Published date: 18 February 2020

Last edited date: 24 February 2020

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 13 August 2019

Contract summary

Industry

  • General management consultancy services - 79411000

Location of contract

West Midlands, London

Value of contract

£29,760

Procurement reference

PROC.01.0638

Published date

18 February 2020

Closing date

13 August 2019

Contract start date

12 September 2019

Contract end date

23 December 2019

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (below threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No


Description

The overall objectives of the project are, in the event a retailer makes a disorderly exit, to:
Gather options for protecting customers' monies;
Assess whether there is, or could be, a mechanism to provide recourse for retailers to recover the (reasonable) costs of honouring credit balances when taking over the supply of affected customers;
Recommend the most effective option(s) for protecting customers' monies and mitigating the exposure of the incoming retailer, including an assessment of any legal or regulatory changes that may need to be made to the existing framework, as appropriate.

External elements

Benchmarking/ comparative analysis

Review and setting out what other regulators (including, but not limited to Water Industry Commission for Scotland, Ofgem, the FCA and the CAA) do to protect customer's money and provide recourse for retailers to recover (reasonable) costs of honouring credit balances, and by reference to your experience of similar organisations, set out what mechanisms exist that are used to protect customers' money. In doing so, highlight pros and cons across the different schemes.

Ofwat to provide some information about the last interim supply event

Setting out the costs, risks and feasibility for incoming retailers to take on customer credit balances and exploring mechanisms which might allow those retailers to claim this money back.

Information gathered above

Evaluation and Options proposal - From your own knowledge, advise on any options to:

External Elements

a) Secure customers' money, including but not limited to, instances where they have made pre-payments, deposits, etc.
b) Introduce mechanisms for incoming retailers to be able to claim money back where they have taken on/ honoured credit balances from an outgoing retailer.


More information

Additional text

For Further Information, please contact:procurement@ofwat.gov.uk


Award information

Awarded date

10 September 2019

Contract start date

12 September 2019

Contract end date

23 December 2019

Total value of contract

£29,760

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP

Address

1 Exchange Cresent
Conference Square
Edinburgh and Lothians
EH3 8UL

Reference

Companies House number: SO300895

Supplier is SME?

No

Supplier is VCSE?

No


About the buyer

Address

Birmingham
Birmingham
B54UA
England

Email

mailbox@ofwat.gov.uk