IT Hardware, ITAD and Associates Services

This Framework is for use by Customers in the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies that exist on 13/06/25 and which fall into one or more of the following categories:

•Ministerial government departments

•Non ministerial government departments

•Executive agencies of government

•Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), including advisory NDPBs, executive NDPBs, and tribunal NDPBs

•Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies (ASPBs)

•Police forces

•Fire and rescue services

•Ambulance services

•Maritime and coastguard agency services

•NHS bodies

•Educational bodies or establishments including state schools (nursery schools, primary schools, middle or high schools, secondary schools, special schools), academies, colleges, Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), further education colleges and universities

•Hospices

•National Parks

•Housing associations, including registered social landlords

•Third sector and charities

•Citizens advice bodies

•Councils, including

Call-off contracts may be awarded with or without competition between Suppliers on the Framework.

Further Competition (competitive selection process):

A Further Competition process is used where Customers carry out a competition for the award of a Call-Off Contract. The selection process for awarding Call-Off Contracts must be set out in the Framework and is as follows:

•The Customer must invite all Suppliers on the Framework who are deemed capable of delivering the particular requirement.

•The Customer shall be responsible for formulating a specification/product brief containing full details of the goods/services required.

•The Customer will send the specification/product brief to all Suppliers quoting the Framework reference number. A reasonable and proportionate time limit should be set for the submission of fully completed Bid responses.

•Responses received must be unopened until the designated closing date and time for final submissions has passed. Responses received after the specified date and time should be rejected unopened.

•The submitted response shall be evaluated in accordance with the criteria stated in the original specification/product brief. The headline criteria used must be the same as the headline criteria used for the original Framework or part thereof, but the Customer may change the weightings and add their own sub-criteria to apply.

•The Bidders must be advised of the result in writing. Customers are not required to provide Suppliers with an assessment summary however, they are encouraged to do so as a matter of best practice.

•A voluntary standstill period of no less than 8 working days beginning with the day on which the contract ward notice is published must be completed before entering into the Call-Off Contract

Conditions of Participation

Under this Framework a Further Competition process provides for conditions of participation if the Customer is satisfied that the conditions are a proportionate means of ensuring that Suppliers party to the Framework have

othe legal and financial capacity to perform the Call-Off Contract, or

othe technical ability to perform the Call-Off Contract.

In this section, a “condition of participation” means a condition that a Supplier must satisfy in order to be awarded a public contract in accordance with the Framework.

A condition may not

orequire the submission of audited annual accounts, except from Suppliers who are, or were, required to have the accounts audited in accordance with Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 or an overseas equivalent;

orequire insurance relating to the performance of the Call-Off Contract to be in place before the award of the Call-Off Contract.

A condition may relate to Suppliers’ qualifications, experience or technical ability, but may not

orequire Suppliers to have been awarded a Call-Off Contract under the Framework or by a particular Customer.

obreak the rules on technical specifications in section 56, or

orequire particular qualifications without allowing for their equivalents.

When considering whether a condition is proportionate a Customer must have regard to the nature, complexity and cost of the Call-Off Contract.

A condition of participation may require the provision of evidence that is verifiable by a person other than the Supplier.

If a Supplier does not satisfy a condition of participation, the Customer may exclude the Supplier from participating in, or progressing as part of, the competitive selection process (Further Competition).

A competitive selection process may provide for the assessment of proposals, but only by reference to one or more of the award criteria against which Bids were assessed in awarding the Framework. The award criteria used for this Framework was:

Award Criteria Headings

Price

Quality

Social Value

The award criteria may be refined for example, additional sub-criteria may be included or the criteria explained further.

Direct Award (award without a competitive selection):

This Framework permits Direct Award in accordance with PA23. The key provisions that relate to awarding a Call-Off Contract without further competition via a Framework are found in Sections 45 to 49, particularly Section 45(2) and Section 49(10)..

Customers may award a Call-Off Contract directly to any Supplier on the Framework, provided they can demonstrate that the Supplier offers the most advantageous tender for their specific requirement. This must be based on the award criteria set out in this ITT, which includes quality, social value and price.

To support this:

•All Suppliers have been evaluated against consistent and transparent quality questions.

•A clear pricing mechanism has been submitted and forms part of the Framework terms.

•These evaluation criteria form the basis for Direct Award decisions throughout the life of the Framework.

Customers may take into account:

•The Supplier offers the most competitive pricing using the submitted pricing mechanism;

•Supplier capability and delivery approach (Quality Criterion)

•Specific strengths in service, innovation, sustainability, or compatibility

•Any other factors that align with the Framework’s original award criteria

•The Supplier has the best capability for the specific product, service, or location;

•The Supplier achieved the highest score for quality, price and/or social value during the Framework evaluation process. sustainability, lead time, or delivery assurance relevant to the call-off;

•The Supplier’s model delivers continuity or integration with existing estate or contracts.

Customers must retain an auditable record justifying their selection, demonstrating how the Supplier’s offer was the most advantageous based on the Framework’s established evaluation model.

The onus will be on the Customer to carry out their own due diligence before selecting whether they conduct a Further Competition or choose to Direct Award with any of the awarded Suppliers. The Customer will determine the requirement, specification and award, based on the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT)