Clarifications
There are 135 clarifications for this DPS
95. Qu 104 We answered No however on review think we should have answered Yes. The assessor of our SQ has mentioned Social Value will need to be checked however there is no way of changing our answer as it has not been opened up for response. Can you confirm how we should amend this?
You can request that your application is put back into Registered 1 on the DPS platform which will allow you to amend the response to any question, including the one regarding Social Value. Then please re-submit and the team at CCS will assess and progress your application accordingly.
To be clear, we have taken your question today as the request and will put you back into Registered 1, allowing you to make the change straight away.
Answered
17/08/2022 09:45
94. Carbon Reduction Plan - we have a published Carbon Reduction Policy with a full plan pending and likely to be available from end 2022. Can we tick yes to this question on the SQ and provide link to the policy and then provide plan in the form of the template to contracting entity?
Yes, you can tick yes and provide a link to your Carbon Reduction Policy and progress your application.
We are allowing existing policies, draft plans and/or confirmation of sign up to the Market Research Society (MRS) Carbon Net Zero Pledge in the interim whilst full plans are finalised.
We will absolutely need the reduction plan as soon as you can, but in the meantime your published Carbon Reduction Policy will be sufficient. Thank you for checking.
Answered
17/08/2022 09:45
93. As a follow on from Qu 91 - In the SQ Evidence section, if we are able to upload audited accounts, do we need to upload the additional financial proof (turnover / P&L / cashflow)?
This is not required. Please see paragraph 73 of the DPS Needs document which lists the questions that are Not Applicable, this includes Q166 - Q172, Q176 and Q179 - Q185.
Answered
27/05/2022 15:21
92. On the supply chain questions 65-71 (providing % figures of invoices paid within 60 days) does it include other financial obligations such as payroll?
No, this does not apply to standard regular payroll, just invoices to companies in your supply chain.
Answered
27/05/2022 15:21
91. For several questions, we are unable to move on / receive an error message if a document is not uploaded, even if its not relevant. Should we upload a blank document in order to submit?
Yes. If any issues with the system itself you can contact the NQC support team who can help you further. You can reach them via email support@nqc.com or via phone 0161 413 7982
Answered
27/05/2022 15:20
90. Further to Clarification Question 66, can you please confirm the form "certificates for each principal contract" should or could take? This is under the "Suppliers' Past Performance" section/heading.
You are not required to submit evidence for these. As per paragraph 73 in the DPS Needs document (found in the bid pack) part 3 supplier chain questions 150 - 154 are not applicable.
Answered
01/04/2022 11:58
89. Producing a Carbon Reduction Plan - How does a virtual company with (currently) no employees and no premises go about writing a sensible carbon reduction plan? All meetings are carried out online and colleagues work from home. Many thanks
CCS are running online sessions to assist with creating a Carbon Reduction Plan, regardless of your size, to help suppliers meet compliance of procurement policy, PPN 06/21. You are able to sign up for the training, free of charge, at this link.
Alternatively, we are happy to accept instead confirmation that you are signed up to the Market Research Society's Carbon Net Zero Pledge, it costs nothing and you can access it here - https://www.mrs.org.uk/topic/sustainability-in-research
Answered
01/04/2022 12:00
88. Please would you advise where I can find definitions of the following as I can't locate anything in the documents. Or, if not included, please clarify the purpose and responsibilities of the roles. Thanks
DPS Agreement Manager
Authorised Representative
Compliance Officer
Marketing Contact
They are defined in the Joint Schedule 1 Definitions as follows:
Compliance Officer - the person(s) appointed by the Supplier who is responsible for ensuring that the Supplier complies with its legal obligations.
Marketing Contact - shall be the person identified in the DPS Agreement Form
For smaller businesses these roles may not be applicable so it is acceptable for them to be not completed or listed as 'not applicable'.
Answered
22/03/2022 11:27
87. Could you please clarify the responsibilities for the Compliance Officer to help us determine which role within our organisation is the best fit. Guidance on whether this sits with a senior company director or someone closer to the relevant business unit would be appreciated.
They are defined in the Joint Schedule 1 Definitions as follows: Compliance Officer - the person(s) appointed by the Supplier who is responsible for ensuring that the Supplier complies with its legal obligations.
Answered
22/03/2022 11:28
86. Afternoon
We are providing our evidence as we are appointed on the DPS. Could you please just clarify what we need to provide for these below please:-
Upload documentary evidence for a list of relevant principal contracts for goods and/or services provided in the last three years
Upload documentary evidence for a certificate for each principal contract for goods and/or services provided in the last three years
Upload documentary evidence for past performance information for any sub-contractors (or consortium members) who the supplier will rely upon to perform the contract
thanking you.
Best regards
You are not required to submit evidence for these. As per paragraph 73 in the DPS Needs document (found in the bid pack) part 3 supplier chain questions 150 - 154 are not applicable.
Answered
17/03/2022 09:17
85. 185. Upload documentary evidence for cash flow for the most recent year of trading for the organisation. What evidence do you need for this - I dont understand. Do you want a full year's bank statements? These questions are way too general.
We need the accounts for the last 2 years to run an assessment.
Answered
22/03/2022 11:31
84. Q182. Upload documentary evidence for a statement of the turnover. What evidence do you require - this doesn't make sense to me.
This is not required. Please see paragraph 73 of the DPS Needs document which lists the questions that are Not Applicable, this includes Q182.
Answered
01/04/2022 12:01
83. Q170. -A statement of funding provided by the owners and/or the bank, charity accruals accounts or an alternative means of demonstrating financial status. I own the company 100% - what evidence do you need for this question?
This is not required. Please see paragraph 73 of the DPS Needs document which lists the questions that are Not Applicable, this includes Q170.
Answered
01/04/2022 12:01
82. DPS Schedule 4 - DPS Management clause 3.8 - Please can you provide examples of what would be an acceptable reason for not bidding for further competitions.
Acceptable reasons could include; timescales given by the customer to bid are too tight, budget/value of contract too low, overwhelmed by volume of tenders, selectively choosing which tenders to bid for due to niche offering, busy time of year, low capacity to bid for new tenders. Anything that would cause you to not wish to bid is acceptable.
Answered
17/03/2022 09:18
81. DPS Order Schedule 14 - Please can confirm at what stage in the tender process any applicable service metrics will be proposed as intended for acceptance.
As Order Schedule 14 is part of the Terms and Conditions, any applicable service metrics would have to be included (and highlighted!) to bidders as part of the tender bid pack, so you (as the potential bidder) would have sight of it to review before deciding whether to spend your time on bidding for the opportunity.
Answered
17/03/2022 09:18
80. DPS Schedule 5 - Please can you confirm at what stage any final draft of penalties for delay in provision of MI will be provided during the tender process?
This is between CCS and the supplier, therefore any penalty with respect to repeated delays in provision of MI would be first discussed with you. There are conversations that would be had between CCS and the supplier long before penalties are employed, and these would be communicated clearly if no resolution could be agreed upon.
Answered
17/03/2022 09:19
79. DPS Core Terms 15.3 - Is a template for the potential confidentiality agreement intended between individuals and the authority available for review?
As the potential confidentiality agreement would be between the contracting authority (buyer/customer) and the supplier, they may differ depending on the government department undertaking the procurement. CCS does not mandate a template for other government departments to use.
Answered
17/03/2022 09:19
78. DPS Order Schedule 7 - Clause 1.5.3 - If a key member of staff is on 3 months or less employment contract notice it is not practicable to give three months' notice to the Authority as the Supplier itself will not have that degree of notice. Please can you clarify how this clause will be implemented?
Order Schedule 7 is an optional schedule. This means that the contracting authority (buyer/customer) can choose not to use it at all. Typically, it is not used at all if the contract duration is less than a year, or if listing key staff is not applicable to the specific requirement/situation. This schedule is very much used practically and would not be implemented unnecessarily - it will be made clear at the beginning of the tender whether the customer is using it or not and you will have an opportunity to clarify with them during the clarification period if it is unclear or impractical.
Answered
17/03/2022 09:20
77. Will we get through the SSQ if we answer 'NO' to question 155 re CyberEssentials as it is not yet in place? Then await to answer in the affirmative for the DPSQ
Yes, as long as you can provide your cyber essentials certificate by the commencement of first contract.
Answered
08/03/2022 14:47
76. Dear Sir /Madam,
Questions 107 to 111 ask us to provide contact details for our DPS Agreement Manager; Authorised Representative; Compliance Officer; Data Protection Officer and Marketing Contact. Is there anywhere in the Bid Pack (I have looked through it) that details what being named would mean if we were to be successful i.e. what work would be required of them? Many thanks for your response.
They are defined in the Joint Schedule 1 Definitions as follows: Compliance Officer - the person(s) appointed by the Supplier who is responsible for ensuring that the Supplier complies with its legal obligations. Marketing Contact - shall be the person identified in the DPS Agreement Form.
For smaller businesses these roles may not be applicable so it is acceptable for them to be not completed or listed as 'not applicable'.
Answered
22/03/2022 11:28
