Internet or intranet client application development services

Tender description

The consortium requires a core website which will include sections on the consortium's events, resources to support students and careers information and guidance. The site will be standalone, distinct from the four institution's main websites and be accessible through a single domain (to be registered). The site will require secure hosting, which will need to be costed for a 5 year period. The Pathways consortium currently has its own visual identity which will need to be incorporated into the design of the site — brand guidelines can be provided This website needs to be compatible for use across a range of different devices and have the capacity to integrate with existing CMS systems. Loughborough University are currently working with University of Leicester, De Montfort University and University of Northampton (under the consortium name Pathways) to deliver a scheme of work for HEFCE's National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP). As part of this we would like to develop an engaging and highly interactive website and are seeking a digital agency to carry out the development work on the website and also produce all of the interactive elements. The website should allow visitors to understand more about the higher education (HE) options available to them, the progression/graduate employment rates from undergraduate courses, wider student experience opportunities and range of institutions on offer. We hope to achieve this by combining informative written content with high quality imagery, short videos and VR 360 content to create an overall site that is unique to others already in existence. The primary audience for this website will be Key Stage 4 learners (aged 14-16) who are in the process of completing their GCSEs. They will be from the most disadvantaged postcodes in the country and in the majority of circumstances will have no family history of higher education. Most will have the academic potential to progress to university level learning but due to their backgrounds are not likely to do so. Therefore, the website and its content need to be bright, accessible and easy to navigate to ensure high levels of engagement.