ITIS) and Services Turnover Survey (STS); however, these do not provide a comprehensive picture. The introduction of a new Services Survey (Servcom) will absorb and extend the existing ONS Services Turnover Survey (STS). The survey will cover all service industries, with the exception of the services and products produced by manufacturing, banking, agriculture and the public sectors. Servcom Project and Delivery: The Servcom project is comprised of a small team of researchers headed up by a business survey manager and overseen by a project manager. The Servcom team have developed the design and requirements for the survey. In order to deliver a full end-to-end solution for Servcom, an external supplier who has adequate skills and capacity is required to provide electronic data collection and data processing of the survey. The invite to tender will include a request for basic data processing with an additional option to provide full data processing, although the latter is not essential. Survey methodology and design will be provided by ONS. A supplier would be required to deliver: — Mechanism for respondent recruitment and reminders (i.e. sending letters to a selected sample of businesses). — An electronic questionnaire (eQ) capable of rolling out the survey. — Online validation at the point of data collection via eQ. — Telephone services for answering respondent queries and gathering information for editing and cleaning survey results. — Editing and cleaning of survey data. Additional data processing option — Provide full data processing service including aggregation, imputation and weighting (methodology to be supplied by ONS). A close working relationship between the external supplier and ONS is important; Therefore a supplier who is able to dedicate appropriate resource to this project is essential. To facilitate the relationship between the ONS team and the external supplier it is expected that the successful supplier will identify a dedicated team at the bidding stage. Survey design It is anticipated that a stratified (by turnover and employment size band) random sample of approximately 40 000 businesses across the service sector will be drawn from the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR). This sample will be provided by the ONS to the successful supplier together with a contact list and covering letter to enable the supplier to invite respondents to participate. The ONS will provide approximately 100 questionnaire types for minimal user testing and development, by the supplier, to enable electronic data capture. Currently 43 STS questionnaire types are used to collect data from 90 industries. The number of industries for Servcom will increase by approximately 200. ONS are currently developing questionnaires for the additional industries; the final number of questionnaire types to be used will be confirmed at a later stage. The successful supplier will be required to provide an electronic questionnaire. It is envisaged that the functionality of the questionnaires will be the same across all industries. However, there will be some variation in the wording and definitions due to industry specific requirements (approximately 100 questionnaire types). The successful supplier will be required to provide a mechanism to accommodate these differences. Questionnaire objective The questionnaire will gather information on business activity including turnover by services product and export activity. The questions and definitions will be aligned to both the Eurostat Classification of Products by Activity (CPA) and Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC). Detailed information will be provided to the successful supplier once questionnaire testing has been completed. Results processing ONS has developed a survey methodology for the Servcom Survey. The successful supplier will be expected to provide cleaned and uncleaned micro data using survey methodology supplied by ONS. The supplier will be required to ensure: — Validation rules are embedded within the electronic questionnaires. — Validation of unusual or missing data takes place through re-contacting respondents (clearance rates to be agreed between the ONS and successful supplier). An additional option of full data processing will be presented in the ITT to include: — Application of editing and imputation rules. — Data aggregated according to ONS requirements. — Application of ONS supplied weights. The ONS team will work closely with the supplier to enable validation of the data against other existing business surveys. The ONS will propose expected response rates, clearance rates and re-contact targets in the ITT, for discussion with perspective suppliers. Purpose of the prior information notice (PIN): This PIN has been launched for the purpose of: 1) Establishing suppliers (service providers) level of interest via expression of interest; 2) Notifying suppliers of the opportunity to provide bids and briefing dates to ask more questions of the Servcom team; 3) Reviewing and clarifying suppliers (service providers) questions in relation to the future Invitation to Tender (ITT). Additional Information: Additional information will be provided in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents. The publication dates for which are listed below: Invitation to Tender: Friday 10.2.2016. There will also be an opportunity to speak to the ONS research team and ask questions face-to-face at individual supplier briefing sessions on Friday 27.1.2017. The details of this are as follows: Date: Friday 27.1.2017. Location: Central London, exact location to be confirmed. All emails expressing an interest in attending a briefing session should be addressed to Luke.James@ons.gsi.gov.uk and received by the 13.1.2017 and on the In-Tend Sourcing portal via this email address: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/ons/aspx/Home (Suppliers are advised to register on the portal before expressing an interest). Emails received by ONS after the Deadline may not be considered. Briefing sessions will be held at a location to be confirmed in central London. ONS will confirm the allocated time and location for briefing sessions by the 17.1.2017. Wherever possible ONS will accommodate supplier preference for the time of briefings but will retain sole discretion of availability of these sessions. Briefing sessions will consist of a presentation by the ONS research team on Servcom requirements, methodology and CPA categorisation with allocated time for supplier questions. This will be followed by an opportunity for suppliers to demonstrate their data collection tool. The ONS research team will ask questions around the functionality and flexibility of the supplier electronic data collection tool; capacity to deliver and supplier Telephone services for answering respondent queries and gathering information for editing and cleaning survey results. In the event that ONS receives a larger number of requests to attend briefing sessions than can be accommodated; ONS reserves the right to invite only those suppliers ONS considers most-suited to deliver (the scope of the Specific Package described above (section 11B of the PIN). This decision will be based on the expression of interest submitted by suppliers.