JISC

Invitation to Tender

The requirement

1. The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) is seeking to fund a study to investigate the provision of access to on-line resources and other student services for students studying higher education (HE) courses within further education (FE) institutions and further education courses within higher education institutions.  The study is expected to begin in early June and report to the JISC Executive by the end of August 2003.

Background and Context

2. JISC is an advisory committee to the UK further and higher education funding bodies.  It is charged with providing a network service for the UK further and higher education and research council community and to promote the innovative use of information and communications technology in support of learning and teaching, research and the management of institutions.  It is tasked with building a comprehensive and high quality collection of online information resources, including primary and secondary resources, active research data sets and learning and teaching material that are available, usually on a subscription basis, to the further and higher education and research communities.

3. In recent years, there has been a marked growth in the number of students who pursue HE courses in FE institutions (FE institutions currently deliver 11% of higher education ), and vice versa.  Both the DfES White Paper on the Future of Higher Education and the HEFCE report on Supporting Higher Education in Further Education Colleges recognise the value of FE institutions in delivering higher education.  The same is true of the provision of further education in HE institutions.  The White Paper emphasises the need to build and strengthen the links between further and higher education, while ensuring that quality and standards are maintained.

4. The 2002-03 AY Progress Report and Review of the JISC Strategy highlighted the need to explore the effectiveness of access to on-line resources for HE students studying in FE institutions and FE students studying in HE institutions.  The study has been broadened from this remit to include access to other student services within institutions (such as advice and guidance) and how the differing levels of access and service may impact on staff and students studying in this way.

5. This study will be co-funded by the JISC Committee for Awareness, Liaison and Training (JCALT) and the JISC Committee for Content Services (JCCS).  The Terms of Reference of these committees can be found at Appendix 1.  The study will be steered by members of these committees and by representatives of the JISC Executive.

Study outline

6. The key points to be addressed with regard to students in cross-sectoral study (i.e. HE students in FE and FE students in HE) within the scope of this consultancy include:

• The degree of access to on-line resources;
• The applicability to users and resulting level of use of these on-line resources;
• The degree of access to IT infrastructure and the quality of provision;
• The level of access to other students services (including advice and guidance);
• The impact (including benefits and problem areas) on both students and staff of this cross-sectoral learning.
  

Resulting documentation

7. The result of this study will be a final report addressing the key points identified above and any further relevant points that have been identified through the course of the study.  The report should draw conclusions on these key points and make recommendations for improving any problem areas identified. 

8. JISC will own the copyright in all resulting documentation.  Permission should be sought from JISC to use any of the information gathered through this study and the reports submitted to JISC, in any subsequent work.  This is not intended to unnecessarily restrict the successful bidder and permission will not be unreasonably withheld.

Time frame

9. It is anticipated that the study can be completed within a three-month period.  A contract for the work is expected to be awarded in early June 2003.  A progress report should be submitted to the JISC Executive by Friday 25 July 2003.  The final report will need to be submitted to JCALT and JCCS by Friday 29 August 2003, for consideration at the September committee meetings.

Methodology

10. The method of undertaking the work is to be proposed by the bidder in the tender document in detail, but may include documentation review and consultation with stakeholders through a variety of mechanisms such as surveys and focus groups.  A full timetable indicating the stages of the work to be undertaken in the course of the study should form part of the tender document.

Funding available

11. The funding available for the preparation of the policy is a maximum of £70,000 plus VAT.  Bidders will need to justify and breakdown the cost of their proposal, clearly indicating the amount of staff time that will be spent on this study.  No further funding will be available in the course of the consultancy.  The successful bidder will receive the first instalment of the fee upon initiating work, with the remaining fee being paid on a schedule to be agreed once the contract has been awarded.

Tenders

12. Three (3) copies of the proposal to conduct this work should be sent to:

Faye Gardiner
JISC Executive
Northavon House
Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
BS16 1QD

13. Proposals should arrive no later than 12 noon on Friday 30 May 2003.  An electronic copy of the proposal should also be submitted to Faye Gardiner by the same deadline.  It is the responsibility of the bidder to ensure that the proposal has arrived by the deadline stated.

14. Proposals should be no longer than 10 A4 pages plus appendices.  Details of individuals working on the contract should be attached to the proposal and are in addition to the specified 10 pages.  The proposal should include the following information:

• A detailed methodology;
• A workplan for the length of the study;
• Key personnel involved (with relevant experience clearly indicated);
• Timetable (including key dates and deliverables);
• Costs (including a breakdown of staff and non-staff costs);
• A named individual to act as the main study contact.

Criteria for assessment of tenders

15. An evaluation panel comprising JCALT and JCCS committee members and JISC Executive representatives will be responsible for considering proposals submitted to conduct the work and will assess these against the following criteria:

• Indication of approaches to obtaining the relevant information from stakeholders;
• Demonstration of a full understanding of the specification;
• Relevance of the previous experience of the tendering organisation(s) and of the particular consultants/researchers assigned to undertake the work;
• Knowledge and understanding of the FE and HE communities;
• Value for money.

Further Information

16. Queries regarding this Invitation to Tender should be submitted to Faye Gardiner via email in the first instance.

JISC
April 2003

Appendix 1 – JCALT and JCCS Terms of Reference

The JISC Committee for Awareness, Liaison and Training (JCALT)

JCALT is tasked with: 

a. to investigate the human, organisational and legal issues related to the use of ICT in further and higher education and research;

b. to support the requirements of managers and administrators in institutions by identifying relevant areas of work appropriate to the JISC;

c. to help ensure that appropriate JISC activities remain relevant to the business processes of institutions and that human and organisational issues are properly considered and addressed;

d. to promote activities in support of business in the community;

e. to oversee training services (e.g. Netskills) and institutional support services (eg. Regional Support Centres);

f. to liaise and collaborate with other organisations (e.g. Learning and Skills Development Agency, British Educational Communications and Technology agency, Higher Education Staff Development Agency, Association of University Administrators).

The JISC Committee for Content Services (JCCS)

JCCS is tasked with:

• building a collection of scholarly and educational on line resources especially in support of learning and teaching, college, university and research institute libraries and the Research Grid;
• establish mechanisms for identifying and procuring content of relevance to the FE, HE and research communities by taking on board work undertaken by the HE Content Policy Group of the UK HE Funding Bodies and liaising with relevant FE organisations;
• considering the charging mechanisms for JISC funded content and establishing mechanisms for charging for new types of content (e.g. images, moving images) in consultation with the JISC community;
• facilitating the use of learning objects and other resources along with other initiatives such as JIG, DELG and College On-line that will support the FE ILT strategy;
• promoting wide access to on line resources in support of life long learning;
• promoting interoperability with other collections, through the common information environment (e.g. NGfL, Culture on line, NELH, JSTOR, ArtSTOR, SCRAN);
• establishing mechanisms for JISC services to work together effectively to provide the Information Environment which will support the needs of the community in accessing the rich collection of online resources that JISC provides.