Award

Post Office Horizon Inquiry Expert Witness Services

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

14 Jun 2022 at 10:30

Award

17 May 2022 at 16:09

Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy is conducting a procurement process for Expert Witness Services related to the Post Office Horizon Inquiry. The contract is classified under expert witness services and involves the analysis of approximately 70,000 documents, culminating in a written report due before the hearings in September. This procurement was initiated as a limited procedure without prior publication of a call for competition due to urgent requirements and a lack of suitable tenders during the initial expression of interest phase. The contract, with a value of £750,000, has been awarded to Alix Partners, effective from May 30, 2022, in London, UK.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in legal consulting, document analysis, and expert witness services. Companies with a strong background in forensic analysis, experience in high-profile inquiries, and the ability to meet tight deadlines would be particularly well-suited to compete. Given the nature of this procurement, firms that can demonstrate expertise in understanding complex documentation and provide reliable expert testimony are likely to succeed in future opportunities stemming from this inquiry.

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Notice Title

Post Office Horizon Inquiry Expert Witness Services

Notice Description

Services to analyse c. 70,000 documents, identifying significant points relating to the Post Office Horizon Inquiry, and produce a written report which sets out the key points, and provide Expert Witness services during hearings in September.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Services to analyse c. 70,000 documents, identifying significant points relating to the Post Office Horizon Inquiry, and produce a written report which sets out the key points, and provide Expert Witness services during hearings in September.

Procurement Information

1. Unforeseeable requirement: there is a provision in place already to analyse the document pack provided by a different supplier. However, the volume of highly technical documents received was much higher than indicated by the supplier, and the existing provision does not have the required expertise to deliver the requirement. Therefore, this requirement was only identifiable at the receipt of the document pack in March. 2. Hard deadline: This report must be completed and delivered to the relevant parties at the Inquiry sufficiently ahead of the September hearings. This makes a full open competition unfeasible due to timescales required to complete the work. 3. Failed framework competition: we contacted suppliers on the Management and Consultancy Framework 3 to provide Expressions of Interest in delivering this requirement. Our correspondence highlighted the need for the technical expertise, the importance of not having Conflicts of Interest (due to the political and high-profile nature of the Inquiry), experience as an expert witness, & the associated timescales. We received 0 EOIs from the suppliers on the MCF3 framework, which has resulted in us moving to STA as our recommended route to market.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-033929
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016239-2022
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

71319000 - Expert witness services

79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

79900000 - Miscellaneous business and business-related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£750,000 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 Jun 20223 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
15 May 20223 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Additional Buyers

BUSINESS ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
cara.jenkins@beis.gov.uk, rob.emmett@beis.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 0ET
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
TLI London

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ALIX PARTNERS

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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