Direct Award

You should use the Pricing Schedules, Provider Catalogues and Information Assurance Questionnaire to help you identify the most suitable Provider for your specific requirements. The Information Assurance Questionnaire can be found at the back of each of the Provider Catalogues.

You can make your selection based on:

• organisational requirement
• level of expertise offered
• quality
• value for money
• availability

 

You will need to invite the Provider you have identified as most suitable, using the Call-Off criteria, to provide the service within a given timescale. If they are unable to supply the service, then subsequent Providers in order of suitability should be invited to supply the service.

You will need to keep a record of how you decided upon your chosen Provider.

As part of their application to join the Integrated Service Providers (ISP) and Member Data Services Framework, each Provider submitted a list of ceiling prices. These can be found in the Pricing Schedules.

The ceiling prices are the maximum prices that each Provider can charge and are fixed so that there are no hidden charges, and prices are  comparable and transparent. As part of your Direct Award you may wish to ask each Provider to re-quote their list of prices, based on your Fund specific requirements.

You will need to use the Order Form/s for all orders placed under the Framework, as this forms the Contract between yourselves and the successful Service Provider.

The winning Provider should acknowledge the receipt of the Contract Award and Order Form should be signed by both parties according to your internal requirements.

Please Note: If you appoint Mercer Limited you will need to use Order Form B. For all other Providers you will need to use Order Form A.

You will need to publish a Contract Award Notice for any contracts you let via the National LGPS Frameworks if their value is over £30,000.

Contract Award Notices should be posted within 90 days from the date the contract was signed by the final party. You can do this via Contracts Finder. Contracts Finder is free to use and is accessible here: www.gov.uk/contracts-finder. Your procurement team should be able to assist you with this.

These requirements differ for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please speak to your procurement or legal team to understand the requirements for these areas.