Clarifications

That is correct, you do not need to submit any rates to get a place on the DPS, unlike with a framework agreement. It will be at the call-off stage where your pricing is assessed.

That is correct, you do not need to submit any rates to get a place on the DPS, unlike with a framework agreement. It will be at the call-off stage where your pricing is assessed.

This PPN has been superceded by PPN 06/20. Please answer the question using PPN 06/20 rather than PPN 14/15.

Having a DPO is only necessary where required by legislation (as stated in Joint Schedule 11 'Processing Data'. Not having one does not preclude you from joining the DPS, however you would not be able to bid for work where a DPO was part of the requirements.

You do not need to have all of these standards in place in order to join the DPS. However, you will need to have the relevant standards in place where you are bidding for work under the DPS and the customer has stated that this is a requirement of their call off.

Good morning, we have looked into the clarification and can confirm the following- 1. There are no lots on a DPS, these standards relate to the filter categories. You need to self certify that if asked by a buyer at call-off level you would be able to meet these standards. You do not need to have them in place when awarded a place on the agreement. 2a. This type of provision is commonplace in public sector commercial terms although its relevance varies. The rationale is that if the Supplier is contracted to provide an assemblage of deliverables of varying origins it may be that the public sector customer can secure the relevant items from alternative sources and/or on better terms than the supplier prime contractor can. In such circumstances the customer could choose to invoke Clause 4.8 and reduce the overall cost of the deliverables to be provided by the supplier. In practice, for the type of deliverables that are the subject of the AI DPS it's difficult to foresee circumstances in which CCS would invoke the Clause. 2b. Such a decision would necessitate a change to the DPS Agreement which would need to be handled in accordance with Clause 24 of the Core Terms, using the Variation Form at Joint Schedule 2. 3. Application of the Clause applies to all Order Contracts placed via the DPS.

If you are referring to the published contract notice for RM6173 Automation Marketplace then the date for receipt of tenders contained within the notice refers to the initial procurement exercise to establish this agreement. However, as this is a dynamic purchasing system (DPS), you are able to apply at any time during the life of the agreement. You will be required to submit a Selection Questionnaire and any other documents requested within the bid pack. The bid pack can be accessed on the Supplier Registration System (SRS). Please refer to section 'How to Request to Participate' within the READ FIRST DPS Needs document within the bid pack, which explains the process.

"CCS has made the decision to extend the RM6173 DPS agreement for a period of 8 months, in addition to the initial 12-month extension, to allow an appropriate amount of time to develop the replacement agreement. This means supplier onboarding will continue on the DPS until the 15 November 2023. You will need to wait for await confirmation that your registration onto the Supplier Registration Service platform has been completed prior to completing both the standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ) and the subsequent your DPS Specific Selection Questionnaire (DPSQ). Once the DPSQ has been submitted, the Assessing process is initiated, provided you have answered the Qs correctly and up to date compliance evidence, this process would normally take less than 48 hours. The submission will then progress to the Agreeing stage where you will asked to electronically agree to the DPS Terms and Conditions and once this has been completed you will receive confirmation of being 'Appointed' as supplier to the DPS."

Tiers of suppliers refer to how many different organisations are used to transform the basic raw materials into the finished products that an organisation then sells onto your customers. Do any of these intermediary businesses engage in Modern Slavery. For suppliers of non physical products, it depends on how thorough you wish to be, for example even though you do not sell computers, you buy computers to use in your administrative functions, is the supply chain for your computers Modern Slavery Free? Generally speaking CCS will accept that your organisation continues to review your supply chain regularly for any threats of Modern Slavery.

Good morning, If a supplier was successfully appointed by a buyer through one DPS to provide consultancy on RM6173, which then goes on to form part of a tender on the RM6181, they will not be excluded from bidding on the subsequent contact centre tender. However, the buyer must carry out an open and transparent call for competition and award the contract to the successful bidder, in line with the order and award procedure for that agreement. This means that the buyer must be open to awarding the contract to an alternate supplier if they are the highest scoring supplier. Subsequently the supplier must be open to not winning the bid for the same reason. Kind regards, Crown Commercial Service

Dear bidder, Suppliers are unable to amend/update any of their answers within the Selection Questionnaire (SQ) and Registered 1 stage. This is reflected within the bid pack READ FIRST DPS Needs document which explains 'Please note - you CANNOT amend your responses to any of the standard Selection Questionnaire responses once you have progressed on to the DPSQ.' If suppliers wish to amend/update any of the SQ questions, suppliers will have to contact the platform helpdesk at NQC to delete the previous application and re-submit and restart the application process with the amended/updated answers before progressing onto the specific DPSQ.

This is covered in the bid pack First Read DPS needs document I can confirm there are questions in the Selection Questionnaire that are not applicable for RM6173 Automation Marketplace procurement, therefore please note, a response is NOT required to the questions as detailed below: • Part 1: (Contract Example 1) - Q133 • Part 1: (Contract Example 2) - Q134 • Part 1: (Contract Example 3) - Q135

The Automation DPS can be applied for by clicking the "Access as a Supplier" option within the DPS landing page. https://supplierregistration.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/dps#technology

Dear bidder, there are no platforms on our Automation Marketplace which centrally show customer opportunities. This is dependant on where the customer runs the opportunity and via their chosen eSourcing portal for the opportunity. However, CCS would typically expect the contract to be posted to 'Contracts Finder' post-award.

Special Term 2 has precedence over the DPS Core Terms and in this case replaces Clause 11.5 of the DPS Core Terms. Any and all text at DPS Core Terms Clause 11.5 is replaced with the text within Special Term 2 including any and all references to other clauses.

Dear Bidder, Crown Commercial Service does not have a specific generic security policy for suppliers to adhere too for the Automation DPS agreements. All suppliers are expected to have a robust internal security policy and ICT policy that is enforceable within your organisation and with key contractors that demonstrates good industry practice as a minimum. You as the supplier must be able to present and show evidence of your (the Suppliers) security policy to the buyer if required and comply with the buyers own security policy and ICT requirements that are mandatory for the procurement of the service expected. This is outlined within the Automation Bid Pack RM6173 Buyer Needs document section 2.6 Security it states that The Supplier shall be required to have their own security operating procedures that shall be made available to Buyer. The Supplier shall ensure appropriate security Standards, controls and measures in place such as access to premises. The Supplier shall ensure that any suspected or actual security breaches are reported to the Buyer representative immediately. The Supplier shall provide details of their personnel security procedures and upon request provide details of all personnel that they intend to use in the delivery of the Services. In addition to this Policy in Order Schedule 9 (Security) Part B: Long Form Security Requirement section 3 obliges the supplier to implement an Information Security Management System (ISMS) in addition to the requirements of the short-term form option, in line with the industry specific standards and formal government guidelines determined by the security policy framework tiers 1 - 4. This can be found via the hyperlink within Section 3.4.3 (e) This policy is outlined fully in Part B: Long Form Security Requirements. Section 3 Information Security Management System (ISMS)

Dear Bidder, CCS can confirm that notification of further competition will be issued directly by the buying organisation via email. The buying organisation may choose to use the CCS esourcing suite, however can use their own e-tender system.

The clarification questions and responses are publically available once published to the Supplier Registration Service.

Please refer to the RM6173 Automation Marketplace DPS Needs document which is held in the Bid Pack. Your query relates to SQ 161. Point 72 of the Bid Pack states that there are questions in the Selection Questionnaire that are not applicable for this RM6173 Automation Marketplace procurement, therefore please note, a response is NOT required to the questions as detailed below: Part 1: (CPV Codes) - Q3. Part 1: (Contract Example 1) - Q133. Part 1: (Contract Example 2) - Q134. Part 1: (Contract Example 3) - Q135. Part 2: (Product Liability Insurance) - Q143. Part 3: (Steel) Q147 - Q149. Part 3: (Supply Chain Management) Q150 - Q154. Part 3: (Department of Health Questions) -Q157 -Q161 Part 3: (NHS Questions) Q157 - Q161

The management levy for the Automation Marketplace DPS is 1%.