- Features
- This procurement process will be comprised of the following stages:
1. PSQ Stage (this stage)
This is the entry stage to this procurement process. Potential Providers are assessed on their technical and economic capacity to fulfil the requirement.
Potential Providers register their interest in participating to The Authority by completing and submitting a response to the PSQ via the DSP. Following the PSQ closing date, The Authority will assess all PSQ responses against the stated assessment criteria (the conditions of participation). The Authority will down-select the four* Potential Providers with the highest scores to qualify for participation. These down-selected Potential Providers will subsequently become Tenderers, and will be invited to proceed to the next stage of the process and submit a tender for the requirement.
The PSQ can be accessed via the DSP Opportunity Notice here:
It is anticipated that the PSQ down-selection and subsequent communication of the outcome to all Potential Providers will take place in December 2025.
2. Tender Stage
Following the conclusion of the PSQ stage, The Authority will issue the full tender pack for this requirement to all Tenderers. The tender pack will contain the full details of how the remainder of the procurement process will be assessed including tender assessment questions and associated scoring criteria, details for how In-Water Confidence Assessments (IWCAs) are to be conducted and the process for The Authority’s negotiation with the Preferred Bidder(s).
Following the issue of tender documentation, The Authority will facilitate a Tenderers Conference, where aspects of the requirement can be explained and initial clarification questions from Tenderers may be posed.
Tender responses will be assessed via the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) methodology, utilising the award criteria of Best Technically Affordable Tender.
Tender responses will be assessed initially against their commercial compliance with stated instructions and submission guidelines, before an assessment that the prices quoted are within the stated maximum prices that will be included within the tender pack. The commercial compliance and pricing elements will be scored on a pass/fail basis, and responses that score a ‘fail’ in either or both of these areas will result in the Tenderer’s response being deemed non-compliant and excluded from both further assessment and the overall procurement process.
After the initial assessment, compliant tender responses will be further assessed against a range of technical and project management-related criteria. The assessment of the tender responses will be supplemented by the IWCAs conducted by each Tenderer with representatives present from The Authority.
Further information on the IWCAs can be found below.
Upon the conclusion of tender assessments, Tenderers will be notified of their scores in accordance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023, and their tenders will be held in abeyance until the completion of the Negotiation Stage set out below.
It is anticipated that tender packs will be issued to Tenderers during January/February 2026.
IWCAs
Tender responses which are deemed compliant following the initial commercial and pricing assessments will proceed to conduct the IWCA at an agreed date/time with Authority representatives present.
The IWCA serves as a mechanism for Tenderers to demonstrate and validate their proposed solutions through demonstrations, recorded tests, and supporting data, supplementing The Authority’s assessment of their tender response. The Authority may also pose clarifying questions to address uncertainties identified in the Tenderer’s response. The IWCA is not scored separately, nor does it involve a pass/fail judgement.
Approximately 20% of the overall tender score may be influenced by the IWCA. This includes scoring of secondary technical requirements, where written evidence will be supported by IWCA data and observations, and scoring of the Tenderer’s ability to deliver to schedule. In the latter, the IWCA will provide evidence of the maturity, robustness, and deliverability of the proposed solution in meeting The Authority’s requirements. As such the evidence will complement the tender response and the approach taken with assessment will be consistent with the scoring guidance issued with the tender pack.
3. Negotiation Stage
The Tenderer that achieves the highest scoring tender response will be selected as the Preferred Bidder, and will be invited to negotiate with The Authority on selected terms of the proposed contract. The specific terms that are permitted for negotiation will be detailed within the tender pack. In the event that an agreement on acceptable terms between The Authority and the Preferred Bidder cannot be reached within a reasonable timescale, The Authority will select the Tenderer that achieves the second-highest scoring tender response as the Preferred Bidder, and will enter into negotiations with that Tenderer. This process will continue as stated above until either an acceptable agreement between The Authority and a Preferred Bidder is reached, or no agreement is reached. In the event that an agreement is not reached The Authority reserves the right not to award a contract, and to cease the competitive procurement process.
4. Contract Award
Upon the conclusion of negotiations and subject to the agreement of acceptable contract terms between The Authority and the Preferred Bidder, The Authority will publish a UK 6 Contract Award Notice to notify industry that it intends to award the contract to the Preferred Bidder following the end of the 8 working day standstill period, followed by a UK 7 Contract Details Notice following contract award, which will mark the conclusion of the procurement process.
Potential Providers should note that the anticipated timescales stated above are indicative, and The Authority reserves its right to amend these during the course of the procurement process.
*As stated within the terms of the PSQ Guidance Document, in the event that two Potential Providers are assigned the same score and achieve fourth place in the down-selection, both of these entities will be invited to participate in the next stage of the procurement process, resulting in a total of five Tenderers.
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In accordance with Section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023, The Authority reserves its right to amend the stated tender assessment and award criteria during this procurement process.
In accordance with Section 41 and Schedule 5 paragraph 8 of the Procurement Act 2023, The Authority intends to rely on the above-named direct award justification for the future procurement of similar goods and/or services within the applicable period of five years.