Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 29
29
The Department stated that at the time of the procurement, it appeared that ICF had...
Conclusion
The Department stated that at the time of the procurement, it appeared that ICF had a ready-made system that had already been used on over 100 grant schemes in the US and Canada, and which could quickly and cheaply be amended to suit the Department’s needs.79 The Department did not follow up with any of the organisations contracting with ICF as it felt appropriate referencing would have been completed when ICF were qualified for the Crown Commercial Service framework it used for the procurement.80 However, given ICF were proposing to deliver substantially faster than the other bidders, the Department should have challenged ICF further as to why it felt it alone could do this. 77 C&AG’s Report, para 3.13, Qq 98, 133 78 Qq 98, 134, 144 79 Qq 62, 96–98, 136–137 80 Qq 159–162 18 Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 5.2 The department carries out due diligence checks at all stages of a procurement and considers in-house solutions and delivery through public sector bodies, as recommended elsewhere in this document. 5.3 Before a procurement the department will: • where appropriate, consider a two-stage process to get suppliers involved earlier in the design, subject to necessary non-disclosure agreements, • undertake a robust assessment of the key suppliers in the market against the proposed route to market to maximize delivery confidence, including track record, using early engagement to build interest, shape the specification and test the evaluation criteria and key requirements, • analyse the standard Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework contract to ensure it offers sufficient protection if things go wrong and regular contract break points. Even if the scope of services is a match, the lack/inadequacy of appropriate relevant clauses should mean the framework agreement procurement route is dismissed and a different route offering greater protection and benefits chosen, • collaborate with CCS for urgent, high value and critical procurements, • confirm with CCS original award criteria for suppliers (to be on the framework), identify and mitigate gaps with appropriate questions and evaluation criteria. Implement the government’s Sourcing Playbook advice on clarity of specification, designing evaluation criteria and avoiding a bias towards low-cost bids, and • engage GDS to help develop evaluation criteria for relevant IT systems and assess example or pilot software. 5.4 Once bids have been received, the department will: • carry out all checks permitted under the Public Contract Regulations and its forthcoming replacement legislation • ensure a thorough evaluation of the implementation plan from bidders with appropriate reality checks from experienced evaluators. • where appropriate, check sustainability of pricing received in supplier bids through forensic accountancy and where material variances exist, consider undertaking an Abnormally Low Bids assessment. • where timing permits, explore deliverability and the implementation plan of the preferred supplier before contract award, including meeting, briefing and establishing faith in their mobilisation team and exploring all issues/dependencies raised by evaluators during assessment.