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Published 1 Dec 2022, 11:14 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

DoF 4957638 Pan Government Framework For Ground Investigation Works 2023 (Revised)

Official notice

Authority: Department of Inance·Consortium: 4 public authorities

Framework agreement4 lotsWorksOpen procedureSME suitableMax 2 lots per supplier
Sectors: Construction & Civil Engineering (45)Architecture & Engineering (71) Delivery: Scotland (UKM)Northern Ireland (UKN)
Framework ceiling (notional)£8,000,000total for 4 lots · framework ceiling, not attributable revenue
Submissions closed 2 Oct 2023awarded 15 Dec 2023
Lots 4max 2 won per supplier

What is being bought4 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

Construction and Procurement Delivery acting as the Contracting Authority, wishes to appoint Contractors to enter into a Framework Agreement for the provision of ground investigation works for Public Sector Bodies in Northern Ireland.

  • Recurrence: Framework to be renewed in Summer of 2027

CPV: Ground investigation work · Site-investigation services

How this framework works

From the published notice
Places
up to 4 suppliers · 5 bids on the busiest of 4 lots (1.3 per place) · 2 appointed

Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure

4 lots · all with a published value · win at most 2 of them · same evaluation weights on every lot

Every one of these 4 lots carries the same published figure, £2,000,000: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.

Lot #1Northern Area – Causeway Coast and Glens; Mid and East Antrim; Antrim and NewtownabbeyAwardedRenewal Scotland, Northern Irelandceiling above
Delivery: Scotland, Northern Ireland · Northern Area – Causeway. Coast and Glens; Mid and East Antrim; Antrim and Newtownabbey
Extensions: The Framework Agreement is expected to become operational in 2023 and expire in 2027. The Agreement may be terminated in relation to any one or more Contractors before the Expiry Date by written notice in accordance with the Framework Agreement conditions. Should the Framework Agreement operate for its entire 4 year duration, then it is likely that it will require renewal in 2027Variant bids: not allowedElectronic catalogue: required
71510000 Site-investigation services
Lot #2Eastern Area – Belfast; Lisburn and CastlereaghAwardedRenewal Northern Irelandceiling above
Delivery: Northern Ireland · astern Area – Belfast; Lisburn. & Castlereagh
Extensions: The Framework Agreement is expected to become operational in 2023 and expire in 2027. The Agreement may be terminated in relation to any one or more Contractors before the Expiry Date by written notice in accordance with the Framework Agreement conditions. Should the Framework Agreement operate for its entire 4 year duration, then it is likely that it will require renewal in 2027Variant bids: not allowedElectronic catalogue: required
71510000 Site-investigation services
Lot #3Western Area – Mid Ulster; Derry and Strabane; Fermanagh and OmaghAwardedRenewal Northern Irelandceiling above
Delivery: Northern Ireland · Western Area – Mid Ulster;. Derry and Strabane; Fermanagh and Omagh
Extensions: The Framework Agreement is expected to become operational in 2023 and expire in 2027. The Agreement may be terminated in relation to any one or more Contractors before the Expiry Date by written notice in accordance with the Framework Agreement conditions. Should the Framework Agreement operate for its entire 4 year duration, then it is likely that it will require renewal in 2027.Variant bids: not allowed
71510000 Site-investigation services
Lot #4Southern Area – Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon; Newry, Mourne and Down; North Down and ArdsAwardedRenewal Northern Irelandceiling above
Delivery: Northern Ireland · Southern Area – Armagh,. Banbridge and Craigavon; Newry, Mourne and Down; North Down. and Ards
Extensions: The Framework Agreement is expected to become operational in 2023 and expire in 2027. The Agreement may be terminated in relation to any one or more Contractors before the Expiry Date by written notice in accordance with the Framework Agreement conditions. Should the Framework Agreement operate for its entire 4 year duration, then it is likely that it will require renewal in 2027Variant bids: not allowedElectronic catalogue: required
71510000 Site-investigation services

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored · same split on all 4 lots
Quality: 30%Price: 70%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Quality: 30
  • Price: 70
Lot distribution rule: A max. of two Lots may be awarded to any one Tenderer. The same Tenderer will therefore not be appointed for all Lots. Lots will be awarded in numerical order to the Tenderer that submitted the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). In the event that the same Tender submits the MEAT for all four lots, then Lots 3 and 4 will be awarded to the Tenderer in second place.
Conditions of participation1
  • Economic & financial standing

    Contractors are required to be registered on Constructionline. Suppliers should have a.. minimum category value of £175,000 (estimated value) in at least one of the Constructionline Categories specified

    Minimum: The number of Lots awarded to a single Tenderer will be limited to a maximum of.. two. The value stated above (£175,000) is the minimum value required to be eligible for one Lot only. To be eligible for multiple lots, the.. Tenderer will be required to have a Category Value equal…
What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 70 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 7 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
  • “DoF 4957638 Pan Government Framework For Ground Investigation Works…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 4 suppliers, not a single contract.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Framework agreement
Who may use this agreement
Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Yes · Framework to be renewed in Summer of 2027
First published
1 Dec 2022, 11:14 GMT
Last source update
19 Jun 2026, 10:24 BST
Award evaluation window
2 Oct 2023 – …
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-057899
Classification (CPV)
Ground investigation workSite-investigation services
Delivery area
Scotland (UKM)Northern Ireland (UKN)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0389cb Find a Tender
Contract terms
Performance terms

The Economic Operators’ performance on this Framework Agreement will be regularly... monitored. As part of its contract management procedures, the Contracting Authority will use the Protocol for Managing Poor Supplier... Performance contained in Annex K of the Construction Procurement Toolkit see www.finance-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/ ↗... publications/dfp/Construction%20Toolkit%20%28pdf%20version%2030%20Sept%2022%20%281%29.PDF%29.PDF. If an Economic... Operator has received more than one current Notice of Written Warning or a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance, the Contracting... Authority, at its discretion, can consider an Economic Operator’s exclusion from future procurements, being undertaken on behalf of... bodies covered by the Northern Ireland Public Procurement Policy (NIPP), for a minimum period of 12 months or 3 years respectively.. A.. list. of bodies subject to Northern Ireland Public Procurement Policy can be viewed at www.finance-ni.gov.uk/articles/ ↗. listpublicbodies-.. which-ni-public-procurement-policy-applie

Review and risk notes
Review procedure

Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures: This procurement... is governed by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and provides for economic operators who have suffered, or who risk suffering,... loss, or damage, as a consequence of an alleged breach of the duty owed in accordance with Regulation 91 to start proceedings in the... High Court. A standstill period will commence at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers.... That. notification will provide information on the award decision. The standstill period, which will be for a minimum of 10 calendar days,... provides time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into. Any proceedings relating.. to.. any perceived non-compliance with the relevant law must be started within 30 days, beginning with the date when the economic.. operator. first knew, or ought to have known that grounds for starting the proceedings had arisen. (A court may extend the time limit to 3.. months,.. where the court considers that there is a good reason for doing so).

Publisher note: The Authority expressly reserves the right (a) not to award any Contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by.... publication of this notice; (b) To make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering competition; and in.... no circumstances will the Authority be liable for any costs incurred by candidates participating in this competition. Contracts awarded as... a result of this procurement process shall be considered as a contract made in Northern Ireland and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction... of the Northern Ireland Courts. The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award any contracts as a result of this competition.... The process may be terminated or suspended at any time without cost or liability to the Contracting Authority. While it intends to do so,... the Contracting Authority does not bind itself or others to enter into any contract arising out of the procedures envisaged by this notice.... No contractual rights expressed or implied arise out of the notice or procedures envisaged by it. The Contracting Authority reserves the... right to vary its requirements and the procedures relating to the conduct of the award process. The Contracting Authority shall disqualify... any Economic Operator which is ineligible under Regulation 57 of the Public Contracts Regulations (PCR) (subject to any overriding public... interest requirement) and reserves the right to disqualify any organisation which: (a) Provides information or confirmations which later... prove to be untrue or incorrect; (b) Does not supply the information within the timescale required by this notice or by the Invitation... to Tender Documentation or as otherwise required during the process. Instructions on how to submit a tender; - Suppliers must be... registered on the Contracting Authorities e-procurement portal, eTendersNI available on the following link: https://etendersni.gov.uk/... epps/home.do All suppliers should follow the instructions on how to submit a tender within the Introduction and Brief Explanation... document held within the documents area for this procurement on the eTendersNI portal.

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: eTendersNI · Who buys & how to bid on eTendersNI
Supplier login requiredLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free Northern Ireland registration

Tender documents are also served through a separate tool: https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗

Appointment period ends
2 Oct 2023, 15:00 BST
Submission channel
{"electronicSubmission","written"}
Accepted languages
en
Bids opened
2 Oct 2023, 15:30 BST
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗

Timeline

9 Jan 2023 → 19 Jun 2026 · 5 dates
  1. Next notice expected
    9 Jan 2023
  2. Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown
    2 Oct 2023, 15:00 BST
  3. Bids opened
    2 Oct 2023, 15:30 BST
  4. Bids must remain valid until
    30 Jan 2024, 23:59 GMT
  5. Notice published126 days ago
    19 Jun 2026, 10:24 BST

Notice history

8 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 May 2023
  1. Status changed to active
    19 May 2023, 10:30 BST
  2. Procurement method changed
    19 May 2023, 10:30 BST
  3. Deadline published: 29 Jun 2023, 15:00 BST
    19 May 2023, 10:30 BST
  4. Buyer details updated
    19 May 2023, 10:30 BST
  5. Deadline moved to 2 Oct 2023, 15:00 BST
    18 Aug 2023, 16:13 BST
    +95 days · was 29 Jun 2023, 15:00 BST
  6. Buyer details updated
    18 Aug 2023, 16:13 BST
  7. Status changed to complete
    19 Jun 2026, 10:24 BST
  8. Buyer details updated
    19 Jun 2026, 10:24 BST
Routine re-releases (4)
  • 2022-12: 1 release · 1 Dec 2022

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Suppliers appointed 2admitted to the panel · see the list ↓
Bids received 51 from SMEs · busiest of 4 lots
Contracts signed 4latest 15 Dec 2023

4 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.

Contracts

All 2 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £1,198,337, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.

  • Lot 1: Northern Area – Causeway Coast and Glens; Mid and East Antrim; Antrim and Newtownabbey

    Signed
    15 Dec 2023
    Value
    ceiling above
    Status
    active

  • Lot 2: Eastern Area – Belfast; Lisburn and Castlereagh

    Signed
    15 Dec 2023
    Value
    ceiling above
    Status
    active

  • Lot 3: Western Area – Mid Ulster; Derry and Strabane; Fermanagh and Omagh

    Signed
    15 Dec 2023
    Value
    £1,194,770
    Status
    active

  • Lot 4: Southern Area – Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon; Newry, Mourne and Down; North Down and Ards

    Signed
    15 Dec 2023
    Value
    £1,194,770
    Status
    active

Bid statistics published by the authority

LotBidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
1 · Northern Area – Causeway Coast and Glens; Mid and East Antrim; Antrim and Newtownabbey5bids · 5 electronic · 1 from abroad1——
2 · Eastern Area – Belfast; Lisburn and Castlereagh5bids · 5 electronic · 1 from abroad1——
3 · Western Area – Mid Ulster; Derry and Strabane; Fermanagh and Omagh5bids · 5 electronic · 1 from abroad0——
4 · Southern Area – Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon; Newry, Mourne and Down; North Down and Ards5bids · 5 electronic · 1 from abroad0——

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

4 public bodies on the notice

Department of Inance

Contracting authorityMinistry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisionsGeneral public services 303 Airport Road West, BELFAST, UK, BT3 9EDContact name, email, phone

Consortium members and other public bodies

  • CPD - Construction DivisionContracting authorityCentral purchasing bodyMinistry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisionsGeneral public services BELFAST, UKContact email, phone
  • Construction and Procurement Delivery, Department of Finance, Northern IrelandContracting authorityCentral purchasing bodyMinistry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisionsGeneral public services BELFAST, Northern IrelandContact name, email, phone Published organisation website ↗
  • Department of FinanceContracting authorityCentral purchasing bodyMinistry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisionsGeneral public services BELFAST, UKContact name, email, phone Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • Department of Finance, CPD, Procurement Operations BranchReview body BelfastContact email, phone
  • Department of Finance, Central Procurement Directorate Procurement Operations BranchReview body BelfastContact email, phone

Framework contractors & participating bidders

2 commercial parties on the notice
  • CAUSEWAY GEOTECH LTDFramework contractor 8 DRUMAHISKEY ROAD, BALLYMONEY, UK, BT53 7QLContact email, phone
  • Tetra Tech Consulting NI LtdFramework contractor 1 Locksley Business Park, Montgomery Road,, Belfast, UK, BT6 9UPContact email, phone

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Technical selection criteriatenderTechnical selection criteria
  • Technical selection criteriatenderTechnical selection criteria