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 economic operator for this new venture will include, inter alia, the following within an agreed portfolio of strategic development: — market analysis, — product development and curriculum design, — marketing, recruitment and student retention. The anticipated characteristics of the development are: — postgraduate, — English Language as the teaching medium, — premium in the fee level, — carousel in development approach, — scale of the order of several thousand enrolled in steady state within a few years, — fee income in the range 15 000 000 to 25 000 000 GBP million in steady state. The precise arrangements on market research, programme hunt, development lift rate, targeting, enrolment growth and price point will form part of the competitive dialogue phase that will take place with shortlisted economic operators following PQQ. Strategic selection of high-quality provision will start with the University’s established prospectus and will progress to new and interdisciplinary opportunities. The contract is being procured competitively in accordance with the competitive dialogue procedure applicable under Regulation 30 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended). The University anticipates shortlisting a maximum of 4 economic operators for the invitation to participate in dialogue stage, where 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 (an initial 10-year contract with the potential for the University, acting at its discretion, to extend up to a total further period of 60 months) with the successful economic operator.