Education and training services

Tender description

An Academic Provider is required to design and deliver a MBA based learning and development pathway for senior commercial professionals across Government, with a focus on Government Commercial electives and for which the dissertation/final project must be based on procurement leadership and strategy. The Business Skills College (BSC) of the Defence Academy (DA) provides business skills training and education across five key functions: Capability and Acquisition Management, Logistics, Safety, Quality, P3M and Finance. The BSC provides 200 courses ranging from e-learning, awareness training to MSc/MBA level education. The DA is seeking a Prime Contractor to design and deliver a MBA based learning and development pathway for senior commercial professionals across Government, with a focus on Government Commercial electives and for which the dissertation/final project must be based on procurement leadership and strategy. It is the intention to provide a pathway for both educational and professional development in order to provide individuals with the skills, knowledge and recognition to operate as a senior commercial officer in Government. The Prime Contractor will host a mixed cohort of students from across industry and Government offering the students a qualification that is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) and that offers a route through Continuous Personal Development to achieve and develop the competencies required. This route will also enable Government commercial professionals to achieve Chartered status with CIPS (following the achievement of CIPS Standards through a Viva and the completion of the CIPS Ethical Statement) in recognition of their professional capability. As such the MBA Commercial should be designed to achieve a greater than 60 % alignment to the CIPS Global Standard. A flexible modular programme is required and the end product should make the best possible use of Technology Enhanced Learning, providing a blended approach to the programme delivery. A Virtual Learning Environment will be required alongside the active management of an alumni for graduates of the programme. The intended Contract will seek to allow the first cohort of students in September 2017 and will also include a Tasking procedure to allow for Design or Modification to the MBA Course or associated activities. The Authority intends that any Contract let as a result of this Contract Notice shall have an initial term up to 31.3.2022. Thereafter there shall be options to extend the Contract term in one year increments to a maximum end date of 31.3.2027. Initially potential bidders shall be subject to a Dynamic Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (DPQQ) and responses shall be required by 18/04/2017. Those ranked highest (a maximum of six bidders) shall be invited to Tender and formal Tenders in response shall be submitted by 19/05/2017. Tenders submitted will be evaluated on a balance between technical aspects and price using the MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender) methodology. Technical aspects will be evaluated against the Tender Evaluation Matrix included within the Invitation To Negotiate (ITN); noting that one criteria (Serial 8) is a ‘pass/fail’ criteria and any bidder failing to meet this criteria will not be considered further. Price will be judged on the basis of the firm price for the MBA course development activity, the firm price per student and the hourly rates submitted to cover further course development. Both factors will then be subject to the MEAT analysis methodology. The Authority will then enter into a round of negotiation with the two or three highest ranked bidders with a view to optimising their bids to meet the Authority's requirement. If found to be necessary further negotiation rounds will be held until a satisfactory position has been achieved. Any revised bids, as a result of this process, will be subjected to a further round of MEAT analysis with a view to identifying the preferred bidder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Authority reserves the right to award the Contract on the initial Tenders received and without undertaking rounds of negotiation. The Authority currently anticipates Contract Award by the end of May 2017.