Provision of a new Drumcondra Online Testing System (DOTS)

Tender description

The Educational Research Centre are inviting tenders for the implementation of an integrated testing platform that supports the ERC’s aims of providing a range of high-quality standardised tests and reports to all schools. The platform will support the development of tests by the ERC, item banking, test design, test release by the ERC (independent of the platform provider), test session administration by schools, test-taker and test item level reporting, hosting and technical support. The platform should ensure a seamless experience for test takers (students in schools), test administrators (school staff) and ERC staff (test developers and platform administrators). The platform should facilitate: * online test administration; * creation, importation and storage of a wide variety of test items; * offer various test design types and item types; * creation of tests; * upload, input and storage of school and student data for testing; and the * generation of custom reports for use by schools, teachers, parents, and by the ERC. The ERC introduced Ireland’s online testing system for standardised tests in schools in 2017. Today, ERC Drumcondra Online Testing System or ERC DOTS supports approximately 50,000 tests by 300 schools (2025). The ERC Strategic Plan 2025-2030 envisages this growing to 1,000 schools by 2030. Full details of the ERC's requirements are provided in the tender documents provided with this CfT.