XpoNorth Digital

Concepts

• xponorth digital
• business development
• inverness
• northern innovation hub
• highland city
• xponorth digital contract
• xponorth digital programme
• development of new digital business models
• digital practices
• digital innovation

Location

Highlands and Islands:

Description

The XpoNorth Digital contract is delivered under the Northern Innovation Hub (NIH): the NIH is part of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal - a joint initiative supported by GBP315m investment from the UK and Scottish governments, The Highland Council, HIE and the University of the Highlands and Islands. The XpoNorth Digital programme has the specific intention of supporting businesses to develop digital practices and to maximise exploitation of the crowd economy. It is expected that these services will be required from 1 August 2022 for an initial period of 2 years, with HIE having the option to extend two times for a period or periods together not exceeding 1 year following the Initial Term (2+1+1 years). The initial 2-year budget currently available to deliver this service is between GBP 438,000 and GBP 732,000 (excluding VAT). The budget includes funding from HIE to allow the services to be delivered across the whole Highlands and Islands region, although the volume of clients outside of the Highland Council area is currently limited due to funding.

Total Quantity or Scope

The programme of activity will work with clients to: -Increase the impact of the crowd economy in the region – more effectively using consumers to buy, to test new ideas on and to promote the business / organisation/community. -Assess opportunities for digital innovation around the individual clients’ current business. -Support the planning, development and delivery of new immersive content and experiences to engage consumers more effectively. -Encourage and support the development of new digital business models for the creative sector, including the use of platforms such as Patreon. -Access networks training and advice to maximise exploitation of IP and other assets digitally. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in Regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

Renewal Options

The Contract will be awarded for an initial period of 2 years with HIE having the option to extend two times for a period or periods together not exceeding 1 year following the Initial Term (2+1+1 years).

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 79411100 - Business development consultancy services
• 79410000 - Business and management consultancy services
• 73220000 - Development consultancy services
• 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
• 80510000 - Specialist training services
• 80570000 - Personal development training services

Indicators

• This is a recurring contract.
• Options are available.
• Renewals are available.
• Professional qualifications are sought.
• Staff qualifications are relevant.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** HIE and the Supplier Development Programme are hosting a webinar on 12 April which will support, but not replace, the information provided through PCS.Attendance will not form part of the evaluation and following the event a link to the webinar recording, the presentation and any questions and answers raised will be made available via PCS. Link to the registration can be found in the Scope of Requirements. It is estimated that the total value of the services over the maximum duration of 4 years will be between GBP976,000 and GBP1,464,000 (excluding VAT). This is the figure which has been used in II.1.5 & II.2.6. Where bidders are participating with others (SPD 2A.17) and/or relying on the capacity of other entities in order to meet selection criteria (SPD 2C.1) they are required to provide information relating to these entities with the relevant supporting SPD documentation being submitted. AWARD CRITERIA SCORING Question 1 Cyber Security will be evaluated using the criteria as per Scope of Requirements and Tender Guidance. The remainder of the Award criteria will be marked according to the following criteria: 0 - Unacceptable - Nil or inadequate response which fails to demonstrate an ability to meet the requirement. 1 - Poor - Response is partially relevant but generally poor. It addresses some elements of the requirement but contains insufficient/limited detail or explanation to demonstrate how the requirement will be fulfilled. 2 - Acceptable - Response is relevant and acceptable. It addresses a broad understanding of the requirement but may lack details on how the requirement will be fulfilled in certain areas. 3 - Good - Response is relevant and good. It is sufficiently detailed to demonstrate a good understanding and provides details on how the requirements will be fulfilled. 4 - Excellent - Response is completely relevant and excellent overall. It is comprehensive, unambiguous and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the requirement and provides details of how the requirement will be met in full. In order to participate, bidders should register, for free, on the PCS website and record their interest in this contract and download and complete all relevant documentation. Tenders must be submitted via the PCS Postbox and must be received by the published deadline. Late tenders will not be accepted and HIE will reject any submissions received after the deadline. Email or hard copy responses will not be accepted. PCS also gives suppliers access to an on-line Question & Answer facility which allows queries to be submitted (anonymously), and answers published and shared with all potential bidders. NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=684084. The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx. Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems. Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-pr... A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows: Bidders will be expected to support the delivery of community benefits which take into account HIEs role as a local economic development agency. The types of Community Benefits that bidders may seek to offer and incorporate to the contract may include, but are not restricted to the areas detailed in the Scope of Requirements. See the Award Criteria Response Form for the relevant scored question. (SC Ref:684084) Download the ESPD document here: [[https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ESPD/ESPD_Download.aspx?id=684084]]