Published date: 27 July 2023
Last edited date: 27 July 2023
This notice was replaced on 29 September 2023
This notice does not contain the most up-to-date information about this procurement. The most recent notice is:
Awarded contract (published 8 November 2024)
Closed future opportunity - This means that a potential contract has passed its approach to market date. A buyer can choose to consider any supplier interest or convert this notice into an opportunity ready for live procurement.
Contract summary
Industry
Database and operating software package - 48600000
Location of contract
United Kingdom
Value of contract
£4,000,000 to £6,000,000
Procurement reference
RM6357
Published date
27 July 2023
Approach to market date
30 September 2023
Contract start date
3 December 2024
Contract end date
2 December 2030
Procedure type
Competitive procedure with negotiation (above threshold)
Anyone may ask to participate, but only those who are pre-selected will be invited to submit initial tenders and to negotiate.
This procedure can be used for procurements above the relevant contract value threshold.
Contract is suitable for SMEs?
Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs?
No
Description
The NFI is a complex project requiring flexibility and close cooperation from the supplier. The NFI is a UK wide data matching exercise run by the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PFSA), apart of the Cabinet Office. In addition to running the NFI in England under the Cabinet Office's statutory data matching powers, the Cabinet Office operates the NFI in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on behalf of Audit Scotland, the Auditor General for Wales and the Northern Ireland Audit Office.
The NFI is a highly successful data matching initiative that brings together a wide range of organisations (around 1,100 covering the public and some private sector) from across the UK to prevent and detect. By using data matching/analytics to compare different datasets across these organisations, the NFI is able to identify potentially fraudulent claims and overpayments. Over the years, the NFI has enabled participants to identify fraud and overpayments totalling in excess of £2.4 billion since the commencement of the first generation of the Contract in 1996.
The Cabinet Office requires a managed service to deliver all aspects of the NFI in an environment that meets the Cabinet Office's security requirements and is accredited against relevant Government Information Assurance Standards. The Supplier will be expected to ensure that the system is updated in line with future Government security standards or to data protection legislation. The Cabinet Office does not wish to acquire hardware or software for this exercise. The Cabinet Office may accept some of the activities to be provided through a cloud - based service however, this will be subject to the confirmation of appropriate security measures.
The specification for an exercise of this complexity is necessarily a guide and there will inevitably be occasions when the supplier needs to work with the Cabinet Office to develop new techniques, integrate with other government products or overcome other data related problems.
The initial contract period will be four years (£4,000,000) with the option to extend by two years (£2,000,000). The option of a two year extension will be subject to departmental approval that will be sought prior to the end of year four with 3 months prior notice.
More information
Spend profile
| Financial year | Budget |
|---|---|
| 2024/2025 | £1,500,000 |
| 2025/2026 | £750,000 |
| 2026/2027 | £1,250,000 |
| 2027/2028 | £500,000 |
Additional text
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This Prior Information Notice is to signal an intention to commence market engagement with those within the Data Matching Services market.
CCS in conjunction with the Cabinet Office is holding a virtual pre-market engagement workshop on Wednesday 30/08/2023 at 10.00 am, with industry experts and suppliers interested in potentially bidding for the resulting replacement Contract.
The purpose of the engagement event is to provide an opportunity to:
- For potential bidders to obtain a clear understanding of what business outcomes the Cabinet Office require and ask questions regarding the proposed scope of services under development.
- For potential bidders to obtain an outline of the intended procurement timetable using the competitive procedure for negotiation to put the replacement Contract in place.
- For the Cabinet Office to obtain market views, thoughts and ideas on how to develop the draft scope of services to maximise market interest, innovation and value for money.
- Interested bidders will be invited to complete an industry survey after the event.
If you are interested in participating in the pre-market engagement virtual workshop and receiving the industry survey, please email commercial@cabinetoffice.gov.uk by 5pm on 11/08/2023 to register your interest.
Joining instructions and access to the virtual workshop will be sent to those who register, along with further information in relation to the requirement.
These engagements are specifically intended to influence the strategy development for the provision of the replacement Contract.
CCS and the Cabinet Office are committed to supporting the government's drive to open competition and increase opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SME) Suppliers and all suitably qualified and experienced SMEs are encouraged to participate in this market engagement exercise.
The Cyber Essentials scheme is mandatory for Central Government Contracts which involve handling personal information and providing certain ICT products and services. The Government is taking steps to further reduce the levels of cyber security risk in its supply chain through the Cyber Essentials scheme. The scheme defines a set of controls which, when properly implemented, will provide organisations with basic protection from the most prevalent forms of threat coming from the internet.
To participate in this procurement, bidders will be required to demonstrate that they are Cyber Essentials Plus certified for the services under and in connection with the procurement, and that this certification is renewed annually.
The CCS and the Cabinet Office reserve the right not to commence any formal procurement process, discontinue any procurement it commences and not to award any Contract.
The estimated date of contract publication in section II.3 is subject to change based on Cabinet Office governance approvals.
About the buyer
Contact name
The Minister for the Cabinet Office acting through Crown Commercial Service
Address
9th Floor, The Capital, Old Hall Street
Liverpool
L3 9PP
England
Telephone
+44 3454102222
supplier@crowncommercial.gov.uk
Website
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