Project IT System Development and Integration Phase 2 – Purchase, installation and integration

Company name The Outdoors Company UK Ltd

Date of Issue Friday 28th September 2018

Reference Code GH51084

Email for Return of Complete Responses

paulms@theoutdoorscompany.co.uk

Submission Deadline 5pm on Friday 12th October 2018

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION

SPECIFICATION

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Any questions about the procurement should be submitted by e-mail to the email address indicated at the front of this document.

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BACKGROUND TO CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON GRANT PROGRAMME

The project outlined in this Request for Quotation will be part funded by the Cheshire & Warrington Grant Programme.

The grant programme is designed to support businesses in identifying and achieving their growth potential through the provision of up to 35% contribution towards the cost of projects across a wide spectrum of business disciplines.

The specification below relates to a project which may be part funded by the Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and the European Regional Development fund. However, this will have no impact on the contractual relationship between the business letting this contract and the successful supplier.

Please note, response to this submission is at the sole cost of the supplier and is not an offer of employment.

Further information can be found at http://candwgrowthhub.co.uk/grants

PLEASE NOTE: ALL CORESPONDENCE REGARDING THIS PROCUREMENT SHOULD BE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE CONTRACTING BUSINESS.

BACKGROUND TO ORGANISATION & REQUIREMENTS OF THE BRIEF

Company Background

We are a wholesale distributor of outdoor brands to the corporate market. The business is B2B and you are required to have an account to buy from us. We sell in bulk to a variety of channels such as Emergency Services, Outdoor Education Centres, Expedition Companies, Schools and Colleges, Marketing and Promotional agencies, Workwear Companies and Corporate End Users (plc’s), such as Google, EDF Energy, MET Police, Warner Bros, Fox Films, Brand Addition and Cromwell Tools. We also supply large charitable organisations like The Princes Trust, many councils and Entrust (Capita) who manage Outdoor Education Centres across the UK.

We operate in a niche market and have agreements in place with brands that give us exclusivity which means there is huge scope for realising the potential on offer. We currently have agreements with The North Face, Berghaus, Helly Hansen, RAB, Patagonia, Montane and Columbia.

To underpin our growth we need to ensure our systems, processes and associated infrastructure are fit for purpose. Our current internal process for processing orders is manual and inefficient in terms of time required to get orders shipped to customers. Double keying of all orders and invoices result in duplication of effort and time. There is a lack of visibility for the sales people with regard to customers live orders, past orders, credit limits & financials. Moreover, there is a lack of visibility for senior management to understand the value of current ‘live’ orders in the sales pipeline as ordering system is paper based. In summary, there is a lack of suitable reporting from the current situation which slows down strategic and operational decision making.

The main objective of the project is to improve the efficiency of the business and to provide a suitable platform for growth. Currently the business has an electronic stand-alone CRM system (ACT), a paper based ordering system & inventory management and its Accounts software (Quickbooks). None of these systems

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are inter-linked, so data has to be double or triple entered at the various points of the business. For example a sale person generates a quote using excel within the CRM system. When this becomes an order it is printed out and placed in order file. The stock is picked and allocated to orders in the file. Once the order is complete, the paper order sheet is passed to accounts. Accounts now manually type each stock item onto a sales invoice. This was an effective system with 2 or 3 salespeople, we now have 7 it has becoming increasingly inefficient.

The new system we are looking for will integrate all these areas into one. This will give total visibility of customer orders / invoices to all appropriate areas of the business: sales, warehousing & accounts

It will also save time and duplication of work, so human resources can be focused on growth activities as opposed to labour intensive administration.

Requirements of the Brief

During first phase of this project we carried out an internal analysis of current processes and scoped our full requirements for the system. We now need to find the most appropriate system to introduce into our business which means the second phase of the project is to purchase, install, integrate and customise (if required) of the most appropriate solution for our business.

During phase 1 of this project we were able to map out our processes and developed a comprehensive list of functionality that the system needs to be developed around.

SALES PERSON RECORD1. First Name2. Last Name3. Team4. Phone Number5. Email

CONTACT RECORD6. First Name7. Last Name8. Company9. Email10. Phone

COMPANY RECORDS1. Company Name2. Delivery Address3. Invoice Address4. Business Sector (Dropdown List)5. Invoice Terms6. Account Manager7. Credit Limit8. Company Registration9. Account email address10. Accounts Contact Name11. VAT code (Dropdown)

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Companies with multiple locations should be treated as separate companies e.g.

o BBC Londono BBC Manchestero BBC Radio o etc

LINE ITEM RECORD

Attributes

1. UPC2. SKU3. Supplier * see notes4. Manufacturer5. Brand6. Type (jacket, tent etc)7. Description8. Colour9. Size10. Gender11. Purchase Price12. Selling Price * see notes 13. VATable14. VAT RATE15. Service or Product

Same item can be sourced from multiple suppliers Customer Price Lists? Price can vary with quantity ordered

CUSTOMER ORDERING PROCESS

1. Customer calls with requirements2. Create a quote

a. Sales Personb. Created Datec. Required dated. Contact and Companye. Delivery Contact and Address(s) – see notef. Invoice Addressg. Clear marking if order is designated Plain Packaging

i. UPS Label set to Blind Shipment – sender is blankh. Add line items – can be from multiple suppliers

i. Select by Supplier, Manufacturer, Brand, Product Type, Colour, Size, Genderii. Add customisation flag

i. Add customisation line item –tied to line item to follow it during changesi. Logo Code, Placement, Sizeii. Could be stored in separate table

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*** after discussions the customisation line should follow a number of line items where those line items all use the same customisation e.g. 5 Large, 4 Med, 2 Small, 11 cusomisations on right sleeve with XYXZ001 logo

j. VAT per line item (stored value or entered)k. Quantityl. Possible to apply line item discount

3. Items sorted by Supplier maintaining integrity with embroidery request4. Quote is sent to customer

a. Link and/or PDF5. Margin statement is produced showing profit per line item6. Margin Statement sent to management Pending Board7. Quote is adjusted, if required, then converted to Supplier Order8. Customer accepts quote – becomes Customer Order9. Move Customer Order to Accounts Approval10. If Quote contains customised items then place on Customisation Pending list11. Customer PO number is added as a reference

Notes:

Logo library or logos stored per customer? Embroidery to be treated as service – no stock or physical product Orders to be searchable by:

o Customero Customer POo Line Itemo Order Dateo Sales Persono Business Segment

Multiple drops / addresses Call off orders – prepay and then order and deliver as needed Ability to repeat an order

Order Status Flags

Quoted Order Confirmed Awaiting Approval Approved Goods on Order Part Received Order Finalised Shipped Invoiced Delivered

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SUPPLIER ORDERING PROCESS

2 possible scenarios

Scenario 1 – Immediate order on Supplier1. If Accounts have approved then Each Line Item from Customer Order added to Supplier Orders by

Supplier with Customer PO referencea. Minus related embroidery line itemb. Flag to Indicate line item contains stock items – over order

2. Purchase Order for Supplier Created3. Stock is adjusted – most likely negative4. Order is placed on WAREHOUSE PENDING LIST

Scenario 2 – EOD Collated orders for Supplier1. If Accounts have approved Each Line Item from Customer Order added to Supplier Orders by

Supplier with Customer Referencea. Minus related embroidery line itemb. Flag to Indicate line item contains stock items – over order

2. At EOD Purchase Orders per supplier are created with collated line items including customer PO number

3. Stock level adjusted4. Orders are placed on the WAREHOUSE PENDING list

Notes:

Searchable by Supplier, Line Item, Customer Reference

RECEIVING AND SHIPPING PROCESS

For new orders from stock – picking lista. WAREHOUSE checks WAREHOUSE PENDING list b. Checks existing stock and sets aside items from stock into pending box(s) c. Stock is adjustedd. System prints label(s) with Customer Order details e. Pending Box is labelled

Stock Deliveries

1. Stock orders are delivered to the Warehousea. Can be full or partial deliveryb. Can contain multiple customer ordersc. Could be from Customisation Centred. Could be a customer return

2. Warehouse opens parcels and checks contentsa. Ideally scans UPC code, or searches description, and system finds orders with that line item

includedb. Warehouse man checks delivery note and identifies correct order to allocate to

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c. Warehouse adds items to correct pending box d. Need if possible to create a pending box count for customer which can be adjusted as boxes

fill or get repacked. Label print would be ideal.e. Warehouse can print additional Pending labels as per Step 5

3. Warehouse receives (full or partial) number of that line item a. Stock is adjustedb. Partial order is noted with remaining number left showing on order

4. Repeat step 7 onwards until order is completea. Some items may fail to deliver due to availability issuesb. These line items need to be removed from Order and a NEW Order (back order) created for

remaining items5. If order is to be customised

a. print customisation notes - 2 copiesb. place notes into boxc. ship to customisation centre d. Place a record into the Customisation (google) worksheet

i. Clientii. Embroidery or Printiii. Salesmaniv. Number of items to be customisedv. Date sentvi. Return Datevii. Notes

e. return to step 1

6. Order is passed to Accounts Pending List for processing7. Accounts approve order and create:

a. Delivery Noteb. Returns Note – notes excludes any customised items

8. Delivery Note is Printed on Warehouse Printer9. Warehouse create UPS Shipment – ideally integrated into System10. Order is updated with UPS ship date11. Warehouse attaches delivery note to shipment12. Places in shipment collection area

Notes:

Searchable by Line Item description, UPC, Supplier, Customer PO Warehouse uses Zebra ZP450 label printer

RETURNS PROCESS

1. Customer ships items and return note to ODC2. Warehouse receives items 3. Items re-added to stock4. Warehouse passes Returns Note to Accounts5. Accounts creates Credit Note for Customer – deduct re-stocking charge6. Warehouse repacks Items and ships to Supplier (Supplier Return Note?)7. Supplier sends Credit Note to Accounts

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8. Items are removed from Stock

Budget

Our budget for the second phase of the project is £10,000.

Expected Start Date

We would like the project to commence in October 2018.

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SUPPLIER RESPONSE SECTION

Information Only

Company Name

Contact Name

Contact Telephone Number

E-mail address:

Web Address

Please attach Curriculum Vitae, Organisational Background and Case Studies to support proposal.

Scored Response – Quality

This is a minimum threshold Question – See Evaluation Criteria in Appendix IHow would you meet the needs of the tender as described in the section titled ‘Requirements of the Brief’. Available Marks: 10

Project Delivery

INSERT NARRATIVE to clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirements of brief as set out above. (Max 1,500 words).

Project Delivery Plan

Please complete the following project delivery plan outlining the key stages of the project, timescales and costs

Project Milestone Time Required

Expected Completion Date

Total Cost for this activity

1. No of Days

2.

ADD MORE ROWS IF REQUIRED

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Total Cost £

Payment Terms

Please insert your preferred payment terms using the following table as guidance.

Payment When Amount

1. On completion of INSERT TEXT £

2. On completion of INSERT TEXT £

3. On completion of INSERT TEXT £

Please note:

All prices quoted shall be exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT). All prices quoted shall be fixed and firm and shall apply for the full duration of the contract. Following that period, any requests for price changes must be accompanied by a written

summary and supported by evidence to justify the proposed price change. No quantity or continuity of work is guaranteed to successful suppliers and this should be

taken into account when completing the Pricing Schedule. Any daily rate indicated in the Schedule of Rates is for an 8 hour working day, during a

normal working week (Monday to Friday). A half day is therefore considered as 4hrs. All costs are deemed to include expenses and any other on-cost.

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APPENDIX IINSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETIONCompleted questionnaires should be submitted in electronic format and emailed to the email address given at the front of this document by the due date as outlined in Deadline for Response in the Timescales section.

Any application received after the Deadline for Response shall not be opened or considered. We may, however, in our own absolute discretion extend the Deadline and in such circumstances we will notify all applicants of any change.

You should answer all questions as accurately and concisely as possible.

Where a question is not relevant to your organisation, please state N/A (not applicable) and include a brief explanation if required. Questions must be answered in English and submitted either in Microsoft Word readable format or Adobe Acrobat PDF.

Responses will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria set out in Appendix 1. In the event that none of the responses are deemed satisfactory, we reserve the right to consider alternative procurement options.

Failure to provide the required information, make a satisfactory response to any question, or supply documentation referred to in responses, within the specified timescale, may mean that you will be excluded from further participation in the procurement.

NO CONTRACTNo information contained in this specification or in any communication made between ourselves and any supplier in connection with this specification shall be relied upon as constituting a contract, agreement or representation that any contract shall be offered in accordance with this specification. We reserve the right, subject to the appropriate procurement regulations, to change without notice the basis of, or the procedures for, the competitive tendering process. We reserve the right to terminate the process at any time. Under no circumstances shall ourselves incur any liability in respect of this specification or any supporting documentation.

SUPPLIER SELECTIONThe overall evaluation process will be conducted in a fair and equitable manner, so that we are able to consider the value for money of each proposal. This means that we may seek clarification of an application from any and all applicants; different clarification/information may be sought from different applicants.

Once we have reached a decision in respect of an award, we will notify all applicants of our decision. As this is below the OJEU financial threshold for light touch regime procurements, we do not intend to provide for a standstill period before entering into the contract.

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Any attempt by applicants to influence the contract award process in any way may result in the applicant being disqualified. Specifically, applicants shall not directly or indirectly at any time:

Devise or amend the content of their application in accordance with any agreement or arrangement with any other person (other than in good faith with a person who is a proposed partner, supplier, consortium member or provider of finance.)

Enter into any agreement or arrangement with any other person as to the form or content of any other application, or offer to pay any sum of money or valuable consideration to any person to effect changes to the form or content of any other application.

Enter into any agreement or arrangement with any other person that has the effect of prohibiting or excluding that person from submitting an application.

Canvass us or any of employees or agents in relation to this tender. Attempt to obtain information from any of our employees, agents or our advisors concerning

another application.

QUERIES ABOUT THE PROCUREMENTAny questions about the procurement should be submitted by e-mail to the email address indicated at the front of this document.

If we consider any question or request for clarification to be of such significance that all potential suppliers who have responded should be made aware of it, both the query and the response will be communicated to them, in a suitably anonymous form either by email or on the website/publication on which the tender was advertised.

All responses received and any communication from service providers will be treated in confidence.

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EVALUATION CRITERIAProposal significantly exceeds requirements and offers value added and additional services that will enhance significantly the service

10 marks

Proposal exceeds requirement. Demonstrated by clear, detailed information and unequivocal evidence

7.5 Marks

Proposal meets the minimum requirements. Evidence is fairly clear and convincing; minor reservations in one or more key areas

5.0 Marks

Proposal significantly fails to meet the requirements. In virtually all areas there is a lack of convincing evidence which casts serious doubt about the ability to meet requirements.

2.5 Marks

Responses scoring 0 will be deemed to have failed to demonstrate the minimum level of quality and will be disqualified.

0 Marks

Prior to evaluating Tenders, we will carry out an initial review of each Tender to confirm completeness and compliance with the Tender Requirements and may, at its discretion, reject a Tender which is incomplete and / or non-compliant. The following pre-evaluation process will be undertaken:

Compliance Check Stage: to confirm completeness and compliance with the Tender Requirements. We may, at our discretion, reject a Tender which is incomplete or non-compliant. Please note the word count and any text above the word count will not be assessed.

Quality Assessment Score: The quality assessment section will be assessed against the criteria set out below and each tender will be awarded a score based on their ability to demonstrate their ability to meet the tender requirements. Responses scoring below 5 in the quality assessment will be deemed to have failed to demonstrate the minimum level of quality and will be disqualified.

Tender Price Score: This is calculated using the formula shown below and a score will be awarded which reflects the cost quoted relative to the other tenders received.

Evaluation Stage: We will then determine the winning tender by comparing the total scores for both the quality assessment and pricing sections.

PRICEIn evaluating the price of tenders, the lowest price will be awarded full marks and each other proposal will be awarded a score based on the percentage difference from the lowest price, according the formula below;

Supplier A :Lowest BidSupplier B :Under consideration

×Marks Available=Marks Awarded ¿Supplier B

See worked example below.

Supplier A :£ 4,000Supplier B : £6,000

×10=6.67

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If the price seems abnormally low, further explanation as to the low price may be sought and evaluation of whether the quote is considered economically viable will be made.

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