Welsh Government Tender for HwB Digital Learning Platform

HwB is the Welsh Government’s strategic digital channel to support the delivery of the curriculum in Wales.

United Kingdom-Cardiff: Educational software development services

2020/S 129-318062

Contract notice

Services

Legal Basis:

Directive 2014/24/EU

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1)Name and addresses

Official name: Welsh Government
Postal address: Corporate Procurement Services, Cathays Park
Town: Cardiff
NUTS code: UKL WALES
Postal code: CF10 3NQ
Country: United Kingdom
Contact person: Karen Roberts
E-mail: ICTProcurement@gov.wales
Telephone: +44 3000623300

Internet address(es):Main address: http://wales.gov.uk/?skip=1&lang=en

Address of the buyer profile: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA0007

I.2)Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

I.3)Communication

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: https://etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml

Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via: https://etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk

I.4)Type of the contracting authority

Body governed by public law

I.5)Main activity

General public services

Section II: Object

II.1)Scope of the procurement

II.1.1)Title:

Hwb Education Digital Learning Platform

Reference number: C223/2019/2020

II.1.2)Main CPV code

72212190 Educational software development services

II.1.3)Type of contract

Services

II.1.4)Short description:

Hwb, the digital learning platform for Wales, provides its users with a single point of access to a range of centrally-funded, bilingual, digital tools and resources. It is the Welsh Government’s strategic digital channel to support the delivery of the curriculum in Wales by providing education stakeholders with a centralised platform enabling easy access to relevant digital content and tools.

II.1.5)Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: 5 062 500.00 GBP

II.1.6)Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: no

II.2)Description

II.2.1)Title:

II.2.2)Additional CPV code(s)

30211300 Computer platforms

80420000 E-learning services

48190000 Educational software package

48000000 Software package and information systems

72000000 IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

72416000 Application service providers

72261000 Software support services

72421000 Internet or intranet client application development services

48931000 Training software package

72212190 Educational software development services

72212931 Training software development services

II.2.3)Place of performance

NUTS code: UKL WALES

Main site or place of performance:

Government Buildings, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ

II.2.4)Description of the procurement:

The Welsh Government is committed to delivering a national approach to digital services, enabling maintained schools in Wales to consistently exploit the transformational benefits which digital and technology can have on education.

Hwb enables its users to access online tools and resources anywhere, at any time and from a range of web-enabled devices. It also provides tools to help education practitioners create and share their own resources and assignments.

Hwb’s collection of tools and resources includes:

— tools and resources created or commissioned by the Welsh Government and/or its agents;

— tools and resources licensed or bought by the Welsh Government;

— tools and resources made available by ‘trusted sources’; and

— resources created by education practitioners.

To put some context around the scale of the platform there are in the region of 550 000 potential users of the platform and 98 % of schools in Wales are regularly classed as ‘actively engaged’. The average logins per month during term time is over 1 million users and page views are in the region of 3.5 million per month.

In addition to the Hwb platform, this procurement exercise includes the Welsh Government’s internal learning and development platform – Learning Lab, and the Academi Wales web platform which are both currently built on the same technology stack as Hwb.

Please note – the estimated total value includes an optional annual 50 % development cost. The contract value for the core requirements of the tender is GBP 3 375 000. If further developments are required to the platform over the course of the contract, they will be agreed between the supplier and the Welsh Government and paid for out of the additional 50 % allocation.

II.2.5)Award criteria

Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents

II.2.6)Estimated value

Value excluding VAT: 5 062 500.00 GBP

II.2.7)Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system

Duration in months: 60

This contract is subject to renewal: yes

Description of renewals:

The contract to be awarded will be for a 3-year term with a maximum total contract extension of 2 years.

II.2.10)Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: no

II.2.11)Information about options

Options: no

II.2.12)Information about electronic catalogues

II.2.13)Information about European Union funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no

II.2.14)Additional information

This procurement will be an open procedure and is being led by the Welsh Government.

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions for participation

III.1.1)Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

List and brief description of conditions:

The contractor undertakes to maintain its security practices and the Security Policy based on best industry practice guidelines that comply with, and shall maintain certification in accordance with, the following:

4.1.1 the ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Requirements Specification); and

4.1.2 the Cyber Essentials Certification.

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.1.5)Information about reserved contracts

III.2)Conditions related to the contract

III.2.1)Information about a particular profession

III.2.2)Contract performance conditions:

III.2.3)Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Description

IV.1.1)Type of procedure

Open procedure

IV.1.3)Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system

IV.1.4)Information about reduction of the number of solutions or tenders during negotiation or dialogue

IV.1.6)Information about electronic auction

IV.1.8)Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: yes

IV.2)Administrative information

IV.2.1)Previous publication concerning this procedure

Notice number in the OJ S: 2020/S 044-105495

IV.2.2)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

Date: 07/09/2020

Local time: 14:00

IV.2.3)Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates

IV.2.4)Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted:

English, Welsh

IV.2.6)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender

Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)

IV.2.7)Conditions for opening of tenders

Date: 09/09/2020

Local time: 14:00

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: yes

Estimated timing for further notices to be published:

12 months in advance of the contract renewal.

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:

This procurement will be an open procedure and is being led by the Welsh Government to appoint a single supplier.

Welsh Government intend to use eTenderWales to administer the procurement. All communications will be sent via eTenderWales.

Note: the authority is using eTenderwales to carry out this procurement process. To obtain further information record your interest on Sell2Wales;

Etenderwales reference[s] project_44852, itt_82026

Hwb Digital Learning Platform C223/2019/2020

Note: the authority is using eTenderwales to carry out this procurement process. To obtain further information record your interest on Sell2Wales at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=102348

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:

Community benefits will be a non-core requirement and will not form part of the evaluation criteria. However, submission of a non-core community benefits proposal will be a condition of a compliant bid and is part of the bidders technical submission. Non-core community benefits proposals should be planned on a cost-neutral basis.

(WA Ref:102348)

The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia.

VI.4)Procedures for review

VI.4.1)Review body

Official name: High Court
Postal address: Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
Town: London
Postal code: WC2A 2LL
Country: United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 2079477501

VI.4.2)Body responsible for mediation procedures

VI.4.3)Review procedure

VI.4.4)Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:

03/07/2020