Description of the contract
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.
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