Clarifications: 713212450 - Delivery of Information Defence Line Of Development Services (I-DLOD)
Questions and Clarifications
There are 24 questions and clarifications relating to this opportunity.
0. For absolute clarity does the 750 character limit (including spaces) apply to each of the nine elements of essential Skills and Experience and to each of the 5 elements of nice-to-have skills and experience, therefore 14 paragraphs each with a 750 character limit - OR - do you expect two responses, the first to cover the nine elements of essential skills and experience in less than 750 characters and a second response of no more than 750 characters that entails the 5 elements of the Nice-to-have skills and experience?
The 750 character limit applies to each separate response to the individual Essential and Nice-to-Have Skills & Experience. Suppliers may write an individual response of up to 750 characters for each of the 14 Skills & Experience criteria.
Last Updated: 12 December 2024, 11:08
1. Please could we ask if there is an incumbent supplier?
This is a new requirement and as such there is no incumbent supplier providing this service.
Last Updated: 13 December 2024, 16:25
2. You have specified a core contract value of £3.7M. Is this for the first 2 years only or are you expecting the optional 3rd year extension to come within this total?
The maximum budget for the Core Services in Years 1 & 2 is £2,466,666 ex VAT. The figure of £3,700,000 ex VAT would be the maximum budget for the Core Services in Years 1, 2 plus the optional extension period of Year 3. For further details please see the funding breakdown within the Invitation to Tender document, para 3.
Last Updated: 17 December 2024, 12:58
3. Within the pricing documents you have specified a team structure of 1 x SFIA 7 I-DLOD lead 5 x SFIA 6 I-DLOD functional area leads (e.g. a sub-service platform specialist and a surface platform specialist, etc) and 1 x SFIA 3 admin support. Are you specifying that the team has to be this structure to deliver the service? In this structure is platform experience and knowledge (e.g. ships, helicopter) or technical information experience and skills (e.g. information content management, user experience specialisms, data architecture, etc) more important to you?
The roles listed in the Pricing Table on the Additional T&M tab are indicative roles for evaluation purposes only, to ensure that additional rates are evaluated on a like-for-like basis. Tenderers will be able to suggest their own service structure in the Core Services tab and the Guidance Notes within the spreadsheet specify which cells may be edited by tenderers when providing detail of their own solution. Please note that tenderers are not required to return a completed Pricing Table in Stage 1 of the procurement, this will be requested from the down-selected tenderers at Stage 2 and has been provided for information purposes only at this point in the process.
Last Updated: 17 December 2024, 12:59
4. Please confirm the responses required are character count and not word count?
As per previous CQs, a 750 character limit applies to each separate response to the individual Essential and Nice-to-Have Skills & Experience. Suppliers may write an individual response of up to 750 characters for each of the 14 Skills & Experience criteria.
Last Updated: 27 December 2024, 11:18
5. Attachment 1, Statement of Requirement page 10, states "Additional assessment methods - work history". Is this per team member? If not please specify.
At Stage 2, down-selected tenderers will be asked to provide a work history to summarise their key personnel who would be considered central to delivering their solution. Further guidance will be provided to down-selected tenderers at Stage 2.
Last Updated: 27 December 2024, 11:32
6. What Management Information Apps are currently being used?
MS Office/Teams/SharePoint.
Last Updated: 2025-01-10T14:06:15.80989Z
7. Does TUPE apply?
As this is a new requirement with no incumbent provider, it is the Authority's opinion that TUPE will not apply.
Last Updated: 07 January 2025, 11:39
8. The SOW states a deadline for presentation submissions but the ITT states not applicable to this procurement – Please confirm.
Please disregard the reference to supplier presentations within the SOW timeline, this has been auto-generated by CCS and we are unable to amend it. Presentations are not required.
Last Updated: 2025-01-07T11:43:03.70756Z
9. Crown Commercial Service Core Terms stipulate as follows: Clause 10.2.2 Each Buyer has the right to terminate their Call-Off Contract at any time without reason by giving the Supplier not less than 90 days' written notice. Clause 10.7.3 Where the Buyer has the right to terminate a Call-Off Contract it can terminate or suspend (for any period), all or part of it. Does the above mean that the Buyer can suspend the contract without a reason, and the applicable notice period for such suspension is 30 days?
The CCS DOS 6 core Terms and Conditions will apply, including both clauses 10.2.2 and 10.7.3. As per 10.2.2, the Buyer will need to give at least 90 days notice if they wish to terminate the call-off contract for any reason.
Last Updated: 07 January 2025, 13:11
10. According to Order Form (section “Warranty Period”) the Supplier shall provide digital and Software Deliverables with a minimum warranty of at least 90 days against all obvious defects /…/. What is the commencement date of warranty?
Any required warranty would commence from the date of delivery of the digital and/or software deliverables.
Last Updated: 07 January 2025, 13:13
11. Order Form includes a section “Guarantee”, whereas it is marked as “TBC” Can you confirm if any guarantee will be required?
It is not anticipated that a Guarantee will be required, however the Authority retains the right to request one from the winning supplier if it is deemed necessary at contract award.
Last Updated: 2025-01-07T13:14:25.8127Z
12. Annex 1 of the Order Form is the first Statement of Work (SOW). SOW Section 4 “Charges” says the following; Call Off Contract Charges: Capped Time and Materials (CTM) Total maximum cost for this SOW: £TBC (excluding VAT) Rate Cards Applicable: (excluding VAT) Day Rate: £TBC Maximum Day Rates for this SOW: £TBC Also, according to the Order Form, during the Call-Off Contract Period, the Buyer and Supplier may agree and execute completed Statement of Works, i.e in the future there may be additional SOWs. Also, ad-hoc Deliverables may be agreed under a separate SOW. Is there a mechanism in place for periodical adjustments of Time and Material rates?
Tenderers who are down-selected and invited to Stage 2 must specify Day Rates and quantities for each contract year for the Core Services within the Pricing Table spreadsheet. These rates and totals will be incorporated into the contract as firm prices and will not be subject to any adjustments. For the potential additional services, indicative roles and quantities have been pre-populated and down-selected tenderers will need to provide Day Rates and totals against these for evaluation purposes. Actual roles and quantities required will depend on the Authority's need for additional tasks and are not guaranteed. Please see the Pricing Table, Guidance Notes tab for full details.
Last Updated: 2025-01-07T13:20:33.96737Z
13. Core Terms Clause 9.2 stipulates that any New IPR created under a Contract is owned by the Buyer. Reference is also made to the amended wording of Core Terms Clause 3.2.3 which says that the Supplier transfers risk of the Goods on delivery and ownership of the Goods on payment for those Goods. Please confirm if the ownership of new IPR transfers to the Buyer upon payment for respective services?
Terms and Conditions including those pertaining to IPR will be made available to down-selected tenderers when the draft call-off contract order form is issued at Stage 2. However, this is expected to be in line with the CCS DOS 6 Core Terms, and with the inclusion of DEFCON 707 - Rights in Technical Data as per the Tender document that has been released.
Last Updated: 2025-01-07T13:23:27.23173Z
14. In the Invitation to Tender Reference 713212450,(document: ocds-pfhb7i-63193-713212450-I-DLODCCSDOS6Tender-o) under Service Requirement there appears to be a typo under SR6 as follows: SR 6. To provide Navy Digital with I-DLOD functional assurance, that will integrate, co-ordinate and collaborate with the Navy Digitals Portfolio Assurance activities and reporting. Including: - SR 5.1 The I-DLOD aspects of Business Cases and Review Notes etc., SR 5.2 I-DLOD SME input to the Navy Digital Technical Assurance Authority (NDTAA) Can you clarify that these two sub requirements should be numbered as SR6.1 and SR6.2?
Yes, this is a typo
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 13:30
15. There is no detail on the provision of any previous IDLOD artefacts that Navy Digital may have produced in the past for the four transitional programmes mentioned in the SoR, namely: Vanguard to Dreadnought SSBN Frigate Transition Programme (T23 to T26 and T31) UK Commando Forces/Littoral Strike Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) including Autonomous capabilities. Please can you clarify what, if any, existing I-DLOD information/artefacts there are for these programmes which the supplier shall be able to access on contract award and upon which the supplier is expected to develop and mature into a robust IDLOD output / function within Navy Digital.
This is a new capability standing up to address coherence issues across existing programmes. Any existing IDLOD artefacts will have been developed within existing programmes and projects and will not have been subject to Navy Digital oversight. It is anticipated that an incoming supplier would conduct a period of discovery across current programmes to establish the baseline.
Last Updated: 2025-01-10T13:47:20.72809Z
16. Does this requirement only apply to shoreside systems or inclusive of systems afloat?
Both ashore and afloat.
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 13:50
17. What is the estimated resource demand to provide the I-DLOD as a managed service?
This would be for the supplier to ascertain within their bid, noting the four priority transformation programmes to be supported within the first six months of delivery. It would be for the supplier to decide how to scale up the service. An indicative list of current programmes to be supported is at Appendix 1 Para 2 of the tender document.
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 13:58
18. What are the responsibilities of the I-DLOD?
The IDLOD is described in the tender document Annex 1 SOW.
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 14:01
19. What are the responsibilities of the I-DLOD?
The IDLOD is described in the tender document Annex 1 SOW.
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 14:02
20. What systems will need I-DLOD ownership?
No systems will require direct ownership by the supplier of the IDLOD service. The current projects requiring IDLOD support are listed at Appendix 1 of the tender document. This will inevitably vary as new projects and programmes are stood up. The supplier will be expected to provide support for the four priority programmes listed within the first six months, scaling up to support the others in a phased manner.
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 14:04
21. How many Projects/Programmes will the I-DLOD be responsible and how is this broken down across MDA, MDDS, C5ISR, DNA and the Digital HQ?
Those listed in Appendix 1 of the tender document, noting that this will evolve as projects mature and new projects/programmes stand up.
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 14:10
22. How many people are expected to have DV clearance, will DV clearance be required upon Contract Award?
A minimum of one DV at contract start. Further DV cleared personnel at the supplier's discretion to deliver the service effectively.
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 14:13
23. Can the Authority please clarify the wording of Q8 in the Essential skills and experience question table? "Demonstrate knowledge of how you ensure your information assurance solutions to the evolving maritime environment."
The maritime environment is continually evolving. Demonstrate how your proposed service can be evolved to meet the changing demands of the Royal Navy.
Last Updated: 10 January 2025, 14:14