TENDER FOR PRINT MANAGEMENT AND GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES – DFC

The Department for Communities (the Department) is responsible for the management of Social Security benefits, providing advice, information and help to the public and employers on the range of benefits and other services available. The Department provides services online and through a network of Jobs & Benefits Offices across Northern Ireland.

The provision of printed and digital products is one of the main avenues through which the Department can fulfil this responsibility. The Department uses printed and digital products in various communications and instructions issued both within the Department and externally to benefit claimants.

Scope of the Contract

The Department requires a single Supplier for the provision and delivery of printed and digital products services on a Call-Off basis to support the operation of a range of business areas within the Department.

The contract has 2 main areas:

– The Provision and Delivery of Print materials to a specified location within Northern Ireland and on occasion outside of NI, in Great Britain.

– The Creation (Graphic Design) and amending of digital products, providing them to the Department in pdf format, including 300dpi full colour Web Accessible pdf format when required.

– To be Web Accessible, the product must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA accessibility standard (WCAG 2.2); these guidelines are subject to change over time.

Suppliers should refer to the Specification Schedule within the Tender Documents for full detail on the requirements of this contract.

Following the initial contract period, there is one potential extension period of up to 24 months. The optional extension period will be subject to review and satisfactory performance assessment by the Contracting Authority.

The Supplier may be invited to quote for the collation of claim packs prior to their delivery.

Some products are currently combined to make a pack which is sent in an envelope to a benefit claimant following delivery (e.g. the MA1 claim form, MA1 notes product, MA1 tables, MA1 BRE envelope are plastic wrapped to form the Maternity Allowance claim pack). The component parts of a claim pack are printed and invoiced separately.

Before signing off any additional service, the Supplier, with the assistance of the Buyer, must produce a terms of reference (TOR), and provide a quote for the provision of the claim packs. The TOR and quote must be agreed and approved by the Buyer prior to the commencement of any additional services.

The Buyer does not guarantee that any additional services will be required over the contract period, and additional services will only be paid for work carried out as instructed by the Buyer.

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.

Paper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by the Contracting Authority / Buyer.

The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps

For further details on invoicing procedures please see : https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/ar ticles/account-ni-good-invoicing-practice

Contract Value

The estimated value figure indicated in the Scope Section represents an overall estimated contract value. This value reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account potential optional extension periods and the uptake of potential optional services as detailed in the tender documents. This figure does not however take into account the application of indexation or increases to charges due to increases in the Real Living Wage.

Neither CPD nor the contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority.

Exclusions

If at any time during the procurement, or post award, it comes to the attention of the Contracting Authority (CA) or CPD, by whatever means, that a Supplier has become ‘excluded’ or ‘excludable’ as per Sec 57 of the PA 2023, the CA, after compliance with its obligations under the PA 23, reserves the right to exclude said Supplier from the procurement procedure or terminate any contract they have been awarded.

The Contracting Authority expressly reserves the rights:

(I). not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice;

(II). to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering Competition;

(III). to award (a) contract(s) in respect of any part(s) of the services covered by this notice; and

(IV). to award contract(s) in stages.

and in no circumstances will the Authority be liable for any costs incurred by candidates. This project will be used to progress the Government’s wider social, economic and environmental objectives.

Causeway Exchange 1-7 Bedford Street

Belfast

BT2 7EG

United Kingdom

Email: SSDAdmin.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk

Website: https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/

Region: UKN06 – Belfast

Organisation type: Public authority – central government

Devolved regulations that apply: Northern Ireland

Clare House 303 Airport Road West

Belfast

BT3 9ED

United Kingdom

Email: SSDAdmin.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk

Website: https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/topics/procurement

Region: UKN06 – Belfast