Software package and information systems

Tender description

The Open University (OU) has tendered for a streamlined, customisable, cost effective, SaaS ePortfolio system for supporting its higher (Levels 4 and 5) and degree (Levels 6 and 7) apprenticeship programmes to be delivered as a Software as a Service (Saas)/cloud based solution, including support and maintenance. The solution may be rolled out further across the OU as the OU sees fit. The contract is for an initial period of 5 years and may be extended by the OU for further periods up to a maximum of 10 years in total at its discretion. We also require support and technical expertise to help implement the solution. The Open University (OU) have tendered or a streamlined, customisable, cost effective, SaaS ePortfolio system for supporting its higher (Levels 4 and 5) and degree (Levels 6 and 7) apprenticeship programmes to be delivered as a Software as a Service (Saas)/cloud based solution, including support and maintenance. The solution may be rolled out further across the OU as the OU sees fit. The contract is for an initial period of 5 years and may be extended by the OU for further periods up to a maximum of 10 years in total at its discretion. We also require support and technical expertise to help implement the solution. Apprentices require a modern, intuitive, easy to use and Moodle integrated ePortfolio system that will help them collect all their learning artefacts (Academic and Work based Learning) during their apprenticeship journey. Apprentices must be able to access their portfolio even after the completion of their apprenticeship. Apart from a digital collection of all their course related work, the system should also be able to capture the progressive learning journey of the apprentice. We also wish to build upon the prior user experience of the apprentice, practice tutors and other users during the pilot phase of the ePortfolio system. To further improve on user experience, we are looking to provide a seamless and integrated learning experience for the apprentice by integrating our Virtual Learning Environment and the ePortfolio system. To further improve on the service to apprentices, practice tutors and other users ideally, we require a solution that: 1) Can be customised to suit the varying requirements of each apprenticeship programme. for example, nursing has a different set of portfolio requirements compared to a management apprenticeship programme. an apprentice doing police constable degree apprenticeship would have a different set of portfolio requirements when compared to the portfolio requirements of a software engineer degree apprentice; 2) Has offline capability. By offline we mean ability for the apprentice to upload evidence to a local device in offline mode (when not connected to internet). Ability for practice tutors to be able to view the evidence uploaded by apprentices and provide feedback and comments on the evidence in offline mode. Ability to Sync the content once the apprentice or practice tutor is connected to the online ePortfolio system; 3) Has privacy settings that can be customised at an Apprentice level/Apprentice Cohort level; 4) Has the ability to handle multiple file types; 5) Can be used on a variety of devices; 6) Meets the latest web accessibility standards; 7) Allows for iterative feedback on evidence held within the apprentice’s portfolio; 8) Has comprehensive API design enabling effective and seamless integration with a number of OU Systems. The objective is to procure a streamlined, customisable, cost effective, SaaS ePortfolio system that can be adapted for use to support OU’s Higher Education Apprenticeship Programme. Users of the ePortfolio system include apprentices, practice tutors, the line managers and employers of the apprentices, administrators for the system and any external assessors (where required).