ESPD Question 4B.4 Economic and Financial Standing.
The Council will use the following ratios to evaluate a bidder's financial status. Bidders must confirm within their response to the relevant question within the Qualification Envelope that as a minimum, 2 out of the 3 ratios can be met and what the value of each ratio is.
The 3 ratios to be evaluated are:
Profitability — this is taken as profit after tax but before dividends and minority interests. If a company makes a profit then it is a pass for this ratio;
Liquidity — this is calculated as current assets less stock and work in progress, divided by current liabilities. If the answer is greater than or equal to one then it is a pass for this ratio
Gearing — this is calculated as the total external secured borrowing (short term and long term) divided by shareholder funds expressed as a percentage. If the answer is less than or equal to 100 % it is considered a pass for this ratio.
Where 2 out of the 3 ratios cannot be met, the Council may take the undernoted into consideration when assessing financial viability and the risk to the Council, providing that the Bidder can supply evidence to substantiate any of the mitigating criteria. This list is not exhaustive and other criteria may be considered where proposed by a bidder as mitigating factors:
Would the bidder have passed the checks if prior year accounts had been used?
Were any of the poor appraisal outcomes ‘marginal’?
Does the bidder operate in a market which, traditionally, requires lower liquidity or higher debt finance?
Does the bidder have sufficient reserves to sustain losses for a number of years?
Does the bidder have a healthy cash-flow?
Is the bidder profitable enough to finance the interest on its debt?
Is most of the bidder's debt owed to group companies?
Is the bidder's debt due to be repaid over a number of years, and affordable?
Have the bidder's results been adversely affected by ‘one off costs’ and / or ‘one off accounting treatments’?
Do the bidder's auditors (where applicable) consider it to be a ‘going concern’?
Do Keynote (where applicable) consider the bidder to be a ‘going concern’?
Will the bidder provide a Parent Company Guarantee?
Is the bidder the single supplier/source of the Goods/Works/Services in the marketplace?
The Council will request submission of and assess the bidder's financial accounts, and may use Keynote or similar financial verification systems to validate the information provided.
ESPD Question 4B.5 Insurance.
The bidder must confirm that they have or will commit to obtain prior to the commencement of the contract, the following levels of Insurance Cover:
Employer's Liability Insurance covering the death of or bodily injuries to employees of the bidder arising out of and in the course of their employment in connection with this contract to the level of 1 000 000 GBP in respect of each claim, without limit to the number of claims.
Public Liability Insurance covering the death of or bodily injury to a person (not an employee of the bidder) or loss of or damage to property resulting from an action or failure to take action by the bidder to the level of 5 000 000 GBP in respect of each claim, without limit to the number of claims.