University of York - Transforming Online Education

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                "description": "Interested parties should register at our procurement portal - In-tend: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/york/aspx/Home All information pertinent to this Preliminary Market Engagement will be communicated via the above mentioned portal. Please do not email us. Please use the link, register and follow the instructions on the portal. Our non-disclosure agreement must be signed before sensitive information is shared. Instructions to receive the NDA , will be provided on In-tend. Your status as a bona fide potential service delivery partner with the minimum credentials must be verified before sensitive information is shared. Our consultation focuses upon our substantive draft of the procurement documentation for our imminent Invitation to Participate which will be published in March. We ask you to review our draft Outcomes-based Specification with relevant annexes, our draft legal Term Sheet and our draft Quantitative (price) Reply Form. Our intent is to understand from you what you feel is missing, ambiguous, surprising, unhelpful, valued, strategically aligned etc within the documentation so we can improve it for a better Partnership with you. We ask you to respond to our questionnaire which should be submitted via In-tend by 16:00hrs on Friday 20 February 2026. We reserve the right to hold a 1-2-1 online meeting with a number of the respondents to the questionnaire to better understand their responses and or to explore some of the concepts they raise. Such online meetings would be held on 26 February or 2 March 2026. Please reserve these dates in your diary in case you are requested to attend.",
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        "title": "University of York - Transforming Online Education",
        "description": "A high calibre, strategic partner to accelerate the growth and global reach of the University of York Online portfolio. With a mature and successful postgraduate online degree presence, the University plans to expand its current degree portfolio and develop new offerings in short courses, stackables and micro-credentials. Our needs include an OfS registered (or in the process of OfS registration), innovative partner with a proven track record of delivering high-impact, data-driven marketing, lead generation and student recruitment at a global level across a diverse portfolio of degrees, micro credentials and short courses. We require excellent market insight, conversion management, the delivery of a seamless, high quality digital experience for learner recruitment, as well as having capabilities in B2B sales and recruitment. The University of York will remain the lead for all current academic pedagogy, teaching, and for the long term student success and pastoral journey. Following an initial phase of transition for our existing online programmes, we will take forward new developments including but not necessarily limited to: New and/or revised online Masters degrees University- or partner-developed short courses, with credit-bearing options, that may provide pathways to degrees 'Stackable' short courses and awards Innovative use of AI to support programme development and delivery (content, assessment and feedback) and to enhance the student experience and progression.",
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            "features": "Stage 1 (Participation Stage): Selection of Potential Partners to be invited to tender Requests to participate Requests to participate in this ITP require the following documents to be returned and signed to the University: - B0-A - a download into pdf of the information stored by the Potential Partner in the Government's Central Digital Platform ensuring both mandatory and discretionary exclusion grounds are completed; i.e. Potential Partners must also upload core Potential Partner information to the Central Digital Platform and confirm to the University that they have done so. - B0-B - the \"PSQ\" an additional questionnaire with procurement-specific questions - B0-C - the mutual Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) The submission of the documents cited at 2.1.1 via the University's procurement portal In-tend by the deadline for requests to participate, will constitute a request to participate. Where a Potential Partner is a consortium, all members of the consortium must complete Parts B0-A, B0-B and B0-C. The part of the PSQ concerning conditions of participation only requires it to be completed by the lead member of the consortium. Stage 1 Phase 1: Completeness check A complete submission is one which has been received by the deadline for submission of tenders, is substantially complete and complies substantially with the requirements of this ITP. Clarification and further information may be sought from Potential Partners in order to determine if a submission is complete. The University may exclude at this stage any submission that is not complete and may reject any tender submission which is submitted late. Stage 1 Phase 2: Exclusion of excluded and excludable Potential Partners The University will exclude any Potential Partner that is an \"Excluded Supplier\" or an \"Excludable Supplier\" based on its response to the PSQ. The University will identify Excludable Suppliers\" based on the discretionary exclusion grounds identified in paragraph 7 of this Part C. Stage 1 Phase 3: Application of conditions of participation The University will check that each submission satisfies the conditions of participation set out in this ITP on the basis of the request to participate submitted by the Potential Partner. Clarification and further information may be sought from Potential Partners. The University will exclude at this stage any submission that does not satisfy the conditions of participation set out in paragraph 8 of this Part C. Stage 1 Phase 4: Selection of Potential Partners to be invited to tender All Potential Partners meeting the University's conditions of participation will become Potential Partners (the \"Tenderers\") to be invited to tender. Stage 1 Phase 5: Notification to unsuccessful Bidders Potential Partners not selected to be Tenderers at Stage 1 Phase 4 will not be entitled to continue in the procurement process. The University intends to notify such unsuccessful Potential Partners at this stage and provide them with feedback (but does not bind itself to do so). Stage 2: Tendering and Negotiation Stage 2 Phase 1: Tender submission and intermediate assessment of tenders The University will issue to Tenderers a bid-ready version of the terms and conditions of contract against which Tenderers must bid when preparing their tender submissions. It is anticipated that this will set out the areas on which the University will not accept tenderer amendments. Tenderers will then submit their tender submissions by the tender submissions deadline (as set out in clause 1.4.8 above). Submissions received will be offers capable of acceptance by the University. Tenderers are strongly encouraged to provide their most competitive bid in their Stage 2 Phase 1 tender submission, as they may not be given the opportunity later in the negotiation process to improve their bid. Stage 2 Phase 2: Evaluation of Qualitative Submissions (Scored) Tenderers are required to complete the scored qualitative questions Part B B1. These qualitative responses will be scored by the University according to the award criteria and scoring methodology set out in paragraph 9 of this Part C. Tenderers are also required to review the bid-ready terms and conditions at Part D of this ITP and use the template provided at Part B B6 to provide the detail and justifications for any amendments they wish to make to these terms. Any such proposed changes are limited to the sections of the terms of conditions identified as permissible within Part B B6. These responses will be scored by the University according to the scoring methodology set out in paragraph 9.4 of this Part C. Tenderers will be invited to ask questions on the ITP and accompanying documents and the technical, deliverability and commercial aspects of the ITP. Stage 2 Phase 3: Evaluation of Quantitative Submissions (Scored) Tenderers are required to complete the pricing template set out in Part B B2. Responses will be scored by the University according to the scoring methodology set out in paragraph 9.2 of this Part C. Stage 2 Phase 4: Assessment of other Part B documents Part B B3 Part B B4 The University will ensure that signed unqualified documents are returned as part of the Tenderers' submissions Stage 2 Phase 5: Interviews (Scores potentially adjusted) All Potential Partners meeting the minimum acceptance criteria will be invited to an interview with the University and its project team. The interview will be used to clarify and confirm the tender submission. The scores awarded to Potential Partners may be adjusted in consideration of the interview and clarification questions asked by the evaluation panel. The Potential Partners will be made aware how each question at interview relates to their tender submission. Scores may be adjusted up or down relative to the answers provided and the score criteria. Stage 3: Negotiations and the Identification of preferred bidder The University will select the preferred bidder from among the Tenderers (the \"Preferred Bidder\"). The University may do so either: without further submissions, in which case the Preferred Bidder shall be the Tenderer whose submission scored highest at Stage 2 Phase 5 applying the methodology set out in paragraph 9 of this Part C; or with further submissions, by first entering into negotiations with all Tenderers whose tender submissions satisfied the Requirements throughout the Stage 2 Phases, and then inviting all of those Tenderers to negotiate, prior to identifying a Preferred Bidder. Following this initial negotiation round the Preferred Bidder shall be the Tenderer whose revised submission scored highest at this Stage 3 applying the methodology set out in paragraph 9 of this Part C. Stage 4: Preferred bidder The Preferred Bidder will be notified that it is the preferred bidder. The University reserves the right to enter into negotiations with the Preferred Bidder in order to finalise the terms of the contracts (e.g. clarifications, specifications, optimisation and other negotiations to confirm financial commitments or other terms contained in the Preferred Bidder's tender submission and / or BAFO). Where the University decides to enter into the contract without further negotiation and any standstill period has expired without any legal challenge being made, the University shall conclude the contract by issuing a contract award document. In addition, the University will send the Tenderer a legal agreement for signature for its records and in such circumstances the Tenderer shall countersign and return the legal agreement to the University promptly (and no later than 7 days from the date of receipt of such legal agreement). 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