NHS EDUCATION FOR SCOTLAND
INVITATION TO SUBMIT A
COMPETITIVE WRITTEN QUOTATION
FOR
Fetal Alcohol Harm in Scotland – Development of an Educational
Resource for NHS Scotland
CWQ PACK
NHS EDUCATION FOR SCOTLAND
COMPETITIVE WRITTEN QUOTATION
This Competitive Written Quotation (CWQ) Pack contains detailed instructions concerning the
submission to be made by parties interested in submitting a competitive written quotation for this
project, and details of the criteria that will be used in selecting the successful bidder.
The document consists of four parts:
Part 1: Submission Instructions
Part 2: Specification
Part 3: Evaluation Criteria
Part 4: Format for Response & Equality Questionnaire
CWQs should be submitted in accordance with the instructions detailed within this document. NES
will not consider any other form of bid. Any received bids which do not contain all of the requested
information may be rejected at NES’ discretion.
Produced by: NES Procurement Department
commissioning@nes.scot.nhs.uk
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PART 1:
SUBMISSION
INSTRUCTIONS
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1.
NHS EDUCATION FOR SCOTLAND (NES) OVERVIEW
The NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is a Special Health Board, responsible for supporting
NHS services to the people of Scotland through the development and delivery of education and
training for all NHSScotland staff.
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everything we do is based on eight fundamental principles:
be open, listen and learn;
work together with others to benefit patients;
look ahead and be creative;
always aim for quality and excellence;
promote equality and value diversity;
understand and respond quickly and confidently;
work to a clear common cause; and
give people power and lead by example
Our vision is “Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland”. Our mission is to provide educational
solutions that support excellence in healthcare for the people of Scotland.
Headquartered in Edinburgh, NES is a national organisation with regional offices in Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness. We have a staff complement of around 700.
Additional information on NES’s role is available from our website: www.nes.scot.nhs.uk
2.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
This Invitation to Submit a Competitive Written Quotation (CWQ) contains details of NES’
background, objectives, detailed instructions concerning the submission to be made by
interested parties, and details of the criteria that will be used in selecting the successful bidder.
This CWQ pack is accompanied by a detailed specification and core information which must be
included in the Response.
2.1 Completion of CWQ
• It is the responsibility of bidders to ensure that they have read and understood all
documentation included in the package.
• Bidders are responsible for ensuring that they have completed the quotation fully and
accurately and that prices quoted are arithmetically correct for the units stated. Any
corrections/amendments made by the bidder should be initialed by them. Amendments
to the quotation will not be permitted after submission, unless requested by NES.
• All costs, including travel and associated costs, incurred in relation to this bid are to be
borne by the Bidder.
• CWQs must be submitted on the basis called for in this document. Additional alternative
offers may be considered and should be submitted separately clearly stating which
item(s) in the schedule they are offered against or in addition to.
• Full details or specification of any items of equipment included in the bid should be
provided together with any brochures/product literature.
• NES does not undertake to accept the lowest or any offer. Each item in the schedule will
be treated separately except as indicated and NES may decide to share awards for any
item between several suppliers.
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• Facsimile copies will not be accepted. An electronic version may be submitted as back
up for the paper copies and should be sent to tenders@nes.scot.nhs.uk. Both electronic
and paper versions must be received by the deadline below, the paper copy will be used
in the evaluation process.
• A Lead Officer should be identified for the bid and details specified in the submission.
• All correspondence must be in English.
2.2 Process for Questions/Clarifications
This CWQ process should be viewed as a confidential activity. As such, we ask that you
treat NES’ data and this CWQ with full confidentiality. All questions regarding this material
should be directed to:
Mary Ross-Davie, Educational Projects Manager at mary.ross-davie@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Please reference Fetal Alcohol Harm in Scotland – Development of an Educational
Resource for NHS Scotland in all correspondence.
Please do not provide any proprietary information in your questions
In the interests of fairness, all questions and answers will be shared with all Bidders. NES
will post a list of questions and answers in response to any queries received on our website
at www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/about-us/tenders.aspx and if advertised through it, on Public
Contracts Scotland. In order to facilitate this process, please submit questions by Friday
17th August 2012. Responses will be posted on Tuesday 21st August 2012.
Any contact made directly with any other employee of NES regarding this CWQ is a
violation of the terms of the CWQ response criteria and may be cause for disqualifying a
Bidder at the sole discretion of the contract manager.
2.3 Proposal Deadline
In order to allow appropriate time for analysis, selection, implementation, and
communication of the selected Bidders, your cooperation is requested in meeting all of the
specified deadlines. It is our intention to respond to all reasonable requests for additional
information and to reasonably cooperate with Bidders in the development of their quotation.
Therefore, it is imperative to submit your quotation by 13:00 on Friday 31st August 2012.
NES may reject any bid which is late and does not fully comply with the stipulated
requirements unless the Bidder can prove that the bid was dispatched in sufficient time to
meet the specified deadline.
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2.4 Timetable
NES intends to follow the schedule below in performing the evaluation and supplier
selection process. The timetable below identifies the indicative dates:
Activity
Indicative Timescales
CWQ issued:
Friday 10th August 2012
Questions to be submitted by:
Friday 17th August 2012
Question responses from NES by:
Tuesday 21st August 2012
CWQs returned to NES by:
13:00 on Friday 31st August 2012
CWQ evaluation by NES Panel:
Week commencing 10th September 2012
Notification of Award:
Week commencing 10th September 2012
NES will notify Bidders whether or not they have been successful. The above dates are
subject to change at NES’ discretion.
2.5 Collusion
Bidders must not submit an offer in collusion with any other person, company or body,
which may have the effect of distorting or increasing the cost of the goods or service
provided under the contract.
If in the opinion of NES a bid is submitted on that basis, the bid may be rejected.
2.6 Marketing
All marketing or similar activities by the Bidder associated with the bid must cease upon
submission of the bid and only resume following notification from NES of the outcome of
the CWQ process.
2.7 Confidentiality
Any material of a confidential nature submitted by a bidder should be clearly marked. NES
will respect the confidentiality of material provided. Similarly, all material provided by NES
in relation to this CWQ must be regarded as confidential.
2.8 Inducements
NES has a strong belief in propriety and ethics. A Bidder attempting to offer an
inducement to any member of staff is likely to be excluded from the CWQ process.
2.9 Offer
The offer must be open for acceptance for a period of 90 days, from the date for last
receipt of CWQs.
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2.10 Prices
Prices and rates quoted within the CWQ should be on a fixed basis for the contract period
and must be in Pounds Sterling, exclusive of Value Added Tax. Prices should remain fixed
for ninety days from the CWQ close date.
2.11 Agreement Implementation
The successful Bidder will be required to enter into a formal contract with NES, under
NES’s Terms & Conditions. The final contract will be subject to Scot’s law. NES’s
Standard terms and conditions are available from www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/aboutus/tenders/templates.aspx
2.12 Delivery of Responses
Four copies of the quotation and supporting information must be submitted, together with a
covering letter signed by an authorised representative of the Bidder to the address listed
below:
Katherine McNicol, Project Officer
3rd Floor, Hanover Buildings
66 Rose Street
Edinburgh
EH2 2NN
in a plain sealed envelope which should not bear any name or mark indicating the sender,
bearing the letters “CWQ” followed by the subject to which it relates, to arrive not later than
13:00 on Friday 31st August 2012.
Bidders are advised to submit CWQs by registered mail, recorded delivery or by hand.
Regardless of method chosen, delivery shall be entirely at the bidders’ risk.
It is important that the numbering scheme set out in this CWQ is followed. In addition,
please ensure each page of the quotation is numbered in sequence and includes your
company name and logo.
3.
WITHDRAWAL OF COMPETITIVE WRITTEN QUOTATIONS
CWQs may be withdrawn at any time before the award of Contract, providing such intention is
expressed in writing to the relevant Officer within NES.
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4.
COMPETITIVE WRITTEN QUOTATION OPENING
CWQs will be securely stored and remain unopened until the closing date specified within this
document. Emailed tenders will be stored in a restricted access, secure mailbox and remain
unopened until the closing date specified within this document.
CWQs will be opened at the above address, in the presence of authorised officers, as soon as
possible after the CWQ submission closing date.
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PART 2:
COMPETITIVE
WRITTEN QUOTATION
SPECIFICATION
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SPECIFICATION
1.
TITLE
Fetal Alcohol Harm in Scotland – Development of an Educational Resource for NHS
Scotland Health professionals
2.
CONTEXT
A recent survey of alcohol consumption in Scotland found that 44% of women in the child-bearing age
groups of both 25-34 years and 35-44 years exceeded recommended sensible drinking limits (ISD
2011). Surveys of self-reported use of alcohol indicate that there is significant under-reporting, with
self-reporting levels accounting for just over half the volume of sales (ISD 2011).
Harmful effects of alcohol can be seen in all aspects of life, from the effects of acute intoxication,
alcohol-related crimes, road traffic accidents, the calorific effects of alcohol contributing to obesity,
alcohol-related liver and brain damage, to alcohol dependence and addiction. Alcohol contributes to
depression and other psychiatric morbidity. Many of these effects involve harm to others such as
family problems, intimate partner and stranger violence, accidents due to alcohol-impaired drivers,
harm to children of alcohol dependent parents or children affected directly by maternal alcohol use
with lifelong consequences.
The term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) describes a spectrum of structural, behavioural and
neurocognitive impairments caused by maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. FASD is an
umbrella term that includes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and a range of alcohol-related birth defects
and effects (No-FAS UK, 2011).
The World Health Organisation has identified alcohol related harm to others and Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder (FASD) as priorities for action by member countries (WHO 2011). The effects of
significant fetal alcohol harm are life-long. The effects can include facial dysmorphology (epicanthal
folds, flat nasal bridge, upturned nose, smooth filtrum, thin upper lip and ‘railroad track’ ears), central
nervous dysfunction including a reduced or absent corpus callosum and significant antenatal and
postnatal growth restriction. The long term effects on behaviour include developmental dysmaturity,
hyperactivity, lack of impulse control and volatility, problems with social interactions and speech and
language processing difficulties.
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is considered to be the largest single known cause of preventable
learning disabilities worldwide (Riley et al 2011). First named as fetal alcohol syndrome in 1973, there
has been considerable investigation, research and enquiry into the condition around the world.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 2 in 1000 babies are born with fetal alcohol syndrome
(WHO, 2000) and it is estimated that as many as 10 in 1000 babies are born with Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder (No FAS UK 2011).
Background to project
The Scottish Government has an on-going wide ranging programme of work relating to Fetal Alcohol
Harm being led by Dr Margaret Watts. The programme is overseen by a multi-agency working group
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that meets quarterly. The steering group has identified the need for an educational resource for health
professionals to raise awareness, knowledge and skills about fetal alcohol harm. NHS Education for
Scotland is the national body tasked with the provision of educational resources for all NHS Scotland
staff to ensure that they are able to provide evidence-based care of the highest quality.
3.
SERVICE TO BE PROVIDED
Current educational provision about this subject area for health professionals working with women of
childbearing age, pregnant women, newborns and young children appears to be patchy. Both
undergraduate and continuing professional development programmes for doctors, paediatric nurses,
midwives, sexual health nurses and advisors and public health nurses have very little, if any, specific
education relating to fetal alcohol harm.
The overall aim of this project is to address this gap through the development of an on-line educational
resource that would be suitable for use by students and health professionals.
The specific objectives of this project to achieve this aim are:
 To enhance knowledge of the causes, effects and implications of fetal alcohol harm,
 To provide health professionals with a summary of the latest evidence in relation to Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder and to signpost to sources of up to date information,
 To enable health professionals to develop knowledge and skills in health promotion approaches
(including brief intervention approaches). To encourage health professionals to use contacts with
women who may become pregnant or who are already pregnant to facilitate the prevention of fetal
alcohol harm,
 To highlight how health professionals can use contacts with women during pregnancy to
sensitively explore alcohol use, to identify risk and to refer women for appropriate help,
 To raise awareness among health professionals who come into contact with very young children
about the signs and symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder,
 To enhance health professionals’ knowledge in relation to treatment and care of children affected
by FASD.
3.1 Subject areas to be covered by the educational resource
The online interactive educational resource will include the following subject areas:
 Definitions of fetal alcohol harm, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and fetal alcohol syndrome.
Exploration of the long term implications for children and families.
 Statistics relating to alcohol use in Scotland, particularly among women of childbearing age.
 Exploration of why women may drink during pregnancy, links with inequalities, mental health
problems, and the wider social picture.
 Information about brief interventions approaches to behavioural change in pregnancy.
 Information about approaches taken by specialist services to harm reduction and treatment for
women with alcohol problems.
 Signs and symptoms of FASD.
 Referral and treatment options for children affected by FASD.
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
Information about support available to families affected by FASD.
3.2 Educational approach
The educational resource developed for this project will provide an interactive, attractive, accessible
and evidence based resource for health professionals and students.
It is envisaged that the resource will be mainly an online resource, though accompanying paper
resources may be considered to be beneficial.
The resource will encourage participants to engage actively with the materials through the completion
of questionnaires to test knowledge following completion of each section or module of the course.
The resource should engage participants through a number of approaches and media, for example
through the depiction of scenarios or vignettes and the use of film.
3.3 Target audience for the educational resource
The online resource will be made available to all NHS Scotland staff via the NHS Education for
Scotland website. It is envisaged that the staff for whom the resource will be of particular relevance
and interest are:
 GPs
 Community and hospital based paediatricians
 Public health nurses (school nurses and health visitors)
 Sexual health nurses and advisors
 Midwives
 Neonatal and paediatric nurses
 Allied Health professionals working closely with pregnant women and newborns
 Mental health nurses, psychiatrists and occupational therapists in community mental health teams,
specialist perinatal mental health teams and drug and alcohol services
 Psychologists
Students for all of these professional groups
4.
TASKS TO BE PERFORMED
The project is advertised as two distinct parts:
i.
Development of the content of the online educational resource. September – December 2012.
ii.
Conversion of the course content into an attractive interactive online resource. This will
include design and technical expertise. December 2012 – March 2013
5.
RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS
Applications are sought from organisations or individuals who have the relevant experience and
knowledge to develop the educational resource. The project is advertised as two distinct parts:
i.
Development of the content of the online educational resource. There is a maximum
budget of £6,000 GBP, excluding VAT for this part of the project.
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ii.
Conversion of the course content into an attractive interactive online resource. This will
include design and technical expertise. There is a maximum budget of £6,000 GBP, excluding
VAT for this part of the project.
It is important to note that funding will be distributed on the basis of the proposal’s quality and value for
money.
Applicants should identify in their application whether they wish to undertake part i or part ii or
both parts of the project. Applicants should identify the relevant experience and skills of their team
to fulfil each part of the project.
6.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
Technical Requirements
Hosting
The eLearning courses should be compliant with SCORM 1.2 standard as minimum. Details of
SCORM requirements are provided below. Courses should be checked by a SCORM tester and a
report provided with the content.
Given these current constraints, consider the potential for future development and for early adopters of
social networking, social media and mobile devices.
Browsers in the NHS
IE 6 browsers are still used within the NHS. This needs to be considered when defining the build. Any
content built that doesn’t work in IE 6 must be passed to NHS Scotland project team members or
contacts for the specific project and confirmed before proceeding with build.
Specification
Name
Specification
Screen resolution
Minimum of 1024x768
Browser compliance
See below
Fonts used
Default Arial
Font size (appearance)
Normal – 11px,
Heading 1 (H1) – 140%
Heading 2 (H2) – 120%
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Colour palette, (text, highlight,
link)
Text: Black
Highlight – Bold
Link - Blue
Logos Employed
Will be provided by NES
Course Title
Will be provided by NES
Course structure
Constructivist
Version of Flash
Version 9 (if required)
Accessibility
WCAG 2.0 – AA
Flash Video Version
Adobe Flash Player 9
Video Format
Any video inserted should be supplied with appropriate
player and user controls. Use of any plug-ins should be
agreed with NES prior to the course development.
Video Size
Video to be able to be sized according to display format,
video quality and the actual requirement of the learning
content
Audio Specification
Any audio inserted into the courses to be supplied with
Audio Player, similar to the above video player
Audio Transcription
Any audio (standalone or with video) added is to be
transcribed to make it available for people without Flash
Audio capabilities and also to make the content
accessible. Transcribed text to appear from a link / button
on the same page as the audio/video.
Development Tools
NES has licences for Articulate or Adobe Connect software. If other tools are used, please confirm
how maintenance or updating will be managed.
Content Authoring
Please arrange for all source files to be provided and
indicate arrangements for NES staff to maintain the
content.
Graphics
Adobe Fireworks / Illustrator / Photoshop
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Animation
Dependant on browsers, etc. Adobe Flash CS4 (If
necessary) / HTML, XML, HTML5 / JQUERY / Content
authoring simulations/ widgets
Documents
Microsoft Office (*.doc), no higher than Office 2003;
Adobe PDF
Delivery hardware and software
The following specifications are recommendations for running the LMS & eLearning.
Hardware
Recommended
Processor speed (MHz): 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64)
RAM: 512 MB of system memory
min. 1024x768 pixels Display resolution
Software
Recommended Browsers
Firefox 3.0 and above
 Internet Explorer 6 and above
 Apple Safari 4 or above
 Opera 9 or above
 Chrome 4 and above
Javascrpt enabled plus non-Javascript version
Data tracking and interoperability
All courses created to be compliant with SCORM 1.2 as a minimum
The following CMI calls should be applied:
Basic Reporting
cmi.success_status
cmi.total_time
cmi.suspend_data (if possible)
cmi.learner_id
cmi.learner_name
cmi.score.raw
cmi.completion_status
For question handling scores
cmi.core.score.raw,
cmi.core.score.max
cmi.student_data.mastery_score to assign the completion status “passed” or “failed” at the end.
These three parameters to be set for the correct completion status to be set.
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Accessibility Standards
The standards that are to be applied are the Accessibility Guidelines offered by the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C). This body set up the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) providing web content
accessibility guidelines (WCAG).
The content created should meet the following accessibility options.
 Provide meaningful Alt Tags describing all non text objects.
 Provide consistent navigation and layout.
 Provide keyboard shortcuts, tabbed access to ensure that all interactions can equally be achieved
using the key board.
 Proportional text size and image positioning linked to text to allow users to adjust the text size to
suit their needs.
 Links are always defined and use words to describe such as ‘select’.
 Full stops on bulleted lists and other appropriate punctuation to allow users with screen reader to
distinguish lists, sentences and paragraphs.
 No blinking, scrolling or animated text that is distracting.
 Provide sufficient time if timed responses are required, by make provision for those for whom this
will present an unfair disadvantage, such as those with cognitive disabilities.
 Make sure content is accessible on older systems.
 Use of “Plain English” to ensure that no ambiguous terms are used.
 Availability throughout the NHS in Scotland.
Accessibility Requirements
Accessibility will be a major requirement of this project along with the usability of the material; neither
should be compromised by the impact of technical variables, such as connectivity, bandwidth and
software. The following accessibility guidelines and practices will be taken into account throughout the
design of the online learning content:
 W3C WA1 Content Accessibility Guidelines
http://www.w3.org/WAI/
The following specifications have been applied for accessibility standards.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets Level 2 Revision 1 (CSS 2.1)
http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS/
HTML
XHTML 1.0 The Extensible HyperText Markup Language
(Second Edition):
http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/REC-xhtml1-20020801/
For further information the following document is available on request.
NES_web_guidelines_v1.doc
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7.
MONITORING
Development of the resource will be overseen by Dr Mary Ross-Davie, Educational Project Manager
for Midwifery and Reproductive Health at NHS Education for Scotland and the Scottish Government
FASD steering group. The successful supplier(s) will provide reports to the Scottish Government
Steering Group for their projects meetings (scheduled for August 2012, October 2012 and January
2013). It is envisaged that the project lead will meet with the successful supplier(s) on the following
occasions:
i)
upon award of the contract
ii)
upon receipt of the draft content
iii)
upon receipt of the draft final content
iv)
upon receipt of the elearning structure
v)
upon receipt of the prototype
vi)
upon receipt of the final product
The final draft of the resource will be presented to the working group in February 2013 to enable any
amendments to be fully made by 15th March 2013.
The learning resource will be launched to NHS Scotland staff in March 2013.
8.
TIMESCALES FOR COMPLETION OF OBJECTIVES
Content development:
Course outline: October 2012
Draft content: November 2012
Final content: December 2012
Development of elearning resource:
Structure outline: January 2013
Software development: January 2013 – February 2013
Testing: March 2013
Live release: 15th March 2013
9.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Please take note of NES’ standard terms and conditions, available at
http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/about-us/tenders/templates.aspx. In particular please note the
requirements in relation to copyright and IPR.
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10.
REFERENCES FOR BACKGROUND READING
Abel E and Sokol R (1987) 'Incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome and economic impact of FAS-related
anomalies' Drug and Alcohol Dependency, 19 (1) 51-70
Feldman H, Jones K et al (2012) 'Prenatal Alcohol exposure patterns and alcohol related birth defects
and growth deficiencies: a prospective study', Alcoholism - clinical and experimental research, 36, 4,
670-676
Mukherjee R, Hollins S et al (2012) 'Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: is it something we should be
more aware of?' The journal of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, vol 42, 2, 143-150
Scottish Government (2007) 'Scottish Alcohol research framework', Scottish Government, Edinburgh
Scottish Government (2009) 'Changing Scotland's relationship with alcohol: a framework for action',
Scottish Government, Edinburgh
WHO (2004) 'Prevention of mental disorders: effective interventions and policy options', Geneva
WHO (2004) 'Global status report on alcohol 2004), Geneva
www.drinkaware.co.uk
www.fasaware.co.uk
www.nofas-uk.org
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PART 3:
EVALUATION CRITERIA
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SCORING CRITERIA AND EVALUATION
Proposals will be evaluated against each other in an objective manner. Each category of questions
and all business requirements have been carefully determined by NES. The evaluation team will score
each Bidder’s response using the criteria shown in the following table. Please note that they are not
ranked in any particular order that would reflect degree of importance or weighting.
NES reserves the right to accept any CWQ, in whole or part, or to negotiate further with one or more
Bidder. The Bidder(s) selected will be chosen on the basis of best value for money. This means
suitable quality, delivery, level of risk and response to customer needs at best price. Any respondent
who submits an incomplete response or who does not respond to this CWQ within the requested
guidelines and formats may be eliminated.
SCORING:
0
Question not answered. No evidence provided
1
Significantly fails to meet requirements. Inadequate evidence provided
2
Fails to meet requirements in some respects. Limited evidence.
3
Meets requirements in some respects. Moderate evidence provided.
4
Meets requirements in full with good supporting evidence
5
Superior proposal exceeding required standards. Exceptional evidence
Fraction scores shall not be used.
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Criteria
Description
Proposal demonstrates evidence of previous work undertaken in the past 3 years
Experience and reputation in
relevant to this project including the names(s) of clients who can be approached
undertaking similar work
for comments. Testimonials may be provided where relevant
Adequate qualifications and
experience of the team
The proposal contains details of the educational and professional qualifications,
skills and experience relevant to this project of the person(s) who would be
responsible for providing the service.
Understanding the purpose of
the work, context and
background and proposes a
methodology that meets all
the requirements of the
tender specification
The proposal clearly demonstrates understanding of the context of NES’s work
and of this particular requirement eg background or legislative requirements or
divers. Proposal demonstrates that all the requirements of the specification have
been addressed and understood and that the proposed methodology is
appropriate and capable of successfully delivering the project.
The proposal provides details of the organisational structure of the Tenderer, as
well as average annual manpower and number of managerial staff over the past 2
Organisational stability of the years. Any major organisational changes over the last 2 years are explained.
bidder
Other evidence includes bank references; evidence of professional indemnity
insurance; abridged financial accounts (minimum balance Sheet and Profit &
Loss) for the past 2 years or Management Accounts for the same period.
Reasonable timetabled
schedule of work to ensure
The proposal provides a detailed timetable of events to ensure that deadlines can
dates requested are ready by be met and explicitly identifies any contingency.
due deadlines
Risk Management and
The proposal provides evidence that the main risks involved with the project have
Quality Assurance. Have
been identified and adequately addressed. Details of the bidder’s risk
main risks been identified and
management and quality assurance methodology are also outlined.
adequately addressed?
Offers value for money
The proposal is competitively priced and represents good value in the context of
the goods/services to be delivered over the life of the contract. Costs are clearly
demonstrated and justified. Best value bids will demonstrate an appropriate
combination of cost + quality.
Equality & Diversity,
Compliance with legislation
The proposal demonstrates compliance with relevant legislation. Where
appropriate, policies are in place for Equality and Diversity and Health & Safety.
Please note that, where appropriate, it is a prerequisite that all NES suppliers are
registered under the Data Protection Act.
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NHS EDUCATION FOR SCOTLAND
COMPETITIVE WRITTEN QUOTATION
PART 4:
CWQ RESPONSE &
EQUALITY
QUESTIONNAIRE
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COMPETITIVE WRITTEN QUOTATION
1.
PROPOSAL LAYOUT
Bidders are invited to submit a response to this CWQ in the format detailed below. It is
important that the standard numbering scheme laid out in this document is followed.
In
addition, please ensure that each page of your quotation is numbered in sequence and includes
your company name and logo.
2.
HEADINGS
Your proposal should adopt the following format:
SECTION 1
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF ORGANISATION
SECTION 2
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
SECTION 3
EXPERIENCE IN UNDERTAKING SIMILAR WORK (REFERENCES)
SECTION 4
PROPOSED APPROACH TO SATISFY THE SPECIFICATION
SECTION 5
DETAILED TIMETABLE
SECTION 6
STAFFING TEAM TO BE INVOLVED IN DELIVERY
SECTION 7
QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCEDURES
SECTION 8
IDENTIFIED RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT AND RISK
MANAGEMENT PROCESSES TO ADDRESS THEM
SECTION 9
PRICE TO BE CHARGED INCLUDING FULL DETAILS OF COSTINGS
SECTION 10
FINANCIAL STANDING INCLUDING INSURANCE COVER
SECTION 11
COMPLIANCE WITH LEGISLATION (H&S, DPA*)
SECTION 12
E&D QUESTIONNAIRE
*nb, Where appropriate, NES requires that all contractors/suppliers be DPA registered. To
check whether this is applicable for your organisation please refer to:
http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations.aspx
If you consider that DPA registration is not a requirement, please include a statement indicating
why you believe this to be so.
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3.
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY QUESTIONNAIRE
NES will use your answer to the following questionnaire to evaluate how your organisation deals
with equality, taking into account the scale of the proposed contract, the degree of relevance the
contract has to NES’s duty to promote equality and the size and capacity of your organisation.
NES are looking to ensure that suppliers do not discriminate unlawfully and are able to meet the
quality standards of the contract.
Please answer every question fully, providing sufficient information to enable NES to make a fair
and accurate assessment. A finding of unlawful discrimination against your organisation by an
employment tribunal or court will not be taken as grounds for disqualification if it can evidenced
that steps have been taken to prevent discrimination recurring, eg, by improving policies and
practices.
Please supply evidence to support your answers to questions, evidence could include examples
or copies of documents such as:
• equal opportunities policy;
• documents containing instructions to staff or outlining arrangements for advertisements,
recruitment, selection, access to training and opportunities for promotion;
• copies of recruitment advertisements;
• extracts from staff handbooks or other materials that demonstrate your organisation’s
commitment to equality.
More information about Equality & Diversity within NES is available on the NES website at:
www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/about-us/equality-and-diversity.aspx
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COMPETITIVE WRITTEN QUOTATION
What is the size of your firm? Please state total number of:
a)
a) Partners or directors
1.
b) Employees (including all full-time and part-time employees, apprentices, and other
b)
trainees):
In the last three years, has any finding of unlawful discrimination on the grounds of
age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or
2. maternity, race, colour, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation in the employment YES / NO
field been made against your organisation by the employment tribunal, the employment
appeal tribunal, or any court, or in comparable proceedings in any other jurisdiction?
In the last three years, has any finding of unlawful discrimination in relation to non3. employment matters been made against your organisation by any UK court, or in YES / NO
comparable proceedings in any other jurisdiction?
In the last three years, has your organisation been the subject of formal investigation
4. by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the grounds of alleged YES / NO
unlawful discrimination or failure to comply with any relevant equality duties?
If the answer to questions 3 or 4 is yes or, in relation to question 4, the EHRC made a finding
adverse to your organisation, what steps have been taken as a result of that finding?
5.
In the last three years has any contract with your organisation been terminated on
grounds of failure to comply with:
6.
YES / NO
a) Legislation prohibiting discrimination; or
b) Contract conditions relating to equal opportunities in the provision of services?
7.
If the answer to question 6 a) or b) is yes, what steps have been taken as a result of that
termination of contract?
Briefly explain what steps have been taken to prevent discrimination and promote equality in your
employment function and the delivery of your services. You may wish to refer to policies,
procedures, staff training, working processes, abiding by codes of conduct, etc. as relevant to the
size and function of your organisation.
8.
Please enclose a copy of your Equal Opportunities Policy/Equal Opportunities Statement.
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