Provision of Temporary Agency Workers for Northern Ireland Civil Service, Agencies and Non Departmental Public Bodies

Descriptions

The Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), Agencies, and Non- Departmental Public Bodies have a new requirement for the provision of temporary agency workers.

Engagement

A Preliminary Market Engagement questionnaire was published on 8 May 2025. There were 12 responses received from Suppliers by the deadline of 29th May 2025, presenting their feedback. Each Supplier demonstrated that they would be prepared to meet the Buyer’s expectations and requirements within a range of proposed solutions. The findings were as follows: • All respondents able to fulfil role as main/prime contractor, with capability of bidding on multiple Lots and no barriers to participating in procurement process • No Supplier expressed concerns regarding the proposed procurement timetable; there was a willingness to work with incumbent suppliers to ensure a smooth changeover. • All possessed their own IT system, highlighting capability to deliver MI. • All potential Suppliers supportive of proposed contract duration. • There was a wide range of replies from respondents in relation to Lot Structure, with suggestion of amalgamating Lots. • No issues were raised concerning meeting KPIs, IT system requirements, data requirements, or delivering service during NICS major transformation (Integr8). • Indicative of the current NICS policy to integrate sustainable development and social value into procurement, there were 4 questions within the PME addressing these subjects, with each of the suppliers expressing a commitment to both social value and sustainable development. CPD, NICSHR and DfC are content with the PME questionnaire feedback. A document entitled ‘Schedule 10 Performance Levels’ was issued via an eTendersNI message to all interested suppliers of the previous preliminary market engagement exercise. This document contains key performance indicators and service levels. The suppliers were asked to provide any feedback by the deadline of 3pm on 3 September 2025. Five suppliers responded and their feedback was considered.