UK SBS BLOJEU-CR17156INN North West sub-regional innovation and productivity

The final date and time for the submission of bids is 15 / 01 / 2018 at 11:00

DO NOT apply directly to the buyer.

All tender information MUST be submitted through the CCS eSourcing Portal.

Brief Description of Requirement

Since 2007, Innovate UK has invested over £220m into more than 1,100 businesses in the North West. Approximately half of this has been through CR&D; since 2007, North West organisations have won over £115m of Innovate UK's CR&D funding. https://datavis.innovateuk.gov.uk/

However on these figures the North West could be described as "underperforming" in Innovate UK competitions, securing only around 5.5% of total CR&D investments (significantly lower than the NW's 9.2% of UK expenditure on R&D).

Innovate UK and NWBLT have limited resources to drive-up innovation and productivity in the region, so both parties wish to better understand how to reach the businesses where the greatest impact may be possible.

Please ensure you review all attached information to ensure a full understanding of this requirement. All attachments can be found with the RFx attachments tab within the Emptoris System.

This contract will be awarded based on the evaluation criteria set out in the ITQ document.

How to Apply

As part of the strategic alliance between UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS), UK SBS will be using the CCS eSourcing Suite for this procurement.

To register on the CCS eSourcing portal please follow the details contained within the Additional Information section of this notice.

If you are already registered on the CCS eSourcing portal and wish to register your interest in this opportunity please email; expressionofinterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Your email must clearly state:

Additional information: DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO BUYER

All submissions will be assessed in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, for procurement values that exceed Regulation 5 (Threshold amounts)

Responses must be received by the date in the bid documents.

Responses received outside or concurrently using the eSourcing process will not be accepted or considered further for this opportunity.

How to Register on the CCS eSourcing Suite

Full details of this opportunity can be found on the e-sourcing portal please follow instructions below. If you have not yet registered on the eSourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk by following the link 'Register for CCS eSourcing'.

Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so.

Once you have registered on the eSourcing Suite, a registered user can express an interest for a specific procurement. This is done by emailing expressionofinterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk.

Your email must clearly state:

Crown Commercial Service will process the email and then enable the Bidder to access the procurement online via the e-Sourcing Suite. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done. The Sourcing documents can then be accessed on the eSourcing Suite at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in the Specification documents within Contracts Finder.

As a user of the e-Sourcing Suite you will have access to Emptoris email messaging service which facilitates all messages sent to you and from you in relation to any specific RFX event.

Please note it is your responsibility to access these emails on a regular basis to ensure you have sight of all relevant information.

For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk: Telephone: 0345 010 3503

Training documents to support Bidders to utilise Emptoris CCS eSourcing are available in the Contracts Finder Tender documents section.

About UK Shared Business Services

UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) brings a commercial attitude to the public sector; helping our customers improve efficiency, generate savings and modernise.

Our broad range of expert services is shared by our customers. This allows our customers the freedom to focus resources on core activities; innovating and transforming their own organisations.

For full details of our partner base please review the following link: http://www.uksbs.co.uk/services/procure/