Clarifications

131. Q14 states: Does any individual have significant control (greater than 25% share capital) over the organisation i.e. a Person of Significant Control (PSC)? If the PSC is a company, not an individual person, how should we answer question 14, as Q15 does not allow us to enter company details as a PSC.

130. Good Morning - we raised the following question on 24th Mch but do not appear to have received a response? We are in the process of applying under the SPARK DPS and wanted to clarify what you deem to be 'equivalent' for the following requirements: BS EN ISO 9001 "Quality Management System" standard or equivalent. BS EN ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard or equivalent. ISO 27001 Information Security Management standard or equivalent.

129. Can you clarify what the deadline date is for applying to join SPARK, we understood the contract was until April 2025 and therefore could apply anytime up to that point?

127. Our organisation doesn't have cyber essentials or cyber essentials plus and we don't have any plans to apply as we already have SOC2 controls in place. We have a document that maps the Cyber Essential controls to our organisations SOC2 controls that we're happy to share. It states our application for Spark will be rejected if we don't state we're going to be onboarding CE or CEP, how should we respond if we already have strong security measures in place?

126. Good Morning. We are planning to supply an AI medical technology consisting of an AI software supporting lung endoscopic navigation, which is placed on the market together with its dedicated hardware. The software and the hardware are non-separable (i.e. shall be provided as a system) since the hardware is part of the Regulatory Approval (CE marking) of the system. The hardware is the PC running the software and providing for the data connection with the other Operating Room imaging equipment that provides real-time images that are processed by the AI software to provide support to the Healthcare professional in catheter/device navigation during pulmonary procedures. Does the SPARK DPS apply to the system?

125. Question 75 requests us to tick our security classification either Offical or Above Official. Our contracts do not require this level of security so we have not applied for this level of security clearance. How do I answer this question to move on to the remaining questions when the system requires a box to be ticked?

124. Is there a deadline for submission to be awarded onto the framework?

123. Hi,we are expert provider of emerging technology advsiroy/discovery services for procurement and supply chain capability? can we fit in to SPARK DPS? or you must have a technology to sale?

122. Are buyers able to Direct Award to a Supplier on the SPARKS DPS?

121. As a US based company do we require to have a UK Company Registration Number to complete an application to join Spark DPS?

120. F02: Contract notice Notice reference: 2022/S 000-007068 Published 15 March 2022, 10:45pm Dear Sir or Madam, Could you please clarify if suppliers which are currently listed on SPARK RM6094, must (re-)submit their (previous) tender by 15/04/2022 if they wish to stay listed on SPARK beyond its current expiry date 15/04/2023? Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely

119. In the call-of-contract (schedule 4 of the bid pack), section 35.6.1 indicates that supplier is always a processor, which can't always be the case. Should it say for "personal data provided by the Authority"? The definition for the "Customer's Confidential Information" says "all Personal Data". However, we do not understand how this can be the case if the personal data is the Supplier's.

118. In the call-of-contract (schedule 4 of the bid pack) in relation to section 34.10 (Escrow). What happens if there is no source code to be provided as part of the service? This section doesn't seem to clarify that it only applies where relevant. Please clarify.

117. In the DPS Agreement, the definition for "Sub-Contract" includes "provides facilities or services necessary for the provision of the Goods and/or Services." If the Supplier uses cloud computing resources such as AWS can you clarify whether that would not constitute a Sub-Contract situation?

116. In the DPS Agreement, section 25.2.2 says "Process Cyber Essentials Data", can you explain what that means?

115. In the DPS Agreement, please clarify whether 27.4 in general only applies to situations where the Supplier are a data processor on behalf of the CCS, i.e. not where the Supplier are a controller in their right.

114. In the DPS Agreement, section 27.4.1 says that the only processing the Supplier is authorised to do is listed in Schedule 22. Could you provide a version of Schedule 22 populated as it will be for the version that will be signed such that we can review it?

113. In the DPS Agreement, schedule 2, section 3.2 (Standards) lists a number of ISO Standards. Can you clarify if it is a requirement for the Supplier to have certifications under those standards to a) enter the spark scheme b) at the point which the Supplier is awarded a call-off-contract c) never?

112. We are a start up and as such, do not have a current contract. However, we do have a completed project funded through Innovate UK and signed off. Will this suffice for the contract example - otherwise how can a start up that fits with disruptive technology actually be able to participate?

111. Good Morning. Please can you advise how long (typically) the timeframe is between a bidder submitting an application, having their application reviewed/accepted and then appointed to the DPS?