Contract award notice - utilities

Information

Published

External Reference: 2023-561452

FTS Reference: 2023-007141

Contract award notice - utilities

Contract award notice – utilities

Results of the procurement procedure

Services

Section I: Contracting entity

I.1)

Name and addresses

United Utilities Water Limited
02366678
Lingley Mere Business Park
Warrington
WA5 3LP
UK
Contact person: Charlotte Whelan
Telephone: +44 7900805893
NUTS code:  UKD -  NORTH WEST (ENGLAND)
Internet address(es):
I.6)

Main activity

Water

Section II: Object

II.1)

Scope of the procurement

II.1.1)

Title

PRO004373 Customer Market Research Services
Reference number:  PRO004373
II.1.2)

Main CPV code

79310000  -  Market research services
II.1.3)

Type of contract

Services
II.1.4)

Short description

United Utilities Water Limited (UU) has become increasingly more focused on its customers, and is encouraged by the water industry regulator, Ofwat, to ensure customer priorities are appropriately reflected in its business plan and activity.
United Utilities is also prepared to invest in gathering meaningful insight about customer needs and expectations, to help provide the evidence the business needs to embed customer priorities into the centre of its ways of working.
Research is currently procured on a project-by-project basis via a tender process in line with current procurement guidelines.
United Utilities will benefit from implementing supplier frameworks through improvements to the efficiency of procuring research services across the organisation.
II.1.6)

Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: yes
II.2)

Description

II.2.1)

Title

Specialist Qualitative Services
Lot No:  1
II.2.2)

Additional CPV code(s)

79310000  -  Market research services
II.2.3)

Place of performance

NUTS code:  UKD -  NORTH WEST (ENGLAND)
II.2.4)

Description of the procurement

This lot covers Suppliers who specialise in qualitative research which involves collecting and analysing non-numerical data (e.g. sentiment, text, audio, video etc.) Activities in this area may include but not limited to: Specialist qual services (e.g. Stakeholder/ expert interviewing, Workshop expertise, Customer journey mapping, UX research, Ad & comms development / testing, Co-creation, Ethnographic research, Identifying customer needs, Exploratory research, Customer closeness, Campaign or brand evaluation through social media research.
II.2.11)

Information about options

Options: no
II.2.13)

Information about European Union funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
II.2)

Description

II.2.1)

Title

Specialist Quantitative services
Lot No:  2
II.2.2)

Additional CPV code(s)

79310000  -  Market research services
II.2.3)

Place of performance

NUTS code:  UKD -  NORTH WEST (ENGLAND)
II.2.4)

Description of the procurement

This lot covers Suppliers who specialise in quantitative research where data collection focuses on quantifying the collection and analysis of numerical data. Activities in this area may include but not limited to: Specialist Quant Services (e.g. Expert quant analysis, Research and analytics, Pricing and demand modelling, Customer segmentation, Consumer profiling, Behavioural science, Implicit testing, Omnibus, Specialists quantitative survey methods).
II.2.11)

Information about options

Options: no
II.2.13)

Information about European Union funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
II.2)

Description

II.2.1)

Title

Generalist/ Full service Quantitative and Qualitative
Lot No:  3
II.2.2)

Additional CPV code(s)

79310000  -  Market research services
II.2.3)

Place of performance

NUTS code:  UKD -  NORTH WEST (ENGLAND)
II.2.4)

Description of the procurement

This lot covers Suppliers who are full-service and provide a balanced amount of qualitative and quantitative services and do not specialise in either area. Activities in this area may include but not limited to: Focus groups/ mystery shopping/ depth interviews/ intercepts, online lite ethno/vox pops, comms testing, standard quantitative survey methods.
II.2.11)

Information about options

Options: no
II.2.13)

Information about European Union funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
II.2)

Description

II.2.1)

Title

Customer/Community Panels
Lot No:  4
II.2.2)

Additional CPV code(s)

79310000  -  Market research services
II.2.3)

Place of performance

NUTS code:  UKD -  NORTH WEST (ENGLAND)
II.2.4)

Description of the procurement

This Lot covers the specific requirement for a United Utilities online customer panel or community (MROC). United Utilities have procured the services of a Supplier who is able to provide a full-service online community panel. Activity in this area may include but not limited to:
Online customer / community platform technology, Management capability to run an ongoing community panel, Community recruitment retention and activity stimulation, On-going panel engagement strategy,
Set-up and build expertise for community panel, Platform licencing, Management and content provision services, Qualitative research techniques, Quantitative research techniques, Digital immersion, Vox-pops videos, Reporting workshops, Customer / community forums, Face to face customer immersion sessions,
Drafting findings and recommendations, Reporting and presenting findings and recommendations.
II.2.11)

Information about options

Options: no
II.2.13)

Information about European Union funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
II.2)

Description

II.2.1)

Title

Brand and Advertising Tracking
Lot No:  5
II.2.2)

Additional CPV code(s)

79310000  -  Market research services
II.2.3)

Place of performance

NUTS code:  UKD -  NORTH WEST (ENGLAND)
II.2.4)

Description of the procurement

This Lot covers the specific requirement for a United Utilities Brand Tracking solution. United Utilities is looking for a Supplier who is able to provide a Bespoke Brand Tracking / media Tracking service should pitch for this Lot. Activity in this area may include but not limited to: Brand / reputation / equity tracking, Brand Health mapping, Advertising tracking ,Set-up workshops, Stakeholder engagement, Questionnaire design, Bespoke methodology recommendations, Dynamic approach, Online dashboard design and implementation, Innovative storytelling and reporting, Contextual analysis, Actionable Insight recommendations, Face To Face immersion sessions, Cross-agency analysis.
II.2.11)

Information about options

Options: no
II.2.13)

Information about European Union funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)

Description

IV.1.1)

Type of procedure

Negotiated procedure with prior call for competition
IV.1.3)

Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system

The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement
IV.1.8)

Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement : no
IV.2)

Administrative information

IV.2.1)

Previous publication concerning this procedure

Notice number in the FTS: 2023/S 000-004202

Section V: Award of contract

Contract No: 2

Lot No: 2

Title: PRO004373 Customer Market Research Services

A contract/lot is awarded: yes
V.2)

Award of contract

V.2.1)

Date of conclusion of the contract

16/02/2023
V.2.3)

Name and address of the contractor ( Agree to publish? yes )

BMG Research LTD
02841970
Beech House, Greenfield Crescent
Edgbaston, Birmingham
B15 3BE
UK
NUTS code:  UKG -  WEST MIDLANDS (ENGLAND)

The contractor is an SME : yes

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.4)

Procedures for review

VI.4.1)

Review body

High Court of England & Wales
City of Westminster
London
UK