118_21 – Weather Forecasting Services

Tender description

The requirement is for the provision of a weather forecasting service which will primarily serve to assist with winter road maintenance. This involves the provision covering the road networks as maintained by EAC members as well as other eligible public sector bodies during the course of the framework. ESPO has established a commercial trading company, ESPO Trading Limited, whose target clients are third sector organisations such as national and local charities, public sector mutual organisations and other organisations involved in the delivery of services to or for the public sector. The successful Supplier may be asked to enter into an additional separate framework agreement (the Second Framework) with ESPO Trading Limited on materially similar terms to that found in the tender pack to be entered into by ESPO itself. Any Second Framework agreement will be a purely commercial agreement and will, for the avoidance of doubt, not be governed by the Public Contract Regulations 2015 or other public procurement legislation. ESPO Trading Limited may enter into the second framework agreement with the successful supplier and make it available to third sector clients who themselves are not required to follow the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or other public procurement legislation. Accordingly, this is provided for bidders' information only. Lot 1: Weather Forecasting Services for the East Anglian Consortium (EAC) Lot 1 - Tenders are invited for the provision of a weather forecasting service for winter road maintenance purposes for the EAC (East Anglian Consortium). The successful tenderer will be required to provide the specified services to the EAC for the period of the contract awarded. All EAC members will require a number of common services - ‘Standard Winter Service’, ‘Site Specific Services’ and ‘Training Services’. Additionally, EAC members may opt to take additional services - identified as ‘Optional Summer Forecast Services’. Lot Scope: Lot 1 shall be open for use by members of the Client (EAC) only. This Lot will cover a number of common services including ‘Standard Winter Service’, ‘Site Specific Services’ and ‘Training Services’. Additionally, EAC members may also opt to take further services, which are identified as ‘Optional Summer Forecast Services’. Lot 2: Provision of weather forecasting services to all eligible public bodies throughout the UK Lot 2 - Tenders are invited for the provision of a weather forecasting service for winter road maintenance purposes for national usage. The successful tenderers will be required to provide the specified services on a national basis for the period of the contract awarded. Customers will require a number of common services - ‘Standard Winter Service’, ‘Site Specific Services’ and ‘Training Services’ and may opt to take additional services such as ‘Optional Summer Forecast Services’. Lot Scope - The high profile of procurement within local government and the national drive to aggregate and collaborate means that there is a large potential group of Customers who may choose to access this Lot of the Framework.