JISC

Invitation to Tender

This Invitation To Tender invites proposals to undertake a study which will recommend practical means for promoting the uptake of electronic books within higher and further education. The study will be undertaken on a consultancy basis. An RTF version of this call is attached to the foot of this page.

The maximum funding available is: £35,000 (thirty-five thousand pounds).

Background

The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) is a committee of the UK further and higher education funding bodies, dedicated to helping institutions exploit the opportunities of information and communications technology. One of the cornerstones of JISC strategy is the creation of a managed environment for accessing quality assured electronic information resources. Electronic books, which include digital forms of major reference works, monographs and textbooks [1], represent a core strand of this collection development strategy. The JISC E-Books Working Group, with a membership of key stakeholders, is responsible for leading the development of electronic books for the benefit of UK further and higher education communities.

For further information on the JISC E-Books Working Group.

Purpose of study

Electronic books have been launched in the UK within the context of an evolving publishing and bookselling industry. A range of new and traditional suppliers have entered the market, offering a variety of innovative products and services, often with brands and product names not yet familiar or well-established within the UK. A lack of awareness of e-books within the academic sector has been highlighted by market research currently being undertaken by the JISC E-Books Working Group [2]. The research also indicates that the potential benefits of the resource are not always fully perceived within the community.

Many institutions have purchased e-books in some form, yet librarians express concern that their efforts to market e-books to their users have had little impact to date. At the same time, the view has been expressed within the sector that publishers need to promote e-books more effectively. Access to e-books is of critical importance to librarians engaged in collection management, and also to the academic community, but librarians report that it can be extremely difficult to track down the availability of specific titles or collections in electronic format. Bibliographic access to titles is one facet of the wider debate about bibliographic control of electronic materials. Inherent in bibliographic control of e-books are the issues of harvesting metadata and DOIs.

A key goal for the Working Group is to ensure that e-books are taken up and exploited as fully and as soon as possible. This study will inform the Group how it might work with all stakeholders, including librarians and other learner support professionals, publishers, professional bodies and academics to promote electronic books within institutions and to integrate them into teaching, learning and research. It should define the role of each stakeholder in ensuring that e-books can be readily discovered and accessed. The successful bidder will recommend means by which e-books can be promoted effectively across the HE and FE sectors. The focus of the report will be on short-term, practical measures but may also consider longer term issues.

Study Terms of Reference

1. To assess the demand for e-books within the sector and at institutional level

This should include:

• An industry overview, looking at specific types of e-book or e-book service, their key attributes and impact to date.
  
• Broad perceptions of the ‘e-book experience’, including identification of core user segments, their attitudes to e-books and uptake.
  
• An assessment of current demand for e-books within UK higher and further education, including an analysis of factors impacting on demand and actual use.
  
• A review of current barriers such as technological, legal, economic, organisational and cultural issues.

2. An assessment of e-book distribution

• An investigation and review of existing barriers within the supply chain that influence purchasing and acquisition by institutions. These will include mechanisms for discovering electronic books and problems of bibliographic access and control, including a review of metadata and other relevant standards. Recommendations on how e-books can be integrated more effectively into the acquisitions processes of libraries.
  
• A summary and evaluation of the mechanisms by which users may discover and make use of electronic book material, for example, OPACs, MLEs and publisher Web sites. Identification of case studies of good practice and recommendations for new approaches that might be taken.

3. Promotion of e-books within the sector

• An assessment of promotional strategies of publishers, booksellers and other e-book intermediaries, such as content aggregators. Examples of good practice found and recommended ways forward.
  
• An analysis of the approaches to e-book promotion within individual institutions or across organisational groupings, such as library consortia, both within the UK and internationally. Examples of good practice and suggestions for innovation.
  
• An appraisal of current promotional or awareness-raising programmes of key professionals within the academic sector, including academic staff, librarians and other learner support professionals. Examples of good practice and recommended strategies for development.
  
• The production of a promotions plan for e-books at a national and sectoral level, with suggested models for individual institutions to adopt. The latter may take the applied form of a practical guide which could be accessed and utilised by staff in institutions.
  
• Recommended roles for all key stakeholders, including publishers, booksellers, librarians and academics for the effective marketing of electronic books within the academic community. Recommendations on how these groups might work together more effectively to promote electronic books, including appropriate roles for the JISC E-Books Working Group.

Deliverables

A study for publication to be shared within the higher and further education community. The draft report will be completed by 30^th August 2003 for approval by the JISC E-Books Working Group.

Reporting

The successful bidder will be steered in this work by members of the JISC E-Books Working Group. Monthly progress reports must be submitted to Louise Edwards, JISC Collections Manager.

Cost

An upper limit of £35,000, inclusive of VAT, is available to undertake this work. 50% of the agreed fee will be paid upon award of the contract and 50% upon completion of a satisfactory report. Bids will be judged on the value for money represented by their use of resources. Tenderers are required to provide a full breakdown of costs for the entire duration of the project.

Evaluation process and criteria

An evaluation panel will be established with representation from the JISC E-Books Working Group and external assessors. Bidders may be required to make a presentation to the panel of assessors and to answers questions on the presentation and specific aspects of the bid.

The criteria for assessing proposals will be:

• Demonstration of understanding of the related/relevant issues; relevant experience.
  
• The extent to which the proposal addresses the terms of reference and demonstrates the use of robust methods to undertake the work.
  
• The extent to which the proposal demonstrates convincing financial plans.
  
• Methodology - the likelihood of success of the proposed methodology and the degree of value for money it represents.
  
• Project management - demonstration of the project team's and organisation’s potential to manage and deliver a successful project, including level of organisational support.

Timescale

The invitation to tender is issued on Thursday 30th January and the deadline for responses is 5pm 24^th February. We aim to notify all bidders of the outcome by 12^th March. The latest start time for the project is 1^st April 2003 and all work must be completed by 30^th September.

Further information

Queries related to this tender document should be addressed to Louise Edwards, JISC Collections Manager, l.edwards@cranfield.ac.uk, tel. 01234 754440.

Proposals

Proposals should be emailed to Joanna Potter.  It is the responsibility of the bidder to ensure that the email has arrived by the deadline of 5pm, 24th February 2003.

Responses should include:

• Contact details and names of key personnel involved in the work.
  
• Outline of previous relevant experience.
  
• Outline of work plan explaining how you would address aims and objectives of the terms of reference which will include a detailed description of methods and timescales.
  
• Budget: A budget that in broad outline identifies how funds will be spent over the life of the project, including a breakdown of funding across academic years (which run from August to July). Staff costs, equipment and consumables, travel and subsistence (if applicable), dissemination, evaluation and other costs should be identified. An indication of institutional/organisational contributions (e.g. overheads, equipment, staff time) should also be given as appropriate.

The proposal should be no longer than 8 pages of A4. Text font size should be no less than 10pt.

The JISC reserves the right not to choose any bidder who tenders for this contract.

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[1] These may be delivered via hand-held devices, as well as more conventional hardware such as pc’s and laptops. E-books may also be commercially purchased, available free or developed in-house.

[2] Due to be published in the spring of 2003.