Official UK procurement notice
Support Contract for EFG Portal
Authority: British Business Bank (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionProvision of the development resources to build and support Guarantees Portal software which is used to register loans that BBB have provided guarantees for including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans. The current scope for these requirements covers CBILS 2.0 and the Claims and Arrears process
CPV: Information technology services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1At short notice in March 2020, BBB was designated by HM Treasury as the body…Awarded
At short notice in March 2020, BBB was designated by HM Treasury as the body responsible for administering the Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme, the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Scheme, and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme ("Coronavirus Loan Schemes").
BBB required certain software support and development services at extremely short notice to handle the requirements of the Coronavirus Loan Schemes. There was not enough time to carry out a competitive procurement in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("PCR 2015"), but BBB concluded that regulation 32(2)(c) permitted it to contract directly with Thoughtbot.
Thoughtbot was already providing similar services to BBB in connection with the Enterprise Finance Guarantee ("EFG") Scheme. BBB therefore contracted with Thoughtbot so that the software solution being used for the EFG Scheme could be adapted to support the Coronavirus Loan Schemes.
The Coronavirus Loan Schemes were each intended to be open for applications for a period of six months. The Coronavirus Loan Schemes have since been extended due to further unforeseen developments in the context of the pandemic forcing further suppression of social and commercial freedoms. In particular, on 17 December 2020 the Chancellor announced that the Coronavirus Loan Schemes had been extended to 31 March 2021. Accordingly, BBB will require technical support (i) for applications for financial support up to at least 31 March 2021 and (ii) in connection with the management of the portfolio of loans for at least five years. As a result, BBB has concluded that it needs to continue contracting with Thoughtbot to avoid any interruption to the Coronavirus Loan Schemes.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 1 Mar 2021, 18:32 GMT
- Last source update
- 1 Mar 2021, 18:32 GMT
- FTS notice number
2021/S 000-004071- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-02974eFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
- Published justification
Regulation 32(2)(c) of the PCR 2015 applies for the following reasons:
BBB needs to ensure that it can provide uninterrupted financial support to businesses whose operations have been impacted by restrictions resulting from the introduction of lockdown measures in response to further waves of COVID-19 infections. It cannot provide that financial support without the necessary software, which is supported by services provided by Thoughtbot. BBB is therefore reacting to a current situation that is a genuine emergency.
The need for extreme urgency has been caused by unforeseeable events. The COVID-19 situation is so novel that the impact of further waves of infections could not have been predicted.
Thoughtbot's current contract expired on 31 January 2021. Having regard to the time it would take to prepare for and carry out a procurement in compliance with the PCR 2015, and to transition to a new supplier, it was impossible to comply with the usual timescales in the PCR 2015 and to transition to a new supplier before 31 January 2021.
BBB has acted promptly in responding to the current situation of extreme urgency and has proceeded to make this direct award without delay.
The duration of the contract has been limited to the minimum necessary period required to implement and to transition to a longer term solution in compliance with the PCR 2015. In particular, the contract has been set up to enable that transition from 31 January 2022 and to require it to take place before 31 January 2023.
Publisher note: To view this notice, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=574920461 GO Reference: GO-202131-PRO-17861558
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thoughtbot Ltd | £960,000 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 004071-2021-1 · Thoughtbot Ltd
- Signed
- 31 Jan 2021
- Value
- £960,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1bids | — | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- High CourtReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Thoughtbot LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.