A Prior Information Notice concerning a Market Engagement event in connection with a forthcoming tender for a Water Quality Monitoring and Analytical Services including the carrying out of Mechanical and Electrical Asset Lifecycle Condition Surveying.

The Council intends to publish a tender for the provision of water quality monitoring and analytical services, which also requires the carrying out of periodic Mechanical and Electrical ("M&E") asset lifecycle condition surveys in connection with those M&E assets which comprise key elements of the Council's hot and cold water delivery infrastructures ("the Services"). The council requires that the Services shall be carried out in a coordinated way during the proposed contract term which could be for a period of 10 years.

In advance of the council's tender, the council wishes to invite suppliers of these services and also interested parties to participate in a Market Engagement event. The council's proposed Market Engagement event aims to:

1. Generate supplier interest in the Council's proposed tender by providing suppliers with an early opportunity to understand the Council's requirements;

2. Enable suppliers to develop an appreciation of the Council's strategic objectives for the proposed contract;

3. Facilitate the council's proposed consultation exercise with suppliers which shall occur prior to the publication of the council's tender, and

4. Encourage suppliers to prioritise the preparation of a tender response.

In the event that suppliers and other interested parties wish to attend the council's Market Engagement event which shall only be hosted virtually via MS Teams, suppliers and interested parties must provide confirmation of their intentions by way of an Expression of Interest, which must only be submitted to the council making use of the dialogue function in the council's Proactis procurement portal. Suppliers and interested parties shall not be permitted to correspond with council officers via email in connection with the proposed event.

Additional information: The event date is scheduled for 3rd June 2024 10.30am to 11.30am (via MS teams). In the event that suppliers and interested parties wish to attend the Market Engagement event, suppliers and interested parties must provide an Expression of Interest not later than 5pm Tuesday 28th May. Suppliers and interested parties are made aware that the council shall not accept any Expressions of Interest submitted after this deadline.

To enable the council to issue the MS Teams meeting invites, Expressions of Interest must contain email contact details of would-be participants. These contact details must be provided to the council in advance of the 5pm Tuesday May 28th deadline.

Suppliers and interested parties are made aware that it is not the council's intention to provide those suppliers participating in this proposed Market Engagement event with an opportunity to gain a commercial advantage over those suppliers that do not participate in the Market Engagement. Moreover, a recording and a transcript of the Market Engagement event shall be published via the council's Proactis procurement portal subsequently and this record shall be accessible to all parties who may be interested in submitting a tender.