3.1 Design should not be separated out from the procurement process as a whole. Procurers and bidders should, however, have the same goal, ie to maximise design quality. Procurement teams, end-users, bidders and designers should develop a relationship at an early stage in terms of open communication and a holistic approach to the service to be provided, thus maximising synergy between operation and design, and encouraging innovation.
3.2 Clear design briefs should be part of the output specification and should set the parameters within which project designers will be expected to work. Bidders will subsequently produce more detailed design briefs in conjuction with their own designers, but the full extent of the procurer's specific design requirements should be established at an early stage. Ambiguous phrases such as "centre of excellence" or "in keeping with the area" should be explained and put in the specific context of the project.
3.3 3A procurer may require assistance in understanding the possible impact of its output specification on the way in which the asset underlying the services is designed. The early appointment of a technical adviser, such as an architect or a civil engineer, together, with other designers as neccessary, to assist with the evaluation of specialist equipment etc should help keep bidders' design costs to a minimum, by specifying the extent of design work expected at different stages of the bidding process. They should also be able to assist in preparing an optimum statement of needs, as expressed in the output specification.
3.4 If there are specific architectural requirements, they should be made clear either in the OJEC notice or at the very least in the information issued to accompany the prequalification questionnaire. This provides a clear pointer to bid sponsors in deciding which designer they might work with. Design aspirations should be made clear to the bidding consortia at an early stage, ideally when initial expressions of interest are sought or when the prequalification stage is in progress.
3.5 Consortia seeking to prequalify should normally indicate the name of their design consultants or provide details of in-house staff. In all cases, they should be required to give details of both team and individuals' experience of PFI projects or work undertaken within the same service sector. This must not be done in a way that inhibits new entrants, who should provide details of how their acheivements in other forms of procurement/service sectors may be relevant. Greater comfort may be obtained if proposed contractual relationships are made clear (although this cannot be required as a matter of law at this stage) and the individuals who will lead design development work are indicated from the beginning.