Tender: UK-Edinburgh: auditing services
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UK-Edinburgh: auditing services
2010/S 48-071123
CONTRACT NOTICE
Services
SECTION I: CONTRACTING AUTHORITY
- I.1)NAME, ADDRESSES AND CONTACT POINT(S):
Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Attn: Kirsty Hughes, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UNITED KINGDOM. Tel. +44 1314513700. E-mail: k.hughes@hw.ac.uk. Fax +44 1314513119.
Internet address(es):
General address of the contracting authority: http://www.he-purchasing.hw.ac.uk/.
Address of the buyer profile: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx....
Further information can be obtained at: Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Attn: Kirsty Hughes, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UNITED KINGDOM. Tel. +44 1314513700. Fax +44 1314513119. URL: http://www.he-purchasing.hw.ac.uk/.
Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained at: Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Attn: Kirsty Hughes, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UNITED KINGDOM. Tel. +44 1314513700. E-mail: k.hughes@hw.ac.uk. Fax +44 1314513119. URL: http://www.he-purchasing.hw.ac.uk/.
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Contact: Procurement Services, Attn: Kirsty Hughes, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UNITED KINGDOM. Tel. +44 1314513700. E-mail: k.hughes@hw.ac.uk. Fax +44 1314513119. URL: http://www.he-purchasing.hw.ac.uk/.
- I.2)TYPE OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY AND MAIN ACTIVITY OR ACTIVITIES:
Body governed by public law.
Education.
SECTION II: OBJECT OF THE CONTRACT
- II.1)DESCRIPTION
- II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
External audit services.
- II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance:
Services.
Service category: No 9.
Main place of performance: Heriot-Watt University.
NUTS code: UKM25.
- II.1.3)The notice involves:
A public contract.
- II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s):
Heriot-Watt University is seeking External Audit Services covering audit and certification of the University's Financial Statements and its subsidiary activities, representation at University Committees and to provide advice and support on expanding the University's overseas business.
Note: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=1....
- II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV):
79212000.
- II.1.7)Contract covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA):
Yes.
- II.1.8)Division into lots:
No.
- II.1.9)Variants will be accepted:
Yes.
- II.2)QUANTITY OR SCOPE OF THE CONTRACT
- II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:
The Contract will be for three years in the first instance, extendable in two annual increments thereafter, subject to satisfactory performance, up to a maximum duration of 5 years. The service requirement includes the audit and certification of the University's Financial Statements, audit certificates relating to subsidiary activities, attendance and representation at University Committee meetings and to provide advice on adherance to accounting standards, financial reporting standards and audit standards and liaison with the funding council and with the University's appointed internal auditors. Advice is also sought on how to support the University expanding its overseas business.
- II.2.2)Options:
No.
- II.3)DURATION OF THE CONTRACT OR TIME-LIMIT FOR COMPLETION:
Duration in months: 36 (from the award of the contract).
II.1.4)Information on framework agreement:
SECTION III: LEGAL, ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION
- III.1)CONDITIONS RELATING TO THE CONTRACT
- III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:
A parent-company guarantee or performance bond may be required.
- III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:
Joint and several liability where applicable.
- III.1.4)Other particular conditions to which the performance of the contract is subject:
No.
- III.2)CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
- III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers:
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if requirements are met: (1) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they are not bankrupt or the subject of an administration order, are not being wound-up, have not granted a trust deed, are not the subject of a petition presented for sequestration of their estate, have not had a receiver, manager or administrator appointed and are not otherwise apparently insolvent.
(2) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that the candidate, their directors, or any other person who has powers of representation, decision or control of the candidate has not been convicted of conspiracy, corruption, bribery, or money laundering. Failure to provide such a declaration will result in the candidate being declared ineligible and they will not be selected to participate in this procurement process.
(3) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they have not been convicted of a criminal offence relating to the conduct of their business or profession.
(4) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they have not committed an act of grave misconduct in the course of their business or profession.
(5) All candidates must comply with the requirements of the State in which they are established, regarding registration on the professional or trade register.
(6) Any candidate found to be guilty of serious misrepresentation in providing any information required, may be declared ineligible and not selected to continue with this procurement process.
(7) All candidates will have to demonstrate that they are licensed, or a member of the relevant organisation, in the State where they are established, when the law of that State prohibits the provision of the services, described in this notice, by a person who is not so licensed or who is not a member of the relevant organisation.
(8) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they have fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions under the law of any part of the United Kingdom or of the relevant State in which the candidate is established
(9) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they have fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of taxes under the law of any part of the United Kingdom or of the relevant State in which the economic operator is established.
- III.2.2)Economic and financial capacity:
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if requirements are met: (1) All candidates will be required to provide a reference from their bank.
(2) All candidates will be required to provide evidence of relevant professional risk indemnity insurance.
(3) All candidates will be required to provide a statement, covering the 3 previous financial years including the overall turnover of the candidate and the turnover in respect of the activities which are of a similar type to the subject matter of this notice.
(4) All candidates will be required to provide statements of accounts or extracts from those accounts relating to their business.
All candidates will be required to provide a copy of the full report and audited accounts for the last 2 financial years.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: Satisfactory response to Heriot-Watt University's PQQ (Part G) - 'Statement Relating to Good Standing'.
- III.2.3)Technical capacity:
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if requirements are met:
(1) A statement of the candidate's average annual number of staff and managerial staff over the previous 3 years
(2) Details of the educational and professional qualifications of their managerial staff; and those of the person(s) who would be responsible for providing the services or carrying out the work or works under the contract;
(3) All candidates will be required to provide certification drawn up by an independent body attesting the compliance of the economic operator with quality assurance standards based on the relevant European standards.
(4) An indication of the proportion of the contract which the services provider intends possibly to subcontract.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:
Experience of providing audit services and advice in the past two years, to similar Higher Education/Public Sector organisations to meet Heriot-Watt University's (HWU's), requirements as specified within Section 1.3 of HWU's PQQ.
- III.3)CONDITIONS SPECIFIC TO SERVICES CONTRACTS
- III.3.1)Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession:
Yes.
Must be a firm of Registered Auditors. To audit the University's Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and UK Accounting Standards (UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).To conduct the audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing. To report whether the University's Financial Statements give a true and fair view and are properly prepared in accordance with the statement of recommended practice: Accounting for further and higher education (2007), and also in accordance with the University's Statutes and where appropriate the financial memorandum with the Scottish Funding Council. Further Guidance contained within the Financial Reporting Council - Combined Code on Corporate Governance.
- III.3.2)Legal entities should indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff responsible for the execution of the service:
Yes.
III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions regulating them:
III.2.4)Reserved contracts:
SECTION IV: PROCEDURE
- IV.1)TYPE OF PROCEDURE
- IV.1.1)Type of procedure:
Restricted.
- IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate:
Envisaged minimum number: 5.
- IV.2)AWARD CRITERIA
- IV.2.1)Award criteria:
The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated below:
1. Competitiveness of Proposal - fee rate structure and cost transparency. Weighting: 20 %.
2. Compliance with Heriot-Watt University's Conditions of Contract and tender instructions and overall quality of the audit proposal. Weighting: 30 %.
3. Extent of proactive work proposed in dealing with new accounting standards and practices, developments in corporate governance. Weighting: 30 %.
4. Quality of bid presentation. Weighting: 20 %.
- IV.2.2)An electronic auction will be used:
No.
- IV.3)ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
- IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:
HWU/1037/002.
- IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document:
Time limit for receipt of requests for documents or for accessing documents: 12.4.2010.
- IV.3.4)Time-limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate:
15.4.2010 - 10:00.
- IV.3.5)Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates:
3.5.2010.
- IV.3.6)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up:
English.
IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue:
IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract:
IV.3.7)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender:
IV.3.8)Conditions for opening tenders:
SECTION VI: COMPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
- VI.1)THIS IS A RECURRENT PROCUREMENT:
- VI.3)ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Evaluation weightings applied to PQQ's is as follows:
Financial details (Part B of PQQ) 22 %.
Contractual matters (Part C of PQQ 9 %.
Technical/professional ability (Part D of PQQ) 44 %.
Additional specific questions (Part E of PQQ) 25 %.
(SC Ref:184265).
- VI.4)PROCEDURES FOR APPEAL
- VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures:
Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UNITED KINGDOM. E-mail: k.hughes@hw.ac.uk. Tel. +44 1314513700. URL: www.he-purchasing.hw.ac.uk/. Fax +44 1314513119.
- VI.5)DATE OF DISPATCH OF THIS NOTICE:
5.3.2010.
VI.2)CONTRACT RELATED TO A PROJECT AND/OR PROGRAMME FINANCED BY EU FUNDS:
VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals:
VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained:
