Adult-education services at university level

Tender description

Ulster University (University) is undertaking a procurement exercise (in accordance with the competitive dialogue process) to select an Online Programme Management provider to participate in a Global Online Education Venture. The venture aims to grow a substantial high quality and premium Global Online Education portfolio for the University. The objective is to accelerate to a diverse, versatile and agile portfolio at scale with bespoke design and development for targeted markets that break from the traditional academic calendar and which lower common academic and professional services barriers of curriculum design, development, recruitment, delivery and support. The University currently has strong credentials in online education with a significant portfolio of courses delivered through online distance learning. The requirement from the successful Collaborative Partner for this new Collaboration will include, inter alia, the following: — market insights to optimally prime the course development pipeline, — supported curriculum design, instructional design and media content development, — marketing, recruitment and student retention. The anticipated characteristics of the development are: — collaborative relationship, — revenue-share based on investment profile of Collaborative Partner, — professionals as the target student, — global in anticipated target market, — carousel in course delivery approach, — English Language as the taught medium, — scale of the order of several thousand enrolled in steady state within a few years, — revenue to the parties of up to 20 000 000 GBP in steady state. The Collaborative Project is being procured competitively in accordance with the competitive dialogue procedure applicable under Regulation 30 of the Regulations. The University anticipates shortlisting a maximum of 4 Economic Operators for the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) stage. Further details on the ITPD will be published on eSourcing NI shortly. Economic Operators should note at this stage that the ITPD will involve a ‘discovery’ dialogue stage in which the University will engage with shortlisted Economic Operators in order to identify solutions capable of meeting the University’s needs/objectives. Final tenders shall be requested by the University once the dialogue stage is closed, evaluated in accordance with the invitation to submit final tenders and the preferred bidder identified. It is envisaged that the University will enter into a long-term arrangement (initial 10-year with extension up to 60 months).