What do they mean by "work will be allocated based on lots"?
I would imagine that it will be very similar to the most recent family tender.
This is the info relating to that:
6. Lots
6.1 For Family Services the volume of Matter Starts tendered for within an Individual Bid will determine which „Lot‟ that bid falls into. Lots are divided as follows:
Lot 1 – Individual Bids for between 0 and 50 Matter Starts (inclusive)
Lot 2 – Individual Bids for between 51 and 150 Matter Starts (inclusive)
Lot 3 – Individual Bids for over 150 Matter Starts
6.2 Therefore, for example, if an Applicant is submitting an Individual Bid for 60 Matter Starts this will be classified by the LSC as Lot 2.
6.3 Applicants wishing to tender from multiple Offices (and therefore submitting multiple Individual Bids) may submit Individual Bids that are classified in different Lots. For example, if Office 1 is bidding to deliver 100 Matter Starts and Office 2 is bidding to deliver 180 Matter Starts, the Applicant‟s Individual Bid from Office 1 will be in Lot 2 and its Individual Bid from Office 2 will be in Lot 3.
6.4 Applicants must only submit one Individual Bid per Office.
6.5 To ensure we have a higher level of confidence in those Applicants bidding for larger volumes of Matter Starts, the requirements and verification of Individual Bids will differ according to the Lot as set out at Section D. Applicants should take this into account when considering the volume of work to bid for.
6.6 Housing Services will not be classified into Lots and our approach to bids for Housing Services will not differ according to the size of the bid.
The LSC had intimated no more Matter Starts, but seems that they have bottled it.
Also in relation to Lots, it appears that the LSC is suggesting that to successfully bid for the small or medium lots you will only need to satisfy the PQQ (pre qualification questionnaire) criteria. However there will be additional criteria for those wanting to bid for the large lots.
It seems that those who are successful in the small or medium lots will get all the Matter Starts they ask for. Those successful in the large lots will be guaranteed a minimum number of Matter Starts with any other available Matter Starts in the relevant area (Access Point? Procurement Area?) being divvied up among the bidders.
It also seems that the rep bodies are being consulted in some highly secretive meetings with the LSC about the possible additional criteria (& other matters).
Can you enlighten us further Chris on why they are "highly secretive" and what these "other matters" are?
They are 'highly secretive' because that it would seem is the way that the LSC wishes to operate. I think there are concerns about involving practitioners in any way as they may be seen to have some potential benefit in relation to the Tender and thus rep bodies are only allowed to send 'non-economic actors' to attend. Papers from these meetings cannot be taken from the meetings and rep bodies cannot circulate notes from the meetings - minutes will be published by the LSC once the Tender has opened.
What 'other matters' are being discussed? I don't know as the meetings are 'highly secretive'!! I am just guessing that 'other matters' are being discussed. As I am not a 'non-economic actor' I have not been able to attend any of the meetings (& I assume that if had attended I could not disclose any information on pain of public flooging or the such).
