Clarifications

There is a self cleaning section in the DPS Needs document (point 48 in the 'How to Participate Section') which clearly outlines what is meant by self-cleaning. If there are grounds for exclusion, there is an opportunity for Suppliers to explain the background and any measures they have taken to rectify the situation (we call this self-cleaning), this section of guidance outlines as a minimum what is required to be submitted

With regards to the Contact example we can accept this if the customer has signed the contract example acknowledging that the supplier has satisfactorily completed research works to the agreed and required standard. A template Letter of Confirmation of Works can be found in the Bid pack.

Authorised Rep is whoever in the supplier's organisation is authorised to sign the contracts, and Marketing Contact is if the supplier has a specific marketing department who deals with marketing things. It's not mandatory to have different people in these contacts, they can all be one and the same person. The important thing is that the main contact is the one that will receive all the opportunities so to ensure that one is up to date and correct.

Please select the 'export' button at the bottom of this page for the excel sheet with all clarification questions and answers.

Please scroll down and download the Carbon Reduction Plan template at the following address for details of the required information - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0621-taking-account-of-carbon-reduction-plans-in-the-procurement-of-major-government-contracts

As per the DPS Needs document in the bid pack suppliers must have current Cyber Essential [basic or plus] certification or alternatively ISO27001.

Please contact support@nqc.com who will be able to direct you on how to resolve this.'

To answer go to https://supplierregistration.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/dashboard/clarifications?cid=@T08=UFdORVRqRlJlazA9NjJN

This framework is for bespoke research projects rather than off-the-shelf databases which may fall under other CCS frameworks.

Please see section 73 in the 'Read First - RM6126 DPS Needs' document that refers to the questions that are not applicable. To confirm, Q179 is not required to be completed.

Please raise this with the Crown Commercial Service Customer Service Centre using email address info@crowncommercial.gov.uk. Please include the name of your organisation and your SQ... reference number in the email so that your application can be traced.

No, ISO27001 is not a requirement. There is a mandatory requirement for all suppliers to have Cyber Essentials certifications in order to be appointed. We accept ISO27001 certificate in it's place if you do not have Cyber Essentials, but it is not required as well as Cyber Essentials

Yes, we are happy to accept a draft Carbon Reduction Plan at this point as an interim measure, please share with us so we can review.

Yes, it is possible to add in an Ethical Walls Agreement into the schedules to suit your requirement. There is an area for special terms within DPS Schedule 6 Order Form. Please ensure bidders are aware of any special terms during the procurement to adhere to transparency.

These questions relate to supplementary information that may be requested from customers if/when required, the application can progress without uploading this information.

It would appear that you have a technical fault with your submission. Please raise a case with Crown Commercial Service (either using the form or the telephone number both of which are on the main Crown Commercial Service web page) to raise a case, which will be passed to the relevant support team to investigate and resolve.

These questions relate to supplementary information that may be requested from customers if/when required, the application can progress without uploading this information.

Question 144 is not pass/fail. We are working on getting the previous (incorrect) response updated, thank you for highlighting this.

It totally depends on how prepared the supplier is. If they have everything they need in place and there are no issues with their financial stability, and they complete the application promptly, then it can be a matter of a week at most. Our team is very responsive to applications. The items the suppliers would need are: - Cyber Essentials basic certification (or ISO27001) - Insurances: public liability, professional indemnity, employer liability - one example of research work (a written paragraph) with a letter of confirmation signed by the contracting authority - carbon reduction plan to adhere to the carbon net zero policy (as an interim measure, we will accept a draft) There is further information on the Carbon Reduction Plan and a template on this page). All applications are split into the preliminary selection questionnaire and the DPSQ, suppliers can access and start their registration by following this link and scrolling down to Research & Insights and clicking on 'access as a supplier'. This will ensure they are in the right place. On that same link, they can download the bid pack which has all the information they require. All the requirements including the examples above are defined in the DPS Needs document within the bid pack.

No, there is no agreed inflation rate stated within the terms and conditions. This would be something that would be addressed at call-off stage with the contracting authority. There is an area for a term on inflation to be inserted into the DPS Schedule 6 Order Form that customer's are encouraged to use. Any questions about inflation clauses can be raised as part of the clarification period during a call-off competition.