--- title: "Multiply (adult numeracy) RCTs and 'What Works' programme of RCTs and trials Supplier pre-market engagement discussion" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-036926" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-036926" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-036926.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-036926.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION" published: "2022-09-16" --- # Multiply (adult numeracy) RCTs and 'What Works' programme of RCTs and trials Supplier pre-market engagement discussion Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-036926 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-036926) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-036926.json) ## Summary The Department for Education (DfE) is planning a procurement process as part of the Multiply programme to conduct up to twenty Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) and other experimental activities aimed at improving adult numeracy. The objective is to boost adult numeracy levels and enhance labour market outcomes. Potential suppliers are invited to engage in virtual meetings on 27th September and 4th October to discuss the project further. These trials will be split across two tranches in years 2 and 3 of the programme. This tender presents an opportunity for organisations with expertise in running RCTs and experimental activities in the adult education sector to compete. The selected supplier will manage funding for trials, quality assure reports, and oversee fieldwork management. The trials aim to generate evidence on effective adult numeracy approaches, with a focus on providing insights for policy makers, practitioners, and commissioners. The DfE is looking for suppliers with a track record in managing primary research projects and excellent communication skills to deliver this programme successfully. ## Notice Multiply (adult numeracy) RCTs and 'What Works' programme of RCTs and trials Supplier pre-market engagement discussion Summary As part of the Multiply programme, DfE is interested in procuring up to twenty Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) and other experimental activity, including quasi-experimental trials and A/B trials to enhance understanding of what works in improving adult numeracy. We have developed outline specifications for individual RCTs and trials and would like to engage further with potential suppliers to discuss delivery of the trials. We will also give further information about the procurement ahead of issuing the ITT later this year. We would like to invite potential suppliers to two virtual meetings on Tuesday 27th September at 12.00 midday (session 1) and Tuesday 4 October at 2 pm (session 2) to gauge the level of interest in this project, to hear views on what is needed to make it a success, to answer questions and to support potential suppliers to link up. We recommend you attend both sessions as different themes will be covered in each session: Session 1: Provide information on the Multiply RCT and other experimental activity element of the programme, indicative procurement and fieldwork timeline, commercial assumptions, and indicative outline payment mechanism to organisations delivering the learner intervention. Session 2: Provide more detail on the approach to research including the outline RCT specifications and additional information based on feedback from the first session. If you would like to be invited to this event please forward your email address to Multiply.RESEARCHANDEVALUATION@education.gov.uk ### Lot Information Lot 1 What are you seeking to procure? We want to procure: * Up to 20 separate RCT/QED trials across the UK in 2023/24 and 2024/25 * Management of funding to organisations delivering the RCT interventions during the lifetime of the trials. * Quality assured individual reports on each trial, to include all technical information * High-quality, accessible interim and written overview reports, in the DfE house-style, identifying which of the tested approaches are the most and least effective and the implications of this for policy makers, practitioners, providers and commissioners to inform current Multiply delivery and future policy making It is important that these trials are robust, replicable and stand up to scrutiny. We expect them to be undertaken in a transparent way and to the highest possible standards using the protocol guidance we are developing, based on the Educational Endowment Foundation protocol guidance. (We will share this information with you prior to the pre-market engagement discussions.) Part of achieving this is ensuring that all activity is co-ordinated and run in as standardised way as possible. As such, we also want to procure: * Programme management to oversee the delivery and funding for the intervention of each trial, and to co-ordinate this across the project as a whole, to include monitoring and reporting on progress to DfE on a regular basis * Quality assurance, to include: a) working with researchers delivering the trials to review and refine trial protocols, to ensure they are of a consistently high quality; b) developing and implementing a peer review process for both trial design and analysis and c) undertaking quality assurance on all research instruments, data collection methods, data analysis, interpretation and reporting, to ensure that all conclusions drawn are robust * Fieldwork management, to include: a) engaging with Multiply local authorities and providers to secure willingness to participate in trials and b) working with local authorities and providers to develop a staggered fieldwork timeline to avoid saturating them and distracting from core delivery What kind of organisation are you looking for? We would like our supplier to have: * extensive experience and expertise in running and quality assuring RCT/ and other experimental activity, including quasi-experimental trials and A/B trials, * experience in developing experimental trials and a willingness to work with us to generate additional RCT/trials over the period of the contract * a track record of managing large and complex primary research projects, * knowledge of adult education sector, * experience of setting up and managing payments (to public expenditure standards) to organisations delivering trial interventions and, * excellent written and verbal communication skills. This opportunity will be open to any bidder, single or consortium, who can meet the requirements and we are seeking your feedback on the above at the engagement events. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026082-2022 | | Notice type | Planning Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 16 Sep 2022 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 5 Dec 2022 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planned | | Lots status | Planned | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION | | Locality | MANCHESTER | | Post town | Manchester | | Postcode | M1 2WD | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester | | ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester | | Local authority | Manchester | | Electoral ward | Piccadilly | | Westminster constituency | Manchester Central | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services ### Codes - 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services ## Release History - 16 Sep 2022 at 14:06 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026082-2022 ## Notice URLs - https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-036926. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-036926.json.