Clarifications

CCS can confirm that supplier organisations are eligible to apply for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS independently and as a sub-contractor to a supplier also on the DPS. Suppliers however are required to confirm all named sub-contractors as part of their Selection Questionnaire submission for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS

CCS can confirm two contract examples in total with a Letter of Confirmation of Works (Attachment 1a and 1b) to support each contract example is required for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS. Please refer to the DPS Needs document which forms part of the bid pack for complete instructions to support this process.

CCS can confirm that there is no evaluation criteria to join the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS, however customers (buyers) will detail evaluation criteria as part of their individual competition(s) requirements. CCS can confirm the procurement vehicle is a Dynamic Purchasing System not a Framework Agreement. Please refer to the DPS Needs document for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS which provides complete instructions to support this DPS. CCS can confirm that there is no evaluation criteria to join the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS, however customers (buyers) will detail evaluation criteria as part of their individual competition(s) requirements. CCS can confirm the procurement vehicle is a Dynamic Purchasing System not a Framework Agreement. Please refer to the DPS Needs document for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS which provides complete instructions to support this DPS.

Please refer to Attachment 2 (RM6018 Research Services Matrix) which forms part of the RM6018 bid pack, available in the Supplier Registration Service marketplace.

As detailed in the DPS Needs document, suppliers are required to upload Attachment 1a and Attachment 1b - Letter of Confirmation of Works as part of their SQ submission. In the event that suppliers are unable to provide the required attachments as part of their submission, suppliers status will remain in assessing for a maximum of 15 working days as detailed in the DPS Needs document whilst they endeavour to obtain the required information. However, in the event that Attachment 1a and 1b are not submitted until after 15 working days, suppliers will be rejected from the DPS as an interim measure until the required attachments are provided. The two contract examples submitted by the supplier wont be formally evaluated, however they will support suppliers 'Letter of Confirmation of Works' and the suppliers previous experience, demonstrating technical capability and capacity in delivering a research project. Question 135 is not applicable please refer to the DPS Needs document, point 36 which details all not applicable questions.

Please refer to the DPS Needs document, point 36 which details all not applicable questions. This can be located in the bid pack in the Supplier Registration marketplace for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS. To summarise above, Q.180 of the selection questionnaire is NA.

Please refer to the DPS Needs document (which forms part of the RM6018 Bid pack), 'How to Request to participate' section, Part 3 - Economic and Financial Standing, point number 23.

CCS confirm that suppliers can request to participate for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS at any point as detailed in the DPS Needs document of the RM6018 bid pack. The opportunity remains open at all times unless the DPS expires or is terminated in accordance with the DPS Agreement.

CCS can confirm that the option for Suppliers to amend their responses to the Dynamic Purchasing Selection Questionnaire (DPSQ) section of the RM6018 Research Marketplace Selection Questionnaire, will be available to all suppliers in due course. As soon as this option becomes available, CCS will notify all suppliers on the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS accordingly.

CCS can confirm your financial accounts are not required as part of your Selection Questionnaire submission and will only be requested if your organisation fails to meet the D&B failure score of 51, as detailed in the DPS Needs document for RM6018. However, in the event that your organisation fails to meet the D&B failure score of 51, CCS would require your organisation to provide full accounts' including P&L and Balance Sheet along with notes supporting the financial statements. CCS would then be able to complete the required financial assessment as detailed in 'Attachment 4 - Financial Assessment Template' of the RM6018 Bid Pack.

CCS can confirm that as a condition for award of a suppliers first contract for RM6018 , Cyber Essentials Basic is required and ISO27001 WILL be accepted as an equivalent to Cyber Essentials Basic. If your organisation has ISO27001 or is working towards this accreditation, please detail this as part of your response to the Cyber Essentials question in the RM6018 Selection Questionnaire. Suppliers should note, a customer may stipulate as part of their project statement of works that advanced cyber security is required e.g. Cyber Essentials Plus, in this instance the customer will confirm following a cyber assessment if ISO27001 can be used as equivalent to Cyber Essentials Plus, if it is within the scope of the customers cyber requirements.

As detailed in the DPS Needs document, suppliers are required to upload Attachment 1a and Attachment 1b - Letter of Confirmation of Works as part of their SQ submission. In the event that suppliers are unable to provide the required attachments as part of their submission, suppliers status will remain in assessing for a maximum of 15 working days as detailed in the DPS Needs document whilst they endeavour to obtain the required information. However, in the event that Attachment 1a and 1b are not submitted until after 15 working days, suppliers will be rejected from the DPS as an interim measure until the required attachments are provided. The two contract examples submitted by the supplier wont be formally evaluated, however they will support suppliers 'Letter of Confirmation of Works' and the suppliers previous experience, demonstrating technical capability and capacity in delivering a research project. Customers may also request for suppliers to provide further evidence at call for competition stage in relation to the contract examples provided within RM6018 Selection Questionnaire.

The RM1086 Market Research Framework, developed and managed by UKSBS, expires on the 7/04/14. The RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS is intended as the replacement for RM1086 and is the preferred option for all Central Government and Wider Public Sector customers looking to procure social, economic and market research. Suppliers Appointed to the Research Marketplace DPS will be available to all Central Government and Wider Public Sector customers who will use the DPS to shortlist suppliers who can meet the customers specific requirements. Customers may then use the CCS eSourcing Portal, their own Portal, email or Contracts Finder to disseminate their statement of works.

CCS can confirm that as a condition for award of a suppliers first contract for RM6018, Cyber Essentials Basic is required and ISO27001 WILL be accepted as an equivalent to Cyber Essentials Basic. If your organisation has ISO27001, please detail this as part of your response to the Cyber Essentials question in the RM6018 Selection Questionnaire. Suppliers should note, a customer may stipulate as part of their project statement of works that advanced cyber security is required e.g. Cyber Essentials Plus, in this instance the customer will confirm following a cyber assessment if ISO27001 can be used as equivalent to Cyber Essentials Plus, if it is within the scope of the customers cyber requirements.

CCS confirm that suppliers can request to participate for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS at any point during the lifetime of the DPS, there is no deadline for submissions as detailed in the DPS Needs document of the RM6018 bid pack. The opportunity remains open at all times unless the DPS expires or is terminated in accordance with the DPS Agreement.

Suppliers should list all known sub-contractors as defined in DPS Schedule 1 of the DPS Agreement which forms part of the RM6018 bid pack, which states 'any person engaged by the supplier to provide to the supplier any part of the services or any services necessary for the provision of the Services. The sub-contractors listed as part of the supplier SQ (where applicable) will for part of the suppliers 'Letter of Appointment' as detailed in DPS Schedule 4 (Letter of Appointment and Contract Terms), if awarded a contract under the DPS. Suppliers are able to use different sub-contractors during the lifetime of their DPS Agreement, however any changes to sub contracting arrangements are subject to the obligations under clause 13 ( THIRD PARTY AGENCIES: Assignment and Sub-Contracting) of the Contract Terms which form part of the RM6018 bid pack.

A 'Group of Economic Operators' is where two or more suppliers come together to submit a bid for a contract in a public procurement process. A'supporting bidder' relates to a supplier forming part of the Group of economic operators. As you have confirmed that you are an independent research agency, therefore bidding as one entity, this question is therefore not applicable to your organisation.

CCS confirm that suppliers can request to participate for the RM6018 Research Marketplace DPS at any point as detailed in the DPS Needs document of the RM6018 bid pack. The opportunity remains open at all times unless the DPS expires or is terminated in accordance with the DPS Agreement.

In accordance with clause 7.55 - 7.57 of the DPS Agreement, suppliers are required to have in place cyber essentials basic certification by the award of their first contract under the DPS Agreement. Please refer to the link below for further information re obtgaining cyber essentials certification: https://www.cyberessentials.ncsc.gov.uk/getting-certified/ Customers will request copies of suppliers certificates prior to award of a contract under the DPS and in accordance with the obligations as set out in the DPS Agreement. If a supplier fails to provide the required certification, this may be deemed as a breach of contract and may result in a contract not being awarded.

CCS can confirm that your organisations submission is in the 'Registered' stage. You have provided all the answers to the questions but have not submitted this. You therefore need to submit your Selection Questionnaire too enable your status/ position to progress to 'assessing' stage,