Statutory and Regulatory Audit and Related Services

Location

Services to be delivered in London in relation to the Thames Tideway Tunnel Project

Description

The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a major infrastructure project, urgently needed to protect the tidal River Thames from increasing pollution. London’s sewerage system is no longer fit for purpose and spills tens of millions of tonnes of untreated sewage mixed with rainwater (combined sewage) into the tidal reaches of the River Thames every year. Bazalgette Tunnel Limited (BTL), is the licensed Infrastructure Provider set up to finance, build, maintain and operate the Thames Tideway Tunnel. From Licence Award, BTL trades and is known to the public as 'Tideway'. Bazalgette Tunnel Limited is part of a group of companies. Its immediate parent company is Bazalgette Holdings Limited, which is in turn wholly owned by Bazalgette Ventures Limited, and its ultimate holding company is Bazalgette Equity Limited, Bazalgette Finance plc makes up the group. The structure of the Tideway group of companies is shown in the accompanying Invitation To Tender (ITT). Tideway is therefore purchasing the Services on behalf of and for the use of the Tideway group of companies identified therein. The Tideway group of companies requires a number of services to meet statutory and regulatory audit requirements in accordance with prevailing statutory, regulative and other relevant standards. In addition, other related or advisory services may be required on an ad-hoc basis, subject always to the principle of independence. Interested parties must register on Tideway's e-sourcing portal and will be able to download the Invitation To Tender ('ITT') including the form of response to be completed and returned to submit a compliant tender. The registration process is set out in section VI.3) of this Contract Notice. The ITT contains further detail regarding Tideway, the Tideway group of companies and further detail on the Contract and the timeline and phases of the procurement. Whilst it is intended that the procurement will be run in accordance with the timeline and process described in the ITT, this contract notice and the procurement documents, Tideway reserves the right to amend or cancel any or all of the procurement at any time and/or amend the timescales.

Total Quantity or Scope

Interested organisations should refer to II.1.4) (Short Description) and VI.3) (Additional information) and to the ITT and other procurement documents for further information on the description of the Services and the Contract. The initial term of the Contract (Initial Term) is one (1) year with options to extend for up to nine (9) further years (Additional Term) making a total possible aggregate term of ten (10) years.

CPV Codes

• 79200000 - Accounting, auditing and fiscal services
• 79210000 - Accounting and auditing services
• 79212000 - Auditing services
• 79212100 - Financial auditing services
• 79212300 - Statutory audit services
• 79212500 - Accounting review services

Indicators

• Bids should cover the whole contract.
• Renewals are not available.
• Professional qualifications are sought.
• Award on basis of price and quality.

Other Information

(1) Additional information concerning this Contract Notice and the Contracting Entity (Section I): economic operators should note that words and expressions in this Contract Notice with an initial capital letter shall have the meanings given in the ITT. All additional information relating to information provided in this Contract Notice is available in the ITT. Further information on (i) the procurement is available at https://tideway.bravosolution.co.uk and (ii) the Thames Tideway Tunnel project is available on www.tideway.london (2) Additional information concerning the Contracting Entity and the procedure (Section I and Section IV): On 24.8.2015 Ofwat granted Bazalgette Tunnel Limited a project licence to carry out all activities described in the project specification notice apart from those activities that Thames Water is to carry out under the preparatory work notice. Bazalgette Tunnel Limited is not a utility for the purpose of the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 ('UCR 2016') and accordingly the UCR 2016 do not apply to this procurement. However Bazalgette Tunnel Limited is required pursuant to the procurement regime in the Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013 ('SIP Regulations') to tender certain contracts and certain categories of contracts in accordance with a modified regime set out in the SIP Regulations ('modified UCR 2016'). More information concerning the Project Licence is available at: http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulated-companies/improving-regulation/thames-tideway/ Information on the SIP Regulations and more information on the modified UCR 2016 is available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ (3) Additional information concerning (II.2.5) (Award criteria) - Tideway intends to award the Contract to the economic operators with the most economically advantageous tender. Details of the award criteria and methodology for identifying the most economically advantageous tender is set out in the procurement documents. (4) Additional information concerning conflicts of interest - Applicants are referred to the ITT document (volume 1 of the ITT) and specifically section 36 for further information relating to the Contracting Entity's approach to conflicts of interest. (5) Tideway reserves the right in its absolute discretion to abandon, terminate or suspend the award process at any time. Further: a. Tideway does not bind itself to enter into any contract arising out of the procedures envisaged by this contract notice; b. no contractual rights express or implied arise out of this contract notice or the procedures envisaged by it; c. Tideway reserves the right to vary its requirements and the procedure relating to the conduct of the award process; and d. Tenderers shall be fully responsible for and liable for all costs associated with and arising out of or in connection with responding to this contract notice and the ITT. Tideway will not be responsible for or liable to anyTenderer for any cost incurred by such Tenderer in responding to this Contract Notice or Tender.