Services - 81747-2020
18/02/2020    S34

United Kingdom-London: IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

2020/S 034-081747

Contract notice

Services

Legal Basis:
Directive 2014/24/EU

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1)Name and addresses
Official name: Home Office
Town: London
NUTS code: UK UNITED KINGDOM
Country: United Kingdom
E-mail: ncdsardsteammailbox@homeoffice.gov.uk
Internet address(es):
Main address: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office
I.3)Communication
Access to the procurement documents is restricted. Further information can be obtained at: https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via: https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the abovementioned address
I.4)Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
I.5)Main activity
General public services

Section II: Object

II.1)Scope of the procurement
II.1.1)Title:

Agile Data Retention and Disclosure Services (ARDS) — Call for Competition

II.1.2)Main CPV code
72000000 IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
II.1.3)Type of contract
Services
II.1.4)Short description:

ARDS vision is to create agile data retention and disclosure services which allow telecom operators (TOs) to be on-boarded and off-boarded rapidly. These services shall be vendor agnostic and drive more collaborative ways of working between the authority, user communities, TOs and suppliers whilst delivering the operational capability that represents best value for money within a rapidly evolving communications market.

Following extensive market engagement the HO has decided to procure a managed service provider (MSP) that could help develop and deliver this vision on its behalf. Further, the MSP will manage not only the cloud provider(s), as required, but also solution suppliers to help drive innovation, agility and breadth of capability.

The planned initial duration of the ARDS MSP agreement is 3 years, with the authority retaining the option to extend for 2 further 1-year periods, giving a potential 5-year maximum ARDS MSP agreement duration.

II.1.5)Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: 30 000 000.00 GBP
II.1.6)Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: no
II.2)Description
II.2.2)Additional CPV code(s)
32000000 Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment
48000000 Software package and information systems
73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services
II.2.3)Place of performance
NUTS code: UK UNITED KINGDOM
II.2.4)Description of the procurement:

The ARDS project sits within the HO’s Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT) whose objectives (without limitation) are to:

— develop, coordinate and assess delivery of the Government’s counter-terrorism and serious and organised crime strategies,

— deliver elements of those strategies that fall to OSCT,

— enable oversight by the home secretary of the security service, the National Crime Agency (NCA) and police CT,

— coordinate domestic CT crisis management,

— maintain capabilities to collect, access and exploit communications data (CD) and content (the objective that the delivery of ARDS sits under), and

— support our security industry, notably in promoting security related exports.

Within OSCT, the National Communications Data Service (NCDS) is accountable for delivering and maintaining communications data services that enable requesting authorities (RA) such as security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies to obtain CD within the appropriate legal framework. These RA’s must have the ability to identify and locate subjects of interest and determine how and when they are communicating through the acquisition and exploitation of CD. This ability is required to keep up with changing technology and is vital to the work these agencies do to protect the public.

CD has been shown to be a particularly rich and reliable source of data that can be used by investigators to develop actionable intelligence and/or build a compelling evidential case to bring offenders to justice. CD has played a role in every major security service counter-terrorism operation over the past decade. It has also been used as evidence in 95 % of all serious organised crime investigations handled by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Internet communications are constantly and rapidly changing, and it is frequently the case that essential data is only either partially available, or fragmented, across service providers in the UK and overseas. NCDS must monitor and anticipate changes in the communications market and deliver, and be ready to deliver, timely, affordable capabilities and services. The growth in CD variety, volume and complexity means that NCDS wishes to deliver improved arrangements for providing CD to RA’s.

Within this context, there is also an operational requirement from Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and the United Kingdom Intelligence Community (UKIC) to improve the coverage of smaller TOs. This fundamental change in approach and the underlying assumptions for the management of telecommunications operators (TO) and CD is at the core of the ARDS concept.

NCDS intends to procure an MSP service to provide a collaborative, innovative and responsive environment in which ideas, solutions and services can be developed to the benefit of NCDS, TOs and its customers in the LEA community. NCDS needs new thinking, new approaches and new attitudes to create this environment, it will encourage potential bidders to approach ARDS with fresh ideas, creativity and openness. In creating ARDS, the MSP should enable TOs to be on-boarded and off-boarded rapidly.

NCDS requires an organisation for the MSP with an innovative approach, a highly proactive mind set and the desire to constantly seek better ways of delivering success. Clearly, solid knowledge of the technological landscape in which NCDS operates is important, but previous experience in the specific sector, and indeed in working with the public sector, may be less important.

The ARDS project has obligations under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 and the communications data code of practice whilst the TOs have obligations that are mandated via the data retention notice, ‘Investigatory Powers Act’ and the ‘IPA Code of Practice’.

II.2.5)Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
II.2.6)Estimated value
II.2.7)Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: yes
Description of renewals:

2 x 12 month extension options.

II.2.10)Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: no
II.2.11)Information about options
Options: no
II.2.13)Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
II.2.14)Additional information

Suppliers should note that the specified total contract values (TCV) are the authority’s best estimates and not guaranteed. ARDS has an estimated initial TCV of 1 500 000 GBP over the proposed contract term of 3 + 1 + 1 years, however, subject to the potential future success of ARDS and as explained throughout the market engagement, the estimated TCV of the 3 + 1 + 1 contract term may reach up to 30 000 000 GBP.

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions for participation
III.1.2)Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.1.3)Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Description
IV.1.1)Type of procedure
Competitive dialogue
IV.1.3)Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
IV.1.4)Information about reduction of the number of solutions or tenders during negotiation or dialogue
Recourse to staged procedure to gradually reduce the number of solutions to be discussed or tenders to be negotiated
IV.1.8)Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: yes
IV.2)Administrative information
IV.2.1)Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S: 2019/S 213-522788
IV.2.2)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date: 18/03/2020
Local time: 13:00
IV.2.3)Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
Date: 20/03/2020
IV.2.4)Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted:
English
IV.2.6)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: no
VI.2)Information about electronic workflows
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3)Additional information:

The authority will be using its Jaggaer eSourcing Portal to manage communication with suppliers who express interest in any potential contract opportunities that may arise as a result of this contract notice. The eSourcing Portal is an online application that allows suppliers to create and submit their PQQ responses to any requests for information, requests for quotes, or requests for proposals via the internet rather than in paper form.

All suppliers interested in learning more about any potential contract opportunities described in this contract notice should submit their details (company name, lead contact name, lead contact email address and telephone number), in the first instance, to the Jaggaer eSourcing portal address listed in Section I.1).

Arrangements will then be made for registered suppliers to access the eSourcing Portal for this potential opportunity such that they can download the ARDS MSP procurement documentation, including the ARDS MSP pre-qualification questionnaire.

VI.4)Procedures for review
VI.4.1)Review body
Official name: Home Office
Town: London
Country: United Kingdom
VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:
14/02/2020