Provision of Customer Contact Managed Services

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (“CRU”) is Ireland’s independent energy, district heating and water regulator. Our work impacts Irish homes and businesses ensuring safe, secure and sustainable energy and water supplies for all customers. The CRU’s mission is to protect the public interest in water, energy and energy safety. …

CPV: 72300000 Servicios relacionados con datos, 79310000 Servicios de estudios de mercado, 79410000 Servicios de consultoría comercial y en gestión, 79411000 Servicios generales de consultoría en gestión, 79510000 Servicios de contestación de llamadas telefónicas, 79511000 Servicios de operador telefónico, 79512000 Centro de llamadas, 79600000 Servicios de contratación, 79900000 Servicios comerciales diversos y otros servicios conexos, 79990000 Servicios comerciales diversos
Lugar de ejecución:
Provision of Customer Contact Managed Services
Organismo adjudicador:
Commission for Regulation of Utilities
Número de premio:
0

1. Buyer

1.1 Buyer

Official name : Commission for Regulation of Utilities
Legal type of the buyer : Body governed by public law, controlled by a central government authority
Activity of the contracting authority : General public services

2. Procedure

2.1 Procedure

Title : Provision of Customer Contact Managed Services
Description : The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (“CRU”) is Ireland’s independent energy, district heating and water regulator. Our work impacts Irish homes and businesses ensuring safe, secure and sustainable energy and water supplies for all customers. The CRU’s mission is to protect the public interest in water, energy and energy safety. The CRU is guided by four strategic priorities that sit alongside the core activities we undertake to deliver on the public interest. These are: • Ensure security of supply • Drive a low carbon future • Empower and protect customers • Enable our people and organisational capacity Under the European Communities (Internal Market in Electricity and Gas) (Consumer Protection) Regulations 2011 (SI 463 of 2011, as amended) and the Water Services Act 2014 (as amended), the CRU has a statutory duty to provide: • A single point of contact for all energy and water related customer queries/information requests, particularly to provide information on consumer rights and obligations, and • A free dispute resolution service for any customer with an unresolved complaint against an energy supplier, energy network operator or Uisce Éireann. The CRU’s Customer Care Team (“CCT”), in the Customer Policy and Protection and Legal division, is the team that fulfils this role and assists household and small business customers who have questions or complaints in relation to energy or water utilities in a helpful and accurate manner. In providing information and dispute resolution services to customers, the CCT is currently supported by an external contact centre provider (and has been for the last 13 years). Services currently provided are outlined below. Similar services are sought from a suitably qualified organisation for the next two years, with the option to extend by two further two-year periods, i.e. a possible total of six years. The successful tenderer will be the first point of contact for all customers seeking to avail of the information or dispute resolution services provided by the CCT. By way of context, volumes and complexity of queries and complaints handled by the CRU have increased notably over the last four years. Contact volumes are currently slightly below 2021-22 peaks, while complaint volumes continue to increase year-on-year. In 2023, the CRU’s customer care line received 6,816 inbound calls and 22,526 emails (including online web queries). 617 complex complaints (complaints that are investigated by the CRU) were opened. The CCT’s 2023 annual report (linked in previous section) will provide more information on the nature of queries and complaints received. Future contact volumes are uncertain, however we would note a trend in the subject matter areas covered by contacts becoming more complex, for example in relation to microgeneration support schemes and more complex smart tariff products being offered by energy suppliers. It is important that agents representing the CRU can understand a wide range of complex areas, and question customers effectively such that they can advise customers clearly and accurately on their rights in relation to energy, water and other areas that come into the CRU’s remit (such as district heating). Summary of services required: Provision of information service Provision of dispute resolution service Training agents, including developing new training materials Reporting Quality assurance Reception line
Procedure identifier : c768716f-ca55-4cc2-8095-b4f361f9838f
Previous notice : 977ddd7d-ece9-4a09-8ac0-cb5ec26e24da-01
Type of procedure : Open
The procedure is accelerated : no
Justification for the accelerated procedure :
Main features of the procedure :

2.1.1 Purpose

Main nature of the contract : Services
Main classification ( cpv ): 79512000 Call centre
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79510000 Telephone-answering services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79511000 Telephone operator services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79600000 Recruitment services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79900000 Miscellaneous business and business-related services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79990000 Miscellaneous business-related services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79410000 Business and management consultancy services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79411000 General management consultancy services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 72300000 Data services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79310000 Market research services

2.1.2 Place of performance

Country : Ireland
Anywhere in the given country

2.1.4 General information

Legal basis :
Directive 2014/24/EU

5. Lot

5.1 Lot technical ID : LOT-0001

Title : Provision of Customer Contact Managed Services
Description : The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (“CRU”) is Ireland’s independent energy, district heating and water regulator. Our work impacts Irish homes and businesses ensuring safe, secure and sustainable energy and water supplies for all customers. The CRU’s mission is to protect the public interest in water, energy and energy safety. The CRU is guided by four strategic priorities that sit alongside the core activities we undertake to deliver on the public interest. These are: • Ensure security of supply • Drive a low carbon future • Empower and protect customers • Enable our people and organisational capacity Under the European Communities (Internal Market in Electricity and Gas) (Consumer Protection) Regulations 2011 (SI 463 of 2011, as amended) and the Water Services Act 2014 (as amended), the CRU has a statutory duty to provide: • A single point of contact for all energy and water related customer queries/information requests, particularly to provide information on consumer rights and obligations, and • A free dispute resolution service for any customer with an unresolved complaint against an energy supplier, energy network operator or Uisce Éireann. The CRU’s Customer Care Team (“CCT”), in the Customer Policy and Protection and Legal division, is the team that fulfils this role and assists household and small business customers who have questions or complaints in relation to energy or water utilities in a helpful and accurate manner. In providing information and dispute resolution services to customers, the CCT is currently supported by an external contact centre provider (and has been for the last 13 years). Services currently provided are outlined below. Similar services are sought from a suitably qualified organisation for the next two years, with the option to extend by two further two-year periods, i.e. a possible total of six years. The successful tenderer will be the first point of contact for all customers seeking to avail of the information or dispute resolution services provided by the CCT. By way of context, volumes and complexity of queries and complaints handled by the CRU have increased notably over the last four years. Contact volumes are currently slightly below 2021-22 peaks, while complaint volumes continue to increase year-on-year. In 2023, the CRU’s customer care line received 6,816 inbound calls and 22,526 emails (including online web queries). 617 complex complaints (complaints that are investigated by the CRU) were opened. The CCT’s 2023 annual report (linked in previous section) will provide more information on the nature of queries and complaints received. Future contact volumes are uncertain, however we would note a trend in the subject matter areas covered by contacts becoming more complex, for example in relation to microgeneration support schemes and more complex smart tariff products being offered by energy suppliers. It is important that agents representing the CRU can understand a wide range of complex areas, and question customers effectively such that they can advise customers clearly and accurately on their rights in relation to energy, water and other areas that come into the CRU’s remit (such as district heating). Summary of services required: Provision of information service Provision of dispute resolution service Training agents, including developing new training materials Reporting Quality assurance Reception line
Internal identifier : 0

5.1.1 Purpose

Main nature of the contract : Services
Main classification ( cpv ): 79512000 Call centre
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79510000 Telephone-answering services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79511000 Telephone operator services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79600000 Recruitment services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79900000 Miscellaneous business and business-related services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79990000 Miscellaneous business-related services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79410000 Business and management consultancy services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79411000 General management consultancy services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 72300000 Data services
Additional classification ( cpv ): 79310000 Market research services

5.1.2 Place of performance

Country : Ireland
Anywhere in the given country
Additional information :

5.1.6 General information

Procurement Project not financed with EU Funds.
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) : yes

5.1.7 Strategic procurement

Aim of strategic procurement : No strategic procurement

5.1.10 Award criteria

Criterion :
Type : Cost
Name :
Description : Cost @ 25%
Weight (percentage, exact) : 25
Criterion :
Type : Quality
Name :
Description : Quality @ 75%
Weight (percentage, exact) : 75
Description of the method to be used if weighting cannot be expressed by criteria :
Justification for not indicating the weighting of the award criteria :

5.1.15 Techniques

Framework agreement :
No framework agreement
Information about the dynamic purchasing system :
No dynamic purchase system

5.1.16 Further information, mediation and review

Review organisation : The High Court of Ireland
Organisation providing offline access to the procurement documents : Commission for Regulation of Utilities
TED eSender : European Dynamics S.A.

6. Results

Value of all contracts awarded in this notice : 1 650 000 Euro

6.1 Result lot ldentifier : LOT-0001

At least one winner was chosen.

6.1.2 Information about winners

Winner :
Official name : ARI Services Europe Ltd [ARISE]
Tender :
Tender identifier : 000075265
Identifier of lot or group of lots : LOT-0001
Subcontracting : No
Contract information :
Identifier of the contract : 414305
Date on which the winner was chosen : 01/11/2024
Date of the conclusion of the contract : 01/12/2024
The contract is awarded within a framework agreement : no

8. Organisations

8.1 ORG-0001

Official name : Commission for Regulation of Utilities
Registration number : Commission for Regulation of Utilities
Postal address : The Exchange, Belgard Sq North, Tallaght
Town : Dublin
Postcode : D24 PXW0
Country subdivision (NUTS) : Dublin ( IE061 )
Country : Ireland
Telephone : +35314000800
Internet address : www.cru.ie
Buyer profile : www.cru.ie
Roles of this organisation :
Buyer
Organisation providing offline access to the procurement documents

8.1 ORG-0002

Official name : ARI Services Europe Ltd [ARISE]
Registration number : 315249
Postal address : Walton House, National Technology Park, Lonsdale Road, Plassey,
Town : Limerick
Postcode : V94 T2XT
Country subdivision (NUTS) : Dublin ( IE061 )
Country : Ireland
Telephone : 0872577501
Internet address : www.adec-arise.com
Roles of this organisation :
Tenderer
Winner of these lots : LOT-0001

8.1 ORG-0003

Official name : The High Court of Ireland
Registration number : The High Court of Ireland
Department : The High Court of Ireland
Postal address : Four Courts, Inns Quay, Dublin 7
Town : Dublin
Postcode : D07 WDX8
Country subdivision (NUTS) : Dublin ( IE061 )
Country : Ireland
Telephone : +353 1 8886000
Roles of this organisation :
Review organisation

8.1 ORG-0004

Official name : European Dynamics S.A.
Registration number : 002024901000
Department : European Dynamics S.A.
Town : Athens
Postcode : 15125
Country subdivision (NUTS) : Βόρειος Τομέας Αθηνών ( EL301 )
Country : Greece
Telephone : +30 2108094500
Roles of this organisation :
TED eSender

11. Notice information

11.1 Notice information

Notice identifier/version : 55eecddd-e0f5-43e5-b9df-9f36d95394ad - 01
Form type : Result
Notice type : Contract or concession award notice – standard regime
Notice dispatch date : 06/12/2024 17:36 +00:00
Languages in which this notice is officially available : English

11.2 Publication information

Notice publication number : 00754549-2024
OJ S issue number : 240/2024
Publication date : 10/12/2024