Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
University of South Wales
Procurement Manager, University of South Wales, Finance Dept, Llantwit Road
Pontypridd
CF37 1DL
UK
Contact person: Tina Struebig
E-mail: tina.struebig@southwales.ac.uk
NUTS: UKL
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.southwales.ac.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA0315
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Education
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Enquiry Management, Conversion & Admissions Services
Reference number: 1812
II.1.2) Main CPV code
75121000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Lot 1:
The supply of a service that will seek to optimise and manage both ‘UK’ and ‘International’ enquiries from prospective students and facilitate and drive a higher rate of conversion from enquiry to application and from offer to enrolment. The University anticipates that the service will be intensely utilised during key student recruitment periods, but will remain engaged throughout the year, to ensure support is available for key enquiry management and conversion activities. To achieve the above, USW anticipates that the service will work in close collaboration with in-house UK and International teams to deliver an integrated conversion plan. The University is seeking to procure and embed this service, at pace, with all activity up and running by Early October 2023.
Lot 2:
The University also wishes to obtain a service to handle Admissions processing and associated communications that are needed post application. The successful partner will be required to support the in-house Admissions Team with decision making and associated communications across a range of key markets. In the first instance, this will be international markets but there may be a need to extend this to UK admissions processing should our business needs require this.
Consideration for extended working days and hours, including weekends is required. This may also include the Christmas and New Year period. The service will be delivered in close partnership with existing in-house teams and will be required to provide visibility of processing activity and key service metrics, through the regular provision of management information.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
1 400 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
Yes
Tenders may be submitted for all lots
Maximum number of lots that may be awarded to one tenderer: 2
The contracting authority reserves the right to award contracts combining the following lots or groups of lots:
Lot 1 & Lot 2
II.2) Description
Lot No: 1
II.2.1) Title
Enquiry Management - UK and International
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
75121000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKL
Main site or place of performance:
Treforest, Pontypridd
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The supply of a service that will seek to optimise and manage both ‘UK’ and ‘International’ enquiries from prospective students and facilitate and drive a higher rate of conversion from enquiry to application and from offer to enrolment. The University anticipates that the service will be intensely utilised during key student recruitment periods, but will remain engaged throughout the year, to ensure support is available for key enquiry management and conversion activities. To achieve the above, USW anticipates that the service will work in close collaboration with in-house UK and International teams to deliver an integrated conversion plan. The University is seeking to procure and embed this service, at pace, with all activity up and running by Early October 2023.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Enquiry Capture, Analysis and Tracking
/ Weighting: 15
Quality criterion: Nurturing & Conversion
/ Weighting: 35
Quality criterion: Reporting & Improvement
/ Weighting: 15
Quality criterion: Core IT Requirements
/ Weighting: 10
Quality criterion: Implementation
/ Weighting: 15
Quality criterion: Provider/Solution Suitability & Roadmap
/ Weighting: 5
Quality criterion: Clarification Questions and Demos
/ Weighting: 0
Quality criterion: Community Benefits
/ Weighting: 5
Price
/ Weighting:
30
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 24
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
option to extend this contract for a further 12-month period
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
option to extend this contract for a further 12-month period
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Lot No: 2
II.2.1) Title
Admissions services
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
75121000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKL
Main site or place of performance:
Treforest, Pontypridd
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The University also wishes to obtain a service to handle Admissions processing and associated communications that are needed post application. The successful partner will be required to support the in-house Admissions Team with decision making and associated communications across a range of key markets. In the first instance, this will be international markets but there may be a need to extend this to UK admissions processing should our business needs require this.
Consideration for extended working days and hours, including weekends is required. This may also include the Christmas and New Year period. The service will be delivered in close partnership with existing in-house teams and will be required to provide visibility of processing activity and key service metrics, through the regular provision of management information.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Application processing capability
/ Weighting: 75
Quality criterion: Reporting & Improvement
/ Weighting: 10
Quality criterion: Implementation
/ Weighting: 5
Quality criterion: Provider Suitability
/ Weighting: 5
Quality criterion: Clarification Questions and Demos
/ Weighting: 0
Quality criterion: Community Benefits
/ Weighting: 5
Price
/ Weighting:
30
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 24
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
option to extend this contract for a further 12-month period
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
option to extend this contract for a further 12-month period
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.2) Conditions related to the contract
III.2.2) Contract performance conditions
The University will monitor the performance of the service provider against contractually agreed SLA’s and KPI’s by means of regular meetings with the Appointee. Service providers are asked to propose suitable monitoring arrangements and performance measures.
III.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract
Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
20/07/2023
Local time: 12:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
CY
IV.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 4 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date:
20/07/2023
Local time: 12:00
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
No
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3) Additional information
Tender submissions:
Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems.
Clarifications and Demonstrations:
Post submission, the University will invite tenderers to respond to any clarification questions we may have relating to their bid. Following assessment, we will seek to invite up to five of the highest scoring vendors to demonstrate their product and offer. This will enable us to consolidate our understanding of how the proposed solutions will meet our requirements.
Whilst full details of the arrangements will be provided nearer the time, due to University colleagues’ diary constraints, tenderers must confirm their availability for the date(s) noted in the Procurement Timetable.
Award of multiple lots:
Within this tender, there are two individual lots available for contract with USW. However, USW is also open to receiving ‘bundled bids’ from potential suppliers, where both services can be provided by them. Tenderers can therefore bid for one or two lots. In this situation, the supplier should ensure their submitted costs at ITT stage clearly demonstrate the commercial benefits and other benefits and opportunities to USW in awarding both lots to one supplier. This you should consider when responding to the ITT.
USW is open minded as to how the lots are awarded but the decision will be made using the specified quality and cost evaluation criteria defined within the ITT documents.
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at http://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=132480.
The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at http://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx.
Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems.
Under the terms of this contract the successful supplier(s) will be required to deliver Community Benefits in support of the authority’s economic and social objectives. Accordingly, contract performance conditions may relate in particular to social and environmental considerations. The Community Benefits included in this contract are:
For this tender Community Benefits are a core approach and therefore evaluated and scored in line with the evaluation criteria.
See ITT for specifics.
(WA Ref:132480)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
High Court
Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
UK
Telephone: +44 2079477501
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
19/06/2023