Clarifications

This will be the current team size, as it will influence a buyer's downselction when using the filter options. If a supplier wishes to increase their team size over the duration of the DPS they can amend their services to show this.

This DPS agreement is for 4 years and can be extended up to 7 years. 1 year extension has been exercised and the new expiry date is 01/12/2024.

Please refer to the READ First DPS Needs document for full instructions to support the submission process for this DPS.Wihtin this document it details that 'we do not require all Subcontractors to be disclosed. You need only disclose those Subcontractors who directly contribute to your ability to meet your obligations under the DPS Appointment Form (including under any Contract Agreement following a Competition Procedure). There is no need to specify Subcontractors providing general services to the Supplier (such as window cleaners etc.) that indirectly enable the Supplier to perform the Services required for the DPS. Please read the definition of Subcontractor in the DPS Appointment Form.' Subcontractors from countries outside of the UK are permitted.

"PCR reg 64 states that ""(7) Economic operators shall not be obliged to be registered on an official list or to provide a certificate issued by a certification body in order to participate in a public contract. (8) Contracting authorities shall- (a)recognise equivalent certificates from bodies established in other member States, and (b)accept other equivalent means of proof."" From this you can see that ISO 27001 can also be accepted. You can answer the questions to the similar certificates as "yes", and then indicate to any potential buyers on the DPS that you will be using the alternative certificate, as allowed by CCS.

If the fields are not applicable to these customers then you can fill in the section with a relevant alternative or leave them blank, please do not delete these sections.

The Management Charge for RM6148 Quality Assurance and Testing 2 is 1%

Please contact NQC on 0161 413 7982 who will be able to assist you with this request.

Please contact NQC on 01614137982 who will be able to assist you with your application. This section is for Quality Assurance and Testing for IT Systems 2 DPS clarification questions.

The Quality Assurance and Testing for IT Systems 2 DPS does not require a Letter of Confirmation of Works to be submitted.

This is correct. It would not be possible for us to amend the DPS Commercial Agreement now that it is live. Amending the terms to include a Data Protection Liability Cap would put us in the remit of Regulation 72 of the Public Contract Regulations, and could be considered a substantial change. For this reason, the terms should remain as they were when the Agreement was let.

As stated in the DPS NEEDS document within the bid pack all opportunities will be posted within the esourcing suite. Please refer to the 'How to Request to Participate?' section of this document to register on this system.

CCS can can confirm that whilst updating your answers, your organisation is still included in the appointed list, available to buyers.

If a Supplier is to be appointed to the DPS they must signal acceptance of the specified DPS Agreement and Order Contract terms, including all schedules incorporated into the DPS Agreement and Order Contract. These are non-negotiable - it is not open for a Supplier to attempt to negotiate changes to the terms with a Buyer undertaking an Order Procedure. Of course, not all Order Schedules will be selected for every Order Procedure, and it will be open to a Supplier appointed to the DPS to determine whether or not they choose to pursue an opportunity which incorporates specific schedules into the proposed Order Contract.

CCS can confirm that buyers must contact all suppliers contained in their shortlist either to undertake an initial capability assessment and/ or to invite to a competition.

While the Order Schedules are optional, suppliers should be appointed to the agreement who are able to agree to all Order Schedules. Order Schedules are included at Order Contract level. Therefore, a buyer using this DPS agreement should expect that all appointed suppliers are able to agree to all schedules, in the event they would like to include them in the Order Contract. Where a supplier cannot agree to all schedules, there is a risk of buyers awarding a contract to a supplier unable to meet their requirements. Special terms will be agreed to at Order Contract level between the Buyer and Supplier.

There is not a requirement for suppliers to submit rates against a SFIA rate card, as there is no pricing associated with this DPS. Suppliers will submit prices for order contracts, against staff roles and grade structure set out in Annex 1 of DPS Schedule 1. The maximum price that can be tendered for any Supplier Staff member to fulfil a Role is £1000 per day (excluding VAT). DPS Pricing and order charges are explained in Schedule 3.

Questions 179-185 of the Further Evidence section of the Selection Questionnaire are not compulsory, as stated in the Bid Pack. A supplier has the option to upload any of the information requested within the Further Evidence stage of the SQ (Q166-185) upon completion of their DPS (Selection Questionnaire), if they wish to do so. They will be asked to upload any related evidence documentation, at the point at which it is requested by a customer, if they have not previously provided this. A supplier can upload this information by selecting 'Submit' within the DPS (Selection Questionnaire) within their dashboard, however, if a supplier does not wish to upload this information at this point, they are able to locate their DPSQ (either in the Registered 1 or 2 stage) from their dashboard and select 'Respond', which will allow them to proceed with their application. Please be aware that whichever evidence you confirm you are able to provide (either SQ or DPSQ related), the exact documentation will be requested from the supplier once your assessments reach the relevant stages.

CCS can confirm these questions are mandatory and form part of the overall DPS Appointment Form which is CCS's contractual agreement with the appointed supplier. A copy of the Appointment form template (watermarked) can be located in the DPS bid pack in Attachment 7 Part 2.

While the Order Schedules are optional, suppliers should be appointed to the agreement who are able to agree to all Order Schedules. Order Schedules are included at Order Contract level. Therefore, a buyer using this DPS agreement should expect that all appointed suppliers are able to agree to all schedules, in the event they would like to include them in the Order Contract. Where a supplier cannot agree to all schedules, there is a risk of buyers awarding a contract to a supplier unable to meet their requirements. Special terms will be agreed to at Order Contract level between the Buyer and Supplier.

I am assuming the term 'able to provision' should be 'able to provide'? Home Office have stated they are willing to sponsor suppliers on projects they manage. We advise all public sector buyers that they must be willing to sponsor suppliers required to work on security cleared projects, to allow fairness to SMEs who haven't worked with government before.