These questions were answered by the six respondees who had reached the long-listing stage.
They cover the procurement process from the Contributions Agency's issue of outline service requirements, through to the issue of an invitation to negotiate to the three short-listed bidders, the Invitation to Tender, Best and Final Offers, and the preferred bidder stage and contract signature.
B1. How would you describe the timescales allowed by the Contributions Agency during the following stages of the bidding process?
Stage | Too long | About right | Too short | Did not apply to you |
From issue of Outline Service |
| 6 |
|
|
Requirement (4/4/95) to producing |
|
|
|
|
Short-list of three bidders (6/95). |
|
|
|
|
From Short-list to receiving Best and Final Offers (16/2/96). | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Best and Final Offers to announcement of preferred bidder (20/6/96). | 3 | 3 |
|
|
Preferred bidder to full signature with finance (8/1/98). | 5 | 1 |
|
|
B2. Were the Contributions Agency's requests for information from you at the Outline Service Requirement stage:
| Very excessive | Excessive | About right | Too little |
Design and construction |
| 2 | 4 |
|
Redevelopment opportunities |
| 1 | 5 |
|
Consortium structure |
| 2 | 4 |
|
Risk allocation | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Project Financing | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Maintenance |
| 2 | 4 |
|
Other facilities |
| 2 | 3 | 1 |
management services |
|
|
|
|
Other |
| 1 | 2 |
|
B3. What were your consortium's full bidding costs after qualification?
Up to £500,000 | £500,000 to £1 million | £1 million to £2 million | £2 million to £3 million | Over £3 million |
1 | 4 |
|
| 1 |
B4. To what extent was innovation encouraged in the Contributions Agency's documents in the following areas?
| Greatly encouraged | Encouraged | Neutral | Discouraged | Greatly discouraged |
Design and construction |
| 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Redevelopment opportunities |
| 2 | 4 |
|
|
DSS flexibility to shed surplus accommodation |
| 2 | 4 |
|
|
Consortium structure |
| 1 | 4 | 1 |
|
Risk allocation (5 firms) |
| 1 | 3 | 1 |
|
Project Financing |
| 2 | 3 | 1 |
|
Maintenance |
| 2 | 4 |
|
|
Other facilities |
| 2 | 4 |
|
|
management services |
|
|
|
|
|
Other |
|
| 1 |
|
|
B5. How would you describe the Contributions Agency's attitude towards any innovations suggested by you in the following areas? (five firms answered this question completely, one firm referred only to one aspect).
| Very receptive | Receptive | Not receptive | Opposed | Not applicable |
Design and construction |
| 4 | 1 |
|
|
Redevelopment opportunities |
| 3 | 2 |
|
|
DSS flexibility to shed surplus accommodation |
| 3 | 3 |
|
|
Consortium structure |
| 3 | 2 |
|
|
Risk allocation |
| 1 | 3 | 1 |
|
Project Financing |
| 2 | 2 | 1 |
|
Maintenance |
| 3 | 2 |
|
|
Other facilities management services |
| 3 | 2 |
|
|
Other |
|
| 1 |
|
|
B6. In your view, how should risk be allocated so that it is with the party best able to manage it?
Risk | Wholly with the DSS | Mostly with the DSS | Shared | Mostly with private sector | Wholly with private sector |
Design and construction |
|
|
| 4 | 2 |
Redevelopment opportunities |
|
|
| 6 |
|
DSS flexibility to shed surplus accommodation | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|
Residual Life after contract term |
| 1 | 1 | 4 |
|
Legislative/regulatory changes |
| 3 | 2 | 1 |
|
Project Financing |
|
|
| 4 | 2 |
Maintenance |
|
|
| 3 | 3 |
Other facilities management services (5 responses) |
|
|
| 4 | 1 |
Decant of DSS staff (4 responses) | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
B7. How would you describe the allocation of risk proposed by the Contributions Agency in their Invitation to Negotiate? (five firms responded).
Risk | Wholly with the DSS | Mostly with the DSS | Shared | Mostly with private sector | Wholly with private sector |
Design and construction |
|
|
| 1 | 4 |
Redevelopment opportunities |
|
|
| 2 | 3 |
DSS flexibility to shed surplus accommodation |
|
| 2 | 1 | 2 |
Residual Life after contract term |
|
|
| 2 | 3 |
Legislative/regulatory changes |
|
|
| 1 | 4 |
Project Financing |
|
|
| 1 | 4 |
Maintenance |
|
|
| 1 | 4 |
Other facilities management services (4 responses) |
|
|
|
| 4 |
Decant (3 responses) |
|
|
| 1 | 2 |
B8. Question to the three short-listed bidders. Were the Contributions Agency's requests for information from you at the Invitation to Tender stage:
| Very excessive | Excessive | About right | Too little |
Design and construction |
|
| 3 |
|
Redevelopment opportunities |
|
| 3 |
|
Consortium structure | 1 |
| 2 |
|
Risk allocation | 1 |
| 2 |
|
Project Financing | 1 |
| 1 | 1 |
Maintenance |
|
| 3 |
|
Other facilities management services |
|
| 2 |
|
Other |
|
| 1 |
|
B9. Question to the three short-listed bidders. How clear to you were the criteria by which bidders were assessed at the Best and Final Offers stage?
Very clear | Clear | Unclear | Confusing |
|
| 3 |
|