Course Design & Graphic Services

Tender description

Summary of the work Using existing material and content, 23 training outcomes are to be developed and designed to meet the current needs of learners and aligned to the MOD's Systems Approach to Training (Analysis, Design, Delivery, Assurance) including content development and e-learning graphic design. Expected Contract Length The outcome is required by 30th September 2018 Latest start date 01/06/2017 Budget Range £300K - £370K Why the Work is Being Done To support alignment to the MOD's System Approach to Training, there is a requirement to design and produce 23 training courses (representing 441 training days), providing and producing high quality eLearning courseware to complement the Blended Learning instructional environment in order to support the Royal School of Artillery’s delivery of individual training. To align to project outcomes, eight milestones must be met by 30 Sept 18. This date is subject to move in line with the project. Problem to Be Solved Using products of the TNA, 23 training outcomes (representing 441 training days) are to be developed and designed to meet the current needs of learners and aligned to the MOD's Systems Approach to Training (Analysis, Design, Delivery, Assurance) including content development and e-learning graphic design. Each outcomes will include the production of a Course Training Package (CTP), including graphic design, which comprises of: a. Course directive. b. Learning Scalar. c. Learning Specifications. d. Assessment Strategy. e. Assessment Specifications. f. Final Block syllabus. g. Course programme which includes the programming of all instructional periods. h. Production of media for delivery. Who Are the Users As a leading Army training authority there is a requirement for all course content and material to be compliant to the Defence System Approach to Training (DSAT) which is similar to the ADDIE Model. This will ensure that compliancy with education standards is met. Work Already Done The MOD has developed a Defence System Approach to Training (DSAT), (similar to the ADDIE Model) to structure its training outcomes. Training Needs Analysis have been undertaken to inform and support the outputs. The winning bidder will receive and have access to this information to support the work. The 23 outputs are at a varied level of maturity in terms of compliance to DSAT. The Army will be internally delivering similar outputs in parallel during the contract duration. Existing Team The Training Support and Training Innovation Centre will be managing the outputs of this requirement. This team also includes course designers, graphic designers and project managers who will be working on separate parallel outputs. To deliver the output required access will be needed to the Defence Learning Environment, and collaborative working with Subject Matter Experts at the RSA and the Training Innovation Centre, resulting in regular site visits to Larkhill. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Proven experience of delivering high standard digital training products ensuring content is as clear and simple as possible to meet user needs and cost effective and efficient solutions • Proven experience in conducting detailed knowledge, skills and attitude analysis to produce training content to ensure the requirement is fully met • Must be able to demonstrate experience in delivering compliancy against a System Approach to Training, such as DSAT or equivalent approach, e.g. ADDIE Model. • Proven experience in developing effective relationships with customers, other stakeholders and SMEs to support the delivery of the outputs. • Be able to deliver digital products using a variety of platforms including, user interface design, asset design and illustration • Proficient in the use of Adobe Creative Cloud (CC), Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline or comparable SCORM compliant course authoring tools (such as Adobe Presenter or Muse). • Skilled in identifying and using the most effective and engaging methods of e-learning relevant to the specific subject and content. • Experience in developing multi-linear lessons requiring the user to select options and answer questions Nice to Haves • Experience of working within a military environment/Knowledge of the Royal Artillery. • Has previous TAFMIS/TAD software experience. • Knowledge of JSP 822 and the delivery of training in the military environment • Experience of HTML5, CSS and Javascript Work Location The customer is based at Larkhill, Wiltshire. Working Arrangments The supplier will work closely with the Training Innovation Centre in Larkhill. It is anticipated that although most work will be conducted remotely, regular contact with the TIC is maintained. The contractor will base some resource with the Army at key points throughout the engagement. The cost of attending any meeting or performing tasks away from the suppliers premises shall be borne by the supplier. The supplier will submit fortnightly reports to the Project Lead regarding the status of the project, achieving key milestones and issues that may impact on timescales and cost. Significant updates required as necessary. Security Clearance A maximum of SC may be required. Contractors will be escorted on site if necessary. Additional T&Cs These MOD DEFCONs and DEFFORMs form part of this Call Off Contract: 5J (Edn 07/08) Unique Identifiers 76 (Edn 12/06) Contractors on site 129J (Edn 07/08) Electronic business delivery form 516 (Edn 04/12) Equality 520 (Edn 07/11) Corrupt gifts and payments 521 (Edn 04/12) Subcontracting 522 (Edn 07/99) Payment 522J (Edn 05/03) Payment under P2P 523 (Edn 03/09) Payment of bills using BACS 531 (Edn 11/14) Disclosure of Information 534 (Edn 06/97) Prompt payment (Subcontracts) 550 (Edn 02/14) Change of control contractor 642 (Edn 06/14) Progress meetings 703 (Edn 08/13) Intellectual property rights No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • A detailed project plan • Detailed resource plan inc team structure • Approach and methodology - How proposal will meet requirements inc stakholder engagement Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers • Take responsibility for their work • Share knowledge and experience with other team members • Can work with clients with low technical expertise Payment Approach Fixed price Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 5% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers 1. Will the current team continue working on this project? The internal team will be undertaking similar outputs and managing outputs of this advertisement. 2. Have any of the 23 training outcomes already been completed? No 3. Have any of the necessary TNA's been completed and, if so, how many? Each output is at a different level of maturity and this detail will be confirmed at the next stage. 4. Does the courseware require changing from a content perspective, or just updating into a modern blended / distributed format? Course design and graphic design is required for each course. To answer the question "Does the course ware require changing from a content perspective?" the answer is yes, each output will require content development, following the process determined in the advert. 5. What is the technical marking scheme for the Essential and Nice to Have skills and experience? Technical scoring will be in line with the process determined by the DO&S framework, 0 - Not met, 1 -Partially met, 2 - Met, 3 - Exceeded. 6. JSP 822 knowledge is down as a Nice to Have, but JSP822 is core to DSAT which is an Essential skill. Can the Authority confirm that JSP 822 knowledge will only remain as a Nice to Have criteria? DSAT or an equivalent (i.e. ADDIE Model) is an Essential skill. Candidates will not be excluded for providing evidence of an alternative system approach to training. 7. Does the Authority require CV’s to be submitted by 25 Apr 2017 and, if so, what is the email address to which they are to be sent and does the Authority have a preferred format? This requirement is for an outcome and therefore work history applies which represents the company (not individual experience). 8. Can the Authority provide a breakdown of the lengths of the 23 courses covered under this task? This information is summarised in Training Days for the purpose of the advert. Further information will be shared at the next stage. 9. Would you consider a cost-effective turnkey Wordpress solution as LMS of choice? SaaS and self-hosted Versions available. A Wordpress solution is not suitable in this case as the Graphic Design Cell already use an efficient platform/LMS. Wordpress would also not be suitable for any of the Course Design tasks as these are developed using Microsoft Word and TAFMIS/TAD. 10. Are all questions equally weighted? Yes, there is no additional weighting. 11. Is there a particular time on the 25th April in which our responses must be submitted by? This would be a question for the Digital Marketplace. 12. If successful, will suppliers be provided with another opportunity to ask Clarification Questions at the ITT stage? Yes 13. What is the timeframe behind the ITT being issued? The ITT will be issued once shortlisting has been undertaken. This is envisaged to be before the end of April. 14. Are tenderers required to pass all questions, including both essential and desirable, in order to be shortlisted for Stage 2 of the process? In accordance with the DO&S framework (see website guidance) all submissions need to meet the essential criteria. The top three tenderers will be taken forward following shortlisting, which will consider nice to have criteria. 15. Are we able to provide diagrams / links to support our response? Yes, at the next stage. 16. The application guidance on how to answer the questions contain the following statements: When you write your evidence, you should be specific about: •What the situation was. •The work the specialist did. •What the results were. There’s a 100-word maximum for each essential or nice-to-have requirement. You should only provide one example for each essential or nice-to-have requirement (unless the buyer specifies otherwise). Can the Authority confirm if they want answers to follow the above guidance with evidence limited to one example, or should the guidance above be ignored and multiple examples be provided? Evidence providing multiple examples will be accepted.