Unified Communications

Bidders must demonstrate that they possess the necessary economic and financial standing to perform the contract. Financial standing will be assessed on a PASS/FAIL basis against the following objective criteria: 1. Minimum Turnover: The bidder must have a minimum annual turnover of £200,000 in each of the last two (2) financial years. 2. Financial Statements: Bidders must provide financial accounts (audited where required by law, or equivalent statements for companies exempt from auditing) for the most recent two financial years. In line with standard public procurement regulations, bidders are not required to hold the specified contract insurances at the point of tender submission. However, bidders must provide an explicit declaration confirming their willingness and capacity to secure the mandatory insurance levels (Employer's Liability £10m, Public Liability £5m, Product Liability £5m, Professional Indemnity £2m, and Cyber Security £1m) prior to formal contract award should they be successful.

Bidders must demonstrate their technical and professional capability to deliver the services securely and reliably. Evaluation will be conducted on a PASS/FAIL basis. Tenderers are required to self-certify compliance against the following standards at the submission stage and must provide valid certification or evidence of equivalence prior to contract award: 1. ISO27001: Information Security Management (or a verified equivalent standard). The authority will review equivalent robust information security management systems on a case-by-case basis. 2. Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus: Bidders must hold active certification to demonstrate robust fundamental cyber security controls. 3. GDPR / Data Protection Compliance: Bidders must self-certify that their solutions, infrastructure, and organizational practices fully comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018. 4. PCI-DSS Compliance: Where the proposed solution or contact centre elements process, route, or record payment-related communications (e.g. telephone credit card payments), the provider must demonstrate compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Failure to provide the requested certificates or satisfactory evidence of equivalence prior to contract award may result in the tender being disqualified.