UOW957PME - International Applicant Management System

Tender description

The University of Worcester is inviting interested suppliers to take part in a Preliminary Market Engagement exercise for an International Applicant Management System to enhance the application process of international applicants. The University of Worcester is seeking an online solution to support and enhance the application process of international applicants. The solution should be an off-the-shelf solution and already fully developed. Suppliers should provide a solution, such as an online portal, that all stakeholders (applicants, agents and University staff) can access in order to monitor and progress an international applicant from the point of a conditional offer being made, through to the student arriving in the UK. Applicants should be able to upload documents to meet entry criteria as well as input data to complete their application. Applicants should be able to use the solution to communicate with University staff and see the progress of their application and respond to requests for additional information. Staff should be able to review information submitted by applicants with the option to reject or ask for further information if required. Staff should be able to request additional documents if required. Agents should be able to monitor their applicant’s progress and communicate with University staff if necessary. University staff should clearly see applicant progress and be able to communicate with applicants if necessary. The system should facilitate use by multiple teams across the University to be able to review applicant information to help judge when to issue a CAS, and flag areas of risk. The solution should integrate with the existing student records system (SITS) to avoid duplication of data entry. Compliance The supplier’s solution should support the University’s need to ensure compliance with UKVI regulations with regard to international applicants. This includes supporting the assessment of English language, assessing student authenticity, the ability to pay fees, and understand if an applicant is bringing dependants. The solution should allow additional documents to be uploaded for the purposes of compliance checks, this could include financial documents, evidence of employment, income, payslips and CV’s. The supplier's solution should have the capability to automate parts of credibility interviews. This might involve using AI for identity verification and detecting deepfakes. Staff would then be responsible for evaluating answers, assessing English proficiency, and identifying any attempts at cheating, such as reading responses. The supplier’s solution should integrate these compliance checks as part of the normal progress of the application and should be easy to use for both staff and applicants. The system should provide an easy-to-use solution to assist with the scheduling and booking of assessments and ideally offer time saving solutions to reduce staff hours. The system should provide a database of compliance documents and procedures suitable for efficient access in the case of a UKVI visit or inspection. Management Information The supplier’s solution should include system analytics which visualises and summarises data from the platform so it can be easily consumed by senior management. Analytics should include overviews of volume and progress of applications and should have the ability to be segmented by country, agent, course, status etc. Analytics should also help support the evaluation of application progress, for example including turnaround times and UKVI progress. The supplier’s solution should also help the University understand broader sector trends as well as provide sector or institution comparisons for performance. The supplier should provide a named account manager who not only address concerns raised by the University but who can also facilitate regular online meetings with key stakeholders and in-person meetings at the University.