Corporate governance rating services

Tender description

Award of contract for provision of consultancy services under the management of SW Commercial Land Management to internal stakeholder departments within Scottish Water. To reduce the rateable values and rates burden paid by Scottish Water for its wastewater assets following the 2017 Rating revaluation and ensure these savings continue until the next revaluation. Contract award for consultancy service to provide advice to prepare, present and conduct rating appeals for its wastewater assets arising from the 2017 rating revaluation. Approximately 1 750 rateable assets have been identified in the 2017 Valuation Roll. Providers required to work on a ‘call on, call off’ basis as the demand for their services may vary across the duration of the contract. The service required covers all aspects of the appeal process and the Consultants should make provision for the management and resourcing of staff sufficient for actioning the following: — Advising the relevant area Assessors of appointment. — Appropriate site inspection of properties and financial information made available by SW. — Complying with all health and safety requirements associated with entering a SW site, including the wearing at all times of appropriate footwear and clothing and arrangements for lone worker situations. — Liaise with SW Asset Planners, Operations and Capital programme team in obtaining necessary technical information on plant, machinery and infrastructure. — Advising on the implications of transitional arrangements. — Assess the prospect of a successful appeal on individual assets and recommend to SW whether it is considered that pursuing the Appeal would be advisable. — Responding, in writing, within 5 working days to any correspondence from Scottish Water or the Assessors regarding rating cases, unless otherwise agreed with SW Commercial Land Management. — Represent SW at rating appeals, if authorised by SW. — Provide SW with a suitable programme to achieve Task Objectives. — Provide SW with copies of any plans, inspection notes and valuation comparisons prepared in both the inspection of properties and assessment of value. — Provide SW Commercial Land Management with regular written updates (at least monthly) detailing work in progress and the status of every site under appeal. SW Commercial Land Management considers the return of work in progress reports to be of fundamental importance to the successful delivery of the service under this Framework. — Provide a summary report on completion of each appeal detailing the outcome and the annual savings achieved over the current Revaluation period. In addition confirming with the Assessor that the roll is amended accordingly. — Assisting SW Commercial Land Management staff in checking and confirming/amending annual rates demands from Local Authorities. In addition assist with maintenance of database of all SW rateable assets. — Assisting SW staff in obtaining rebates from Local Authorities for properties for which successful appeals have been completed. — Provide general advice to SW Commercial Land Management over changes to Rating legislation and valuation bases as well as any specific advice on Owners' Declarations. — If required, assist SW Commercial Land Management in making presentations to internal stakeholder departments on SW's rating liabilities.