5.10 The following steps should be taken when appointing advisors:
Clarify scope of works for each advisor / discipline;
Work up draft Tender Requirements for advisory disciplines;
Issue OJEU advert (unless because of exceptional services an OJEU advertisement is not required);
Issue standard Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) to interested parties along with draft Invitation to Tender (ITT). (The draft ITT is for advisors to comment on pre-tender);
Agree PQQ evaluation procedures, methodology, scoring and individuals;
Receive and evaluation of PQQs using evaluation documents/spreadsheet.
Shortlist tenderers. Note that PQQ shortlisting scores are discarded after shortlisting and play no further part in evaluation;
Issue final ITT (after it has been updated for any comments received in the PQQ period) to shortlisted tenderers along with dates and arrangements for return of tenders. Include a potential date for interviews;
Agree ITT evaluation procedures, methodology, scoring and individuals;
Open tenders (ensuring compliance with standing financial instructions). Evaluate tenders (at this stage, it may be possible to dispense with one or more tenderers depending on how many shortlisted). If required, request clarifications from tenderers and reiterate as necessary until level playing field for comparisons is achieved;
Interview shortlisted tenderers (sample questions attached);
Evaluate advisors immediately post interview using spreadsheet;
If required, carry out further clarifications with tenderers and reiterate as necessary until level playing field for comparisons is achieved;
Unless you have fully delegated authority, recommend appointment of first ranked tenderer to Chief Executive or appropriate committee for formal approval;
Inform successful tenderer and commence agreeing contract / appointment terms;
Do not inform unsuccessful tenderer until ten days after initial award of contract (see Scottish Procurement Policy Note SPPN (06) 2005 dated 17 June 2005); and
Carry out debriefing of tenderers as necessary.
5.11 In order to help NHS Bodies with the appointment of advisors Health Facilities Scotland has produced a range of standard documents as outlined in the following paragraphs.
a) Standard PQQ for all disciplines - this is available on the Health Facilities Scotland website. It provides an outline of the structure which should be adopted to appoint technical, financial and legal advisors. Each NHSScotland body will require to review it to ensure it ties into the particular skills they require for their project.
b) PQQ evaluation template (with indicative weightings) - this provides a template evaluation framework to facilitate the shortlisting of advisors. The weightings will require to be confirmed by the NHSScotland body prior to issue of the Information Memorandum and Pre-qualification Questionnaire. This is available on the Health Facilities Scotland website.
c) Draft Invitation to Tenders (ITTs) for financial, technical and legal- the draft ITTs will require to be tailored to reflect the specific tasks required of the advisors and the evaluation process the NHSScotland body will adopt for example, in relation to weighting evaluation criteria. They will also need to provide project specific information. Copies of the ITTs are available on the Health Facilities Scotland website. This is supplemented by an ITT evaluation spreadsheet which is available on the Health Facilities Scotland website and can be used to assist in recording the results of the evaluation of the tenders prior to inviting short-listed participants to interview.
d) Sample interview questions for financial, technical and legal - the questions provide a core set of generic questions which may be useful when interviewing advisors prior to appointment. These will be supplemented with specific question arising from the advisors tenders and reflecting the specific nature of the scheme. This is available on the Health Facilities Scotland website.
e) Interview evaluation spreadsheet for all disciplines (with indicative weightings). This will need to be tailored to reflect the specific evaluation criteria adopted by the NHSScotland body. This is available on the Health Facilities Scotland website.
5.12 In addition to the above the following documents are available to help develop the procurement timetable for the appointment of advisors:
• Sample overall procurement timetable available on the Health Facilities Scotland website.
• Sample appointment timetable available on the Health Facilities Scotland website.
5.13 Further details on advertising for advisors, the selection of advisors and the payment for advisors are provided below.