1 Introduction

COTSWOLDS GROUNDWATER MODEL DEVELOPMENT – CALL OFF FROM FRAMEWORK REFERENCE 22344 GROUNDWATER RESOURCE MODELLING, GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS & HYDROGEOLOGY / HYDROLOGY SERVICES INVITATION TO BID BID REFERENCE: 26044 The Environment Agency South East Region Kings Meadow House Kings Meadow Road Reading Berkshire RG1 8DQ PROTECT COMMERCIAL – WHEN COMPLETED This page intentionally left blank. PROTECT COMMERCIAL – WHEN COMPLETED BID REF: 26044 INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS 1 INTRODUCTION You are invited to bid for the undertaking of the Cotswolds Groundwater Model Development within the South East Region of the Environment Agency in accordance with the enclosed documents (‘The Documentation’) comprising: • Instructions to Bidders • Acknowledgement Form • Bid Return Label • Form of Offer • Draft Form of Agreement • The Scope • Contract Data (Parts One & Two) – NEC3 Professional Services Contract (June 2006) • Activity Schedule Some or all of the Documentation may be set out in the form of a draft contract, intended to apply if the Environment Agency were to accept a Bid. Therefore references in the Documentation to “the Consultant” are, for the purposes of this invitation, references to any Bidder who may be awarded a contract. However, neither this Invitation to Bid nor the Documentation constitute an offer by the Environment Agency to enter a contract. The Agency will not accept any liability for costs incurred, or work done, by any Bidder at any time in anticipation of being awarded a contract in relation to any response to this Invitation To Bid. 2 DOCUMENTATION 2.1 Copyright and Confidentiality Unless otherwise indicated, the copyright in all of the Documentation belongs to the Environment Agency, and the Documentation is to be returned to the Agency with your bid. The contents of the Documentation must be held in confidence by you and not disclosed to any third party other than is strictly necessary for the purposes of submitting your bid. You must also ensure that a similar obligation of confidentiality is placed upon any third party to whom you may need to disclose any of the Documentation for the purposes of the bid. 2.2 Accuracy of Documentation You should check the Documentation; should any part be found to be missing or unclear you should immediately contact the Environment Agency at the address given in the covering letter. No liability will be accepted by the Agency for any omission or errors in the Documentation which could have been identified by you. 2.3 Amendments to Documentation Cotswolds Groundwater Model Page 1 of 4 Environment Agency PROTECT COMMERCIAL – WHEN COMPLETED BID REF: 26044 INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS Prior to the date for return of bids, the Agency may clarify, amend or add to the Documentation. A copy of each instruction will be issued by the Agency to every Bidder and shall form part of the Documentation. No amendment shall be made to the Documentation unless it is the subject of an instruction. The Bidder shall promptly acknowledge receipt of such instructions. 3 SCOPE OF SUPPLY The South East Region of the Environment Agency intends to award a single contract for the development of a conceptual and numerical groundwater model simulating groundwater flow covering the outcrop of the Great and Inferior Oolite aquifers, as well as part of the confined aquifer where there are several large public water supplies, that is beneath the Thames Valley. It covers the catchments gaining baseflow from the major aquifers, that is the upper Thames, Churn in the west to the Evenlode and Glyme in the east. Contributions to river flows from the overlying minor aquifers need also to be considered. Along the western boundary the upper Frome catchment should be included as significant quantities of groundwater are captured from the Thames surface water catchment, forming springs along the Frome particularly at Chalford. On completion of the conceptual model the Consultant shall discuss with the Environment Agency their proposals for constructing and testing a historical numerical model. The Agency Project Manager will require agreement on the proposed method for developing and refining the model prior to commencement of a numerical model. It is at the Agency’s discretion whether to proceed beyond the conceptual phase. 4 BID RESPONSE 4.1 Structure Your bid response (3 copies) should contain the information called for below: • your company’s full name and address, (with whom a resulting contract may be placed) to be shown in the ‘Contract Data - Part Two’, together with the address of your registered office and company registration number; • a statement of compliance with the provisions and requirements contained in the ‘Contract Data - Part One’; • the address of the office location(s) from which the services are to be provided, including details of any proposed subconsultants; • firm prices in sterling and completion dates for the services to be shown in section 1 of the ‘Activity Schedule’; • fixed staff rates, the names of the key persons, their jobs and responsibilities to be shown in sections 2 & 4 of the ‘Activity Schedule’; • fixed expenses to be shown in sections 3 & 4 of the ‘Activity Schedule’; • Curricula Vitae detailing qualifications and experience of the key persons nominated to perform the services; Cotswolds Groundwater Model Page 2 of 4 Environment Agency PROTECT COMMERCIAL – WHEN COMPLETED BID REF: 26044 INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS • a statement of compliance with the provisions and requirements contained in the ‘Scope’ showing details of any partial or non compliances; • a programme detailing the timescales and sequence for performing the services in according with the completion dates shown in the ‘Activity Schedule’; • a Method Statement detailing the methodology of meeting the requirements of the ‘Scope’ and managing the contract, including how you propose to allocate adequate resources and appropriate key persons to the specific activities; • a description of any risks and actions to avoid or reduce such risks to be listed in the Risk Register to be notified as an early warning matter; • details of your quality plan / quality control procedures relevant to supplying the services; • details of any specific Health & Safety risks perceived by yourselves in performing the services required and how you will mitigate them; • the attached ‘Form of Offer’ statement completed, signed and dated. 4.2 External Reference Material Where any external reference material, such as brochures, specifications and system descriptions, is used to support a bid response, any statements within the reference material which may allow change to obligations or reduce liability, such as "specifications subject to change without notice", or other disclaimers will be regarded as void. 4.3 Cross References Where a particular section of the response submitted by a Bidder relates to information given in another section or in external reference material, then the Bidder shall ensure that the response is clearly cross- referenced. 5 ALTERNATIVE OFFERS Alternative offers will only be considered if they constitute a fully priced alternative and are submitted in addition to a Bid complying with the requirements specified in the ITT documents. Alternative offers must contain sufficient supplementary information, drawings and data to permit a complete evaluation to be made. 6 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT The Environment Agency is committed to open government and to meeting its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Accordingly, all information submitted to us may need to be disclosed by us in response to a request under the Act. We may also decide to include certain information in the publication scheme which we maintain under the Act. If you consider that any of the information included in your bid, or any other information that you have submitted, is commercially sensitive, please identify it and explain (in broad terms) what harm may result from disclosure if a request is received, and the time period applicable to that sensitivity. You should be aware that, even where you have indicated that information is commercially sensitive, we may be required to disclose it under the Act if a request is Cotswolds Groundwater Model Page 3 of 4 Environment Agency PROTECT COMMERCIAL – WHEN COMPLETED BID REF: 26044 INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS received. Please also note that the receipt of any material marked ‘confidential’ or equivalent by the Agency should not be taken to mean that we accept any duty of confidence by virtue of that marking. If a request is received, we may also be required to disclose details of unsuccessful bids. 7 AWARD OF CONTRACTS Award of contracts will be on the basis of the most economically advantageous offer having regard to: Criteria • price • method statement • experience & capability of key persons • resource allocation • programme • quality assurance • health & safety considerations The Agency shall be under no obligation to award a contract for all or any part of the requirement set out in the Invitation to Bid, to any Bidder or at all. Any resultant contract will be made by the Agency issuing an acceptance letter and form of agreement to the successful Bidder. Bidders may be required to answer any Agency queries on their proposal and to attend formal meetings with the Agency during the bid evaluation period. Bids shall be valid for acceptance for a minimum period of 60 days from the date for return of the Bid, and thereafter unless withdrawn in writing. 8 RETURN OF BIDS The Bidder

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