Questions / answers concerning Design contest 2013/S 026-040246 as of 4 March 2013: IT SUPPORT OF TRACEABILITY AND IDENTIFICATION OF ITEMS for Central Denmark Region The North Denmark Region Region of Southern Denmark Region Zeeland The Capital Region of Denmark
Questions and answers as of 11 February 2013 Question 1 Answer 1 Question 2 Answer 2 Question 3 Answer 3 Question 4 Answer 4 Question 5 Answer 5 Question 6 Answer 6 Question 7 Answer 7 Question 8 The apps to this system, how will they be developed and implemented? We suppose that they will be developed mainly by the contractor. However, we plan to create a contract allowing for applications and components from third party suppliers to be included into the system complex Regarding the anonymity of our proposals: Will we be obliged to secure that? The proposals must contain no information identifying the proposer. Central Denmark Region will secure that the identity of the individual proposer is kept from the jury. More details will be specified in the design contest material. Regarding the demands for specific levels of turnaround, equity etc.: Can more companies join forces? Consortia will be accepted. Either all parties must meet the requirements or a responsible applicant must meet the requirements and the other companies are involved as sub-suppliers. Has the jury been appointed? Yes. We can add to that information that in design contests the jury must hold competencies matching the competencies of the applicants on relevant issues. We think that Central Denmark Region hold such competencies, but nevertheless we have decided to supply the jury with two external experts, recruited from university and approved technological institute, on general it systems development and on logistics. By the way, the jury of a design contest is supposed to take all factors into consideration in overall terms. You may also have noticed, that the jury may identify e.g. two winners of the design contest, and enter into negotiations with both, choosing the final winner at some later point of time. Will the design contest material be in English? Yes and no. We think that the material describing the contest will be in English, while the requirements list and the contract proposal will be in Danish, supplied with a service translation. However, if the prequalified companies are Danish, we may choose to keep everything in Danish. Any way the applicants may write their proposals in Danish or English. The working language for the contractor, will that be Danish or English? Probably it may be both. When interacting with end users, Danish is probably preferable, but with e.g. it staff, English will probably be no problem. Sometimes applicants are paid for their participation in design contests. Will that be the case in this contest? No. Have you considered the size of the contract? 2
Answer 8 Question 9 Answer 9 Question 10 Answer 10 Question 11 Answer 11 Yes. However, we do not wish to go into details on that. A doubledigit DKK million figure may be an adequate guesstimate. Please note also, that there is a significant support of this tender by the other Danish regions. Regarding appendix 2B: Having closed the annual accounts by end of December, there probably will not be much to note? Other companies may have other accounting periods. Must the applicants be based in Denmark? No. Questions dated March 1 st, when will they be answered? As soon as possible and no later than 6 days before the closing date. Questions and answers as of 15 February 2013 Question 12 Answer 12 Question 13 Answer 13 Question 14 Answer 14 In the Prequalification it is mentioned that pre-printed forms are to be used as documentation of especially financial matters. As to the procedure of signature of forms that deviate from standard material, it will take some time to have these signed in large companies due to the fact that the finance director is not physically present in all branches of the company on daily basis. Would it be acceptable to have the signature in a separate document with the required information on the reverse while filling in the forms? No, the signature must be in the pre-printed form. However, the following will be acceptable: The pre-printed form is sent by e-mail to the relevant person for signature. The person signs it, scans the document and attaches it to an e-mail to the relevant branch of the company, where it is printed and enclosed with the application for prequalification. Use of PRINCE2 is stated as one of several assessment criteria. Would only companies that use PRINCE2 for project management be allowed to apply or is familiarity with PRINCE2 and experience from cooperation with customers using PRINCE2 sufficient? Use of PRINCE2 is not a minimum requirement, so lack of use of or experience with PRINCE2 will not automatically exclude the applicant from being prequalified. Use of PRINCE2 is a selection criteria which means that the more familiarity and experience with PRINCE2 an applicant can document, the more relevant the applicant will be considered to be. Together with the prequalification material a statement about issues concerning the accounts from the last revised financial statements until 4 February 2013 is to be attached. In practice, such a declaration will involve a partial audit and thus possible considerable costs to be imposed on companies taking part in the tender (especially large companies with substantial accounts). Would a revised financial statement for 2012 be sufficient if a copy of this statement is attached? No. However, it should be noted that it is not a requirement that the declaration is made by the company s auditor or based on a partial audit. As stated in section 1.9.2 of the prequalification material the declaration can be made either by the bank, the auditor, the CEO or the CFO of the company under the penalty of s. 163 of the Danish Penal Code (straffeloven). 3
Question 15 From the assessment criteria it appears that the proposals received are to be measured as to: o o o References from relevant areas Experience related to swift operations optimisation and optimisation for performance Financial capacity to perform an assignment of this extent Answer 15 Which information is required as to assessment of section/item 2? We suggest references and examples. Questions and answers as of 21 February 2013 Question 16 Central Denmark Region has in its tender material enclosed Appendix 4 Description of refererees. Would it however be acceptable to the Region if the tenderer uses another template for presentation of references provided that the requested information is explicitly stated in the template used? Answer 16 Yes, that would be acceptable. Questions and answers as of 4 March 2013 Question 17 Can 3B be answered by sending a "Serviceattest"? Answer 17 Question 18 Can 3A be answered be attaching a Sworn statement on the companys own paper? We cannot assess the compliance of specific documents prior to the deadline. However, generally, documents with the same content as that of 3A and 3B will be accepted. Please note however that the applicants will bear the risk of full compliance and that in the event of any doubts we may be required to reject the application. Consequently it is stated in section 1.12 of the PQ material that we prefer the appendices to be used so that any doubts can be avoided. As regards 3B a Declaration of Service (Serviceattest) will not suffice as a sworn statement is required. According to the PQ material bidders are meant to send a declaration on the extent to which material changes have occurred in the company's financial situation since the most recently audited and adopted financial statements. As "material changes" is not clearly defined it can be necessary to involve external help (legal or financial) to a substantial cost. Can "material changes" be specified? Answer 18 Will a solemn declaration stating that since the last confirmed accounting year there has not been any substantial changes in financial keyfigures be sufficient? We cannot assess the compliance of specific documents prior to the deadline. The requirements to the declaration are set out in section 1.9.2. The term material changes cannot be specified or quantified due to the nature of the term. Furthermore, we cannot assess whether your understanding of the term substantial is equal to that of material. Please note that the document must be submitted even if no changes have occurred. However, as no documentation is required a solemn declaration will generally suffice as a declaration provided that the contents meet the requirements. 4
Question 19 In the Prequalification material section 1.9.2 it is said that the applicant must fullfill some minimum requirements concerning economic and financial capacity in order to be considered as a contestant in the design contest. In section 1.10 Selection criteria - it is said that the companies will be selected on the basis on an evaluation of the information provided based on the following criteria: 3)Financial capacity to perform an assignment of this extent. In the same section it is also said that the contracting entity will select have the best and widest qualifications and also sufficient financial capacity to perform Answer 19 Question 20 Answer 20 Question 21 Answer 21 If the minimum financial requirements requested in section 1.9.2 are fulfilled, will this mean that the applicant s financial capacity is regarded as being sufficient? Furthermore will Central Denmark Region in its selection rate an applicant with a stronger financial situation higher than an applicant just meeting the minimum requirements? The answer to both questions is Yes. The minimum requirements must be met in order to participate. If those requirements are met the financial capacity is sufficient to participate. However, the financial capacity will also be used in the selection process. This means that a stronger financial situation will have a positive effect in the selection process. However, please note that the main emphasis will be on the applicant s technical and professional qualifications and capacity as set out. Central Denmark Region is kindly asked to confirm that signing the warranty in appendix 2E does not alter the fact that the applicant is the contract holder towards the Region and that the applicant and it s supplier are not regarded as a consortium. That is confirmed. By signing Appendix 2E the supplier undertakes either financial liability or places technical resources at the disposal of the applicant. The financial liability is joint and several but subsidiary meaning that it will only become relevant if the applicant cannot meet his financial obligations under the contract. In the Prequalification material page 8 the last bullet says, If, for the prequalification evaluation process, the applicant wishes emphasis to be put on the technical capacities of suppliers, the application must be accompanied by a declaration confirming that the relevant supplier agrees to make its technical capacities available to the applicant for completion of the project. The declaration is to be enclosed as Appendix 2E. Applications should also be accompanied by the information required under sections 1.9.1-1.9.3 with respect to such suppliers. According to 1.9.1 appendix 1 must be enclosed. It is however our understanding that appendix 1 is meant for the applicant only. It is furthermore our understanding that information required in appendix 1, 1.1 regarding the applicant s suppliers should be enclosed in appendix 2, 1.2. Central Denmark Region is kindly asked to confirm or correct our understanding of this. If the applicant wishes emphasis to be put on the financial or technical capacities of suppliers, the application must be accompanied by the information set out, including Appendix 2E as well as the information required under sections 1.9.1-1.9.3 with respect to such suppliers. Stating the identity of sub-suppliers in 5
Appendix 2, 1.2 will not suffice. Your understanding therefore cannot be confirmed. Question 22 Central Denmark Region is kindly asked to specify which information is required from the applicant s suppliers in appendix 2D. Answer 22 The information mentioned in 1.9.3. 6