Residential Central Heating Installations

This tender for residential central heating installations by Ipswich Borough Council is partially well-structured but exhibits significant deficiencies in completeness and fairness. Key concerns include the absence of evaluation criteria, financial requirements, and the inaccessibility of a crucial document.

Legal compliance is generally good, with a clearly defined procedure type and appropriate CPV codes. The submission deadline is reasonable. However, the tender lacks explicit mandatory exclusion grounds, and while the reservation for UK suppliers and SME/VCSEs may be permissible under national rules for below-threshold contracts, it limits competition.

The service description and technical requirements are clear and understandable. However, the critical absence of specified evaluation criteria and financial requirements significantly reduces the clarity for potential bidders on how their proposals will be assessed.

Basic information such as title, reference, organization, deadlines, value, and duration are provided. However, the failure to download a key document ("Lot L-1"), the absence of financial requirements, mandatory exclusion grounds, and especially evaluation criteria, render the tender significantly incomplete.

Fairness is significantly compromised by the complete absence of evaluation criteria, preventing objective and transparent assessment. The failure to access a key document ("Lot L-1") also creates an unequal playing field. Furthermore, the reservation for UK suppliers and SME/VCSEs, while potentially legal, restricts competition to a specific market segment, limiting broader access.

Electronic submission is supported via the suffolksourcing.uk platform, and key contract dates and duration are clearly specified. However, the inability to download a listed document ("Lot L-1") presents a practical impediment for bidders.

Most key fields are populated, and dates are logical and consistent. There are no reported disputes or suspensions. However, a discrepancy exists between the estimated value in EUR (4,200,000.00) and the GBP (£3.5M) mentioned in document summaries. The 'Liable Person' field is also empty.

The tender does not explicitly mention green procurement or innovation focus. However, the reservation for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) demonstrates a clear social aspect, contributing positively to sustainability considerations.