With the evaluation complete and the output specification now clearly established, the next stage is to identify the means by which the tender will be advertised.

OJEU or Trade & Local Press?

Given the annual value of this contract, the likely length of the contract and the requirement for investment into equipment, it is most likely that there will be a requirement to advertise the tender through the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

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Having established the basis for the tender, cleaningtender4schools would carry forward the exercise as follows:

• To agree with the client the relevant format for the tender advert, this in effect will be a call for competition by being a published Contract Notice in the OJEU. This advert to be placed by cleaningtender4schools.

• To agree with the client School the pre-qualification questionnaire for circulation.

• To draw together the tender documentation to include all specifications for the provision of services. This is very much a collaborative process between the client and cleaningtender4schools, as no two tenders are the same.

• To draft the contract award scoring matrix (weighted) for publication within the tender documentation and for use when bidding companies present their proposals.

• To compile, in agreement with client the contract documentation that will need to be included in the tender process. This will include but not be limited to such details as the TUPE (transfer of undertakings – transfer of employment) requirements and the provision of a broadly comparable pension scheme.

• To make available for download from www.cleaningtender4schools.co.uk  tender documentation to bidding companies.

• To be in attendance at the initial site meeting when bidding companies come to view the existing services, and to assist in any question and answer sessions.

• To provide the continual link to bidding companies in terms of clarification of the process, so that the client is not continually bombarded by sales forces keen to impress a potential client!

• To analyse the tender submissions so as to ensure that all bidding companies are compared on a like-for-like basis and to highlight to any discrepancies or anomalies in the submissions. cleaningtender4schools will never make recommendations as to the nomination of those companies who will be asked to present their proposals however, we will be available to assist in clarifying any points.

• To be in attendance when prospective companies present their proposals to our client so as to clarify any issues arising, and generally to oversee this whole process.

• To provide our client with all necessary draft documentation for both the appointment of the successful company and the rejection of unsuccessful bidding companies.

• The award of the contract will be subject to a 10 day Standstill Period prior to contract signature to permit unsuccessful tenderers to seek further information about an award decision and enable them to take action in the courts where they have sufficient grounds.

• cleaningtender4schools will gather all trade references necessary from the preferred supplier in terms of their service to other clients.

• cleaningtender4schools will co-ordinate any site visits to reference sites that the preferred supplier may wish our client to visit as a point of reference.

• cleaningtender4schools to issue through the OJEU a Contracts Award Notice.