NORTH EAST ACCESS TO FINANCE LIMITED (NEA2F)
TENDER SPECIFICATION
IT SUPPORT AND TELEPHONY CONTRACT
Tender Reference: NEA2F/024
October 2014
Level 10
Baltic Place West
South Shore Road
Gateshead NE8 3AE
NEA2F/024
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1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1
North East Access to Finance Limited
The Contracting Authority for the purpose of this Invitation to Tender is North East Access to
Finance Limited (‘NEA2F’ or ‘the Company’).
NEA2F is a company limited by guarantee, registered office Level 10, Baltic Place West,
South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3AE. Its responsibilities include:

Stewardship of legacy returns from previous Access to Finance initiatives in North East
England.

Acting as group holding company to the North East JEREMIE programme.

Supervising the re-deployment of legacy returns from previous initiatives in the region,
and working with partners on the development and implementation of new funds.
1.2
Invitation to Tender
You are invited to submit your proposals to the Company for the provision of IT hardware
and software support and telephony services for a period of three years from 1st
December 2014, based on the specifications set out in this Invitation to Tender.
The criteria that will be used in the evaluation of bids are set out at section 7 below.
Please note that the successful bidder will be required to support NEA2F through its
forthcoming office move, scheduled for the end of February 2015, and to advise the
Company on the most suitable systems to meet its current and anticipated needs.
All enquiries in connection with this tender should be addressed to James Arkless,
Company Secretary, on 0191 481 3156 or by email to james.arkless@nea2f.co.uk.
NEA2F/024
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2.
SPECIFICATION
2.1
Services to be provided
Tenders are sought for the provision of IT support and telephony as described below:

Provision of IT hardware support and IT software support

Prompt and timely support in the event of IT outages and other technical problems

Facilitating the Company’s telephony requirements, either directly or via a subcontractor.
NB: the contract for telephony only in the present office will continue until the move.

Supporting the Company’s office move, to premises near the existing office in
Gateshead, scheduled for the end of February 2015.

Advising on the most suitable IT and telephony systems to meet the Company’s current
and anticipated needs and facilitating the transition to a new system.

Attending meetings with representatives of the Company or its Board as required.

Complying with any record keeping requirements that NEA2F may be required to
observe under the terms of its funding.
2.2
Current arrangements
Our current IT and telephone arrangements include:
Hardware (purchased 2011)

HP ML 310G5P Q9400 server.

6400 SDRAM Dimm Chips.

HP 250gb 3.5 Sata HDD.

P212/256 Smart Array (RAID)

Smart UPS SC1500/230v (backup power supply).

5 wired networked PCs and 2 HP laptops capable of wireless working.

9 Mitel 5312 VOIP telephones

Watchguard.
NEA2F/024
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Software

MS Windows Server 08 with 10 server CALS.

Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Office 365 with SharePoint.

Sophos Endpoint security.

Sage 50 Accounts Professional with Sage cover Extra.

Internet banking software.
Other
2.3

VOIP telephone lines with a main number and 10 extensions.

Wireless connectivity to the internet for visitors.

Kyocera 4550 CI printer/scanner/copier (covered by separate support contract).

NEA2F has a separate contract for the hosting of its website www.nea2f.co.uk.
Future requirements
Key considerations in advising on our future set-up are as follows:

We are a small team with five core staff.

We require the flexibility to work remotely and access the same systems.

Security is a critical consideration due to the nature of the data we hold.

All systems and documents should be in one place which is easily accessible.

All software and file storage should be user friendly.

We would welcome proposals which offer efficiency and value for money.

A broadband connection is supplied by the landlords in NEA2F’s new offices.
2.4
Funding
All of NEA2F’s running costs are publicly funded.
Some of the costs to which this Invitation to Tender relates may be funded by contributions
from the European Regional Development Fund 2007-2013 Programme.
NEA2F/024
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3.
PRICING
Bidders are asked to provide pricing proposals based upon:

A fixed quotation for an IT support contract at a fixed monthly rate, for three years
commencing on 1st December 2014, specifying the service level included in the scope
of the contract and the guaranteed response time. This should include responding to
all day-to-day technical queries and carrying out routine maintenance as required. It
should also provide for quarterly visits to the office to review the operation of the
network and individual PCs.

A fixed quotation for provision of telephony services in addition to IT support from the
time of our office move at the end of February 2015. In the new office we will need a
main number and 7 direct line extensions. We currently operate a VOIP system but
would anticipate a review of our needs before the move. Bidders may wish to provide
telephony services through a sub-contractor, but we require a single point of contact
for all IT and telephony issues from the end of February onwards.

A price for additional ad-hoc advice and support on systems and requirements. We
would expect the scope of the fixed fee above to include an element of systems
advice. However, bidders are asked to provide an hourly rate for any advisory work
outside the scope of the main contract on a call-off basis.
4.
CONTRACTUAL ISSUES
The contract will be for a period of three years from 1st December 2014. However, NEA2F
reserves the right to review service requirements annually and, in the event of unforeseen
changes to our needs, to amend the scope or, if necessary, terminate the contract
subject to giving 3 months’ notice in writing.
At the end of the 3 year term, NEA2F may extend the contract by agreement with the
provider, up to a maximum additional term of 12 months.
Invoices should be submitted monthly. The Company will pay all invoices within 30 days of
receipt, provided that the services to which they relate have been performed in
accordance with the contract.
NEA2F/024
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5.
TENDER SUBMISSION
Please provide details of your proposed model for delivery of the services specified. You
should give details of the team delivering the contract, stating their roles, experience and
track record, together with details of the resource that will be dedicated to the contract.
You should limit your submission to 10 pages of A4 if possible
Two hard copies of your tender must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked
‘CONFIDENTIAL - TENDER DOCUMENTS NEA2F/024’ to:
James Arkless
North East Access to Finance Limited
Level 10, Baltic Place West
South Shore Road
Gateshead NE8 3AE
The closing date for this tender is 12.00 noon on Monday 10th November 2014
An electronic copy of your tender should be e-mailed to james.arkless@nea2f.co.uk
before close of business on the closing date, but after the 12.00 noon deadline.
6.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND TRANSPARENCY
To ensure a fair and transparent process, no approach of any kind should be made in
connection with this tender to anyone associated with NEA2F other than your formal
tender submission.
You must not disclose to anyone else any information which will be contained in your
tender submission before the decision on award of the contract is notified to you.
You must not try to obtain any information about anyone else’s tender submission or
proposed submission before the decision on award of the contract is notified to you.
You must not make any arrangement with another party about whether they should
tender, or otherwise share details of tender prices with any other party.
Failure to comply with this may result in disqualification from the process.
NEA2F/024
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7.
AWARD CRITERIA
The contract will be awarded to the bidder who submits the most economically
advantageous proposal. Tenders will be evaluated against the following criteria:
Criteria
Weighting %
Price and value for money
40%
Expertise demonstrated
35%
Quality of proposals and understanding of the brief
25%
Following evaluation of written submissions, we may invite short-listed candidates to meet
with the NEA2F team to discuss their proposals in more detail, probably on the afternoon
of Wednesday 19th November. If this happens, a final decision on the award of the
contract will be made after interview, with shortlisted candidates re-evaluated on the
basis of the above criteria.
NEA2F
October 2014
NEA2F/024
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