CONTRACT NOTICE – NATIONAL

1 Authority Details

1.1

Authority Name and Address

1.2

Address from which documentation may be obtained

As in 1.1

1.3

Completed documents must be returned to:

As in 1.1

2 Contract Details

2.1

Title

Data foundry and Madoc development, support and hosting

2.2

Description of the goods or services required

The National Library of Wales (NLW) is seeking a suitably qualified supplier to design, develop, host, and support a new Data Foundry platform, alongside the ongoing hosting and support of its existing Torf crowdsourcing platform (based on the open-source Madoc framework).

The NLW Data Foundry will act as a national hub for cultural-heritage data, bringing together datasets created through crowdsourcing, digitisation, research projects, and external partners.

It will provide a modular, open-standards-based platform that enables users to access, interact with, and reuse data — supporting discovery, analysis, and storytelling through tools such as IIIF, APIs, and open data interfaces.

The project has three core components:

Data Foundry Delivery – Design, build and implement the platform by 31 March 2026, within a maximum budget of £140,000.

The Foundry must support data aggregation, search, curation, visualisation, and API access, and include exhibition and storytelling tools built on open standards.

Hosting and Support – From April 2026, provide secure, scalable cloud hosting and ongoing support for both the Data Foundry and Torf platforms for an initial three-year term (2026–2029), with an option to extend for a further two years (to 2031).

The indicative annual budget is £25,000 in year one, and £30,000 per year thereafter.

Call-off Development Framework – Establish a flexible arrangement for up to £60,000 per year (subject to funding) for additional development, integrations, and feature enhancements on either platform.

All deliverables must be accessible, bilingual (Welsh/English), open-source, and compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility and Welsh Language Standards. The Data Foundry must be delivered defect- and usability-guaranteed for eight months post go-live. Suppliers must meet ISO 27001 or Cyber Essentials Plus standards.

The Library expects an agile and collaborative delivery approach, with regular workshops, prototyping, and user testing to ensure the platform meets both technical and user-experience objectives.

NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=156657.

The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://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.

2.3

Notice Coding and Classification

2.4

Total quantity or scope of tender

£225,000

3 Conditions for Participation

3.1

Minimum standards and qualification required

Only Companies who can demonstrate experience and details on

• Demonstrable experience with IIIF, data, Open source, annotations, data management.

• Evidence of comparable projects (minimum 2 references).

• Hosting and support experience (cloud, AWS or equivalent).

• Evidence of current Accreditation (Cyber Essentials Plus or ISO27001).

• Company details, size and turnover to demonstrate capability to deliver

4 Administrative Information

4.1

Type of Procedure

Single stage

4.2

Reference number attributed to the notice by the contracting authority

torf_foundry_itt

4.3

Time Limits

4.5

Language or languages in which tenders or requests to participate can be drawn up

4.6

Tender Submission Postbox

5 Other Information

5.1

Additional Information

Tenders may be submitted in either Welsh or English

You must agree to conform to the Library’s Standard Terms and Conditions which along with the Tender document make up the basis of the contract for delivery.

(WA Ref:156657)

The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia bidding.

5.2

Additional Documentation

5.3

Publication date of this notice