Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Works

The Association of North East Councils Trading as the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) is seeking to establish a multi-contractor, multi-lot Framework Agreement for the provision of Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Works This prior information notice (PIN) is to provide advance notice to the marketplace of the tendering opportunity and intentions of NEPO to undertake market consultation activities with contractors to help shape the future Framework Agreement. NEPO are not advertising this PIN as a mechanism to reduce future procurement timescales. NEPO intends to publish a soft market testing questionnaire via the Open eTendering system. The questionnaire will be used to assess interest in the tendering opportunity and to gain information and insight from the market to help shape the future NEPO211 Framework Agreement design. The soft market testing questionnaire will be made accessible via the Open eTendering system on 19/03/2024 with a submission deadline of 4 p.m. on 10/04/2024. Suppliers wishing to access and complete the soft market testing questionnaire must first register on the eTendering system using the following link https://www.open-uk.org. For guidance on how to create an account or submit your questionnaire response through Open, please visit https://www.open-hub.org/training (https://www.open-hub.org/training) to access the available Training Guides. If you need technical assistance from the Open Support team, this can be requested via email at open.support@nepo.org. PLEASE NOTE: Open is accessible 24/7 however, technical support is available Monday to Thursday 08:30 - 17:00 and Friday 08:30 - 16:30. NEPO intends to hold group face-to-face market consultation meetings, it is intended these will take place on 15/04/2024 between 10am-12noon (Gateshead) and 19/04/2024 between 10am-12noon (Hartlepool) and 22/04/204 between 10am-12noon (Morpeth). Suppliers can express their interest in attending one of the meetings by completing the Soft Market Testing Questionnaire on Open as detailed above. If numbers exceed available spaces at each venue NEPO will confirm attendees on a first come first served basis. Contractors interested in bidding for one, or more, of the lots are invited to attend the sessions however attendance is optional and does not provide suppliers with an advantage in any future related procurement. Presentations and Q&A from the sessions will be published as part of the procurement process. Attendance also does not constitute as an intention to tender for any future related procurement. Please note the above information may be subject to change.