Open University Technology Partner

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The Open University is embarking on a major digital transformation programme over the next 2-3 years with the objective of improving the experience of Open University students. While this transformation is taking place there is also a need to continue to deliver services to the four key faculties in a 'run' environment (architecture, project delivery and service). The supplier must be able to mix strategic thinking and direction setting, deployment of innovative solutions, tools and systems improvements, standardisation and improvement in end to end processes as well as the execution of an existing 'run' environment Problem to Be Solved Increase student numbers and improve student retention through the provision of a world class student experience, supported by a modern and cost efficient IT environment. Although the university has a substantial IT department, it does not have the breadth and depth of skills or capacity to respond to current and future needs. Who Are the Users Students want to take advantage of digital technologies to support their learning, and their general engagement with the university. Staff want to use digital services for teaching and to support the effective running of the university. Early Market Engagement A review has been undertaken of the various digital contracting options available through government frameworks and The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has been consulted to gain market insight. With CCS guidance it has been agreed that the Digital Outcomes and Specialists 2 Framework Agreement (DO2) is an appropriate procurement mechanism. Informal market sounding has identified that use of DO2 will give access to a number of candidate suppliers. Work Already Done Some of the strategic thinking on Digital Transformation is already taking place and there is a dedicated programme team looking at numerous work streams (IT is one of these work streams). In parallel the IT department continues to support the legacy applications with operational support, architecture and design as well as a fast moving 'change' programme spread across a number of small to medium sized projects. Existing Team The existing team is made up of a number of functions and those functions have a mix of OU employees supplemented by personnel from incumbent suppliers. The existing team can be broadly split into architecture and design, service delivery (small, medium and large change programmes), service operations with a generic governance wrap on process, procedures, control and compliance. The establishment headcount in the IT organisation is approximately 350, supplemented by approximately 100 other external personnel. Current Phase Not started Work Location The services will be provided from both the United Kingdom (primarily the OU's campus in Milton Keynes) and any other agreed onshore / offshore locations dependant on the ability to provide high calibre capability, skills and scalability Working Arrangments The OU want a Technology Partner that will drive the digital transformation and improve the overall service on the current 'run' functions. The Technology Partner must continually drive improvements and efficiencies , working with the faculties and IT teams as well as leveraging expertise from their own organisation. They should be an integral part of the OU IT team, embracing the ethos and driving OU objectives. It is anticipated that there will be a mix of on-site and off-site working. The majority will be office hours (e.g. Mon-Fri, 09:00 to 17:00), but some 24 x 7 operation may be required. Security Clearance No specific security clearance but adherence to OU security and compliance standards Additional T&Cs Additional terms will cover: - GDPR - The requirement to cooperate with the OU's other suppliers - An appropriate set of KPIs - Regular reviews at working and executive level - Requirements for innovation and continuous improvement Skills & Experience Architecture and design (across solution, systems, infrastructure, network, database, hardware and service) IT infrastructure (MS Azure, Oracle Solaris Virtualisation, VMware vSphere) Enterprise applications (Siebel, Kentico CMS) Open source applications (Drupal, Moodle) Development languages (MS Visual Basic 6, MS .NET, PHP, C) Integration (Oracle SOA suite) Databases (Ingres Database, Oracle 12C, MS SQL Server 2015, PostgreSQL, mySQL, MS Azure databases) Storage (iSCSI, HPE StoreVirtual) Operating systems (MS Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Oracle Solaris) Service management and support (across the ITIL ‘stack’, and including network support, IT facilities management and managed desktop services) Security (security administration, penetration testing) Nice to Haves No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Mobilisation and implementation plan (4%) Skills of key staff (10%) Technical expertise (30%) Security and data protection (6%) Team Structure 4% Cultural Fit Criteria Management of team(s) and working practice (4%) Collaboration with other suppliers (4%) Recruitment and retention, training and on-boarding of personnel (4%) Working in a university environment (4%) Payment Approach Time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Case study Work history Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 54% Cultural fit 16% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers Budget range total budget over the life of the contract is expected to be in the range £6m to £12m.