A Dynamic Purchasing System for Software Development Services: An Opportunity for All
Written by Danielle Mercieca
Following the successful establishment of a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the procurement of printers, scanners and related consumables established earlier this year, MITA has embarked on another procurement initiative that will see Government Departments and Organizations procure software development services to the tune of €4 million over a three-year period – a procurement vehicle that will be very appealing to economic operators operating in the IT software development sector
Scope of this DPS
Having sought feedback from interested stakeholders, and through the collaborative effort between MITA and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)- Office of the Permanent Secretary (Strategy & Implementation), a new DPS was established in November 2020. Whilst the procurement procedure is identical to that of previous DPS, the scope, focus and requirements of the services contemplated under this DPS are radically different.
The DPS covers a wide range of services related to software development, from requirements analysis and planning and architectural design to software development and maintenance services. Government Departments and Organizations will be able to issue Specific Contracts related to software development services packaged as follows:
- Requirements Analysis
- Planning and Architectural Design
- Software Development
- Maintenance and Support
This DPS has the potential to reach a wide audience of economic operators engaged in any of these stages of the software development cycle, particularly since any economic operator who has provided a number of services in recent years covering the full development cycle that meets the minimum threshold value specified in the DPS requirements, will have the opportunity to bid for Specific Contracts.
Admittance to the DPS
Interested economic operators may apply to be admitted through the Electronic Public Procurement System (https://www.etenders.gov.mt/) and MITA will be evaluating all requests for application within ten working days from date of each submission. Evaluation will entail the determination of each application having satisfied the eligibility/selection requirements as set in the tender documentation, which can be summarised as follows:
- Submission of the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD)
- Evidence of past similar services, including submission of certificates of satisfactory execution
The DPS documents also provide a high-level overview of the terms of reference of the DPS such as an indication of the services contemplated and software technologies. More detail on the specific requirements related to individual contracts shall be eventually provided by Contracting Authorities in the Specific Contracts, which can be issued from December 2020 onwards. Each Specific Contract shall detail the service required (out of the four packages outlined above, or any combination as detailed in the DPS documents) and can be valued up to €139,000 excluding VAT.
Interested parties can obtain more information on this DPS procedure and keep up to date with related events (including the convening of information sessions related to this procedure) through the link
https://procurement.mita.gov.mt/resources/dps/dps-software-development-services/
This DPS has the potential to reach a wide audience of economic operators engaged in any of these stages of the software development cycle, particularly since any economic operator who has provided a number of services in recent years covering the full development cycle
