Interim - Cost Assessment

Contract summary

Industry

• Supply services of personnel including temporary staff - 79620000

Location of contract

West Midlands, London

Value of contract

£55,000

Procurement reference

PROC.04.0100

Published date

19 September 2016

Closing date

30 August 2016

Contract start date

8 September 2016

Contract end date

25 November 2016

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

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Description

Job Purpose & Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be expected to split their time across two of Ofwat's key strategic programmes, Water 2020 and Finance & Governance. These two requirements are outlined in more detail below:

Finance & Governance - cost assessment lead

The Finance & Governance programme requires an experienced individual to advise on comparative analysis and benchmarking (including in relation to cost assessment and outcomes) within the programme and supporting work on transactions and sector comparators.

This requirement would be expected to take up c. 3 days a week for c. 6wks (alongside the work on Water 2020 outlined below, and therefore full time in total), and then full time for the remaining c. 4wks of the contract.

Water 2020 - interim cost assessment support

Following the publication of (and responses to) our consultation document on our regulatory approach for water and wastewater services in England and Wales, the focus of the Water 2020 programme is now on developing our detailed methodology for the next price review. Key deliverables for this are our draft methodology statement in July 2017, and final methodology statement in December 2017.

In order to inform these, Ofwat is continuing to develop our approach to cost assessment, including:

• Issuing data requests for water and wastewater;
• Development of cost assessment models;
• Enhancement activities;
• Activity/value chain modelling; and
• Refinement of our approach to special cost factors.

We require an interim to provide support on the basis of c. 2 days a week, for the first c. 6 weeks of the contract, after which the requirement is expected to be solely on Finance & Governance (as outlined above.) This support is needed to provide extra resource on a high profile workstream.

This role will help support the wider team working on cost assessment, and key tasks that could be covered by the role include:

• Developing a robust project plan;
• Help in the development and agreement of policy through relevant project and programme boards;
• To represent Ofwat at working group meetings with the sector to discuss policy proposals.

Skills and Experience

It is expected the post holder will be able to demonstrate:

• Proven experience of project planning and working with a diverse project team, and of ensuring outputs are delivered on time and to a high standard.
• An understanding of cost assessment within the water sector.
• A track record of setting out policy recommendations to internal project and programme boards.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Evidence of representing an organisation to external stakeholders, at and above peer level, where external stakeholders may challenge policy assumptions.

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More information

Additional text

For further information, please contact: procurement@ofwat.gsi.gov.uk

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Award information

Awarded date

8 September 2016

Contract start date

8 September 2016

Contract end date

25 November 2016

Total value of contract

£55,000

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Cambridge Economic Policy Associates

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About the buyer

Address

Centre City Tower
7 Hill Street
Birmingham
B5 4UA
England

Email

mailbox@ofwat.gsi.gov.uk