Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
OPEN UNIVERSITY(THE)
Walton Hall
MILTON KEYNES
MK76AA
Contact
Procurement Team
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKJ12 - Milton Keynes
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
The Open University learning content services/OPEN/PRO/2023
Reference number
OUPA11058
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79933000 - Design support services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The OU is looking for 3 key partners to take on the tasks outlined in Appendix 3 at scale
during peak periods to alleviate internal pressures on capacity and ensure the timely
provision of high-quality learning material to OU students. We expect to work with our
vendor partners on identifying, developing and scaling ancillary and additional service lines
that support and complement the core proposition service offering, thus improving the
efficiency of the service and enabling the OU to achieve its wider strategic objectives.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £1,320,000
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ12 - Milton Keynes
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The primary business objective is to deliver the OU's bi-annual cycle of updates to module
websites and supporting digital and print learning aids to required quality, time and cost
standards. The OU requires vendor partners to provide it with flexibility in its capacity so that
it can effectively handle peaks in demand that cannot be met by inhouse staff.
Additionally, we expect to work with our vendor partners on identifying, developing and
scaling ancillary and additional service lines that support and complement the core
proposition service offering, thus improving operational efficiency, achieving economies of
scale and supporting the delivery of the OU's wider strategic aims and social mission.
Core service provision
As OU modules prepare to 'present' to a new cohort of students, their study website, hosted
in the OU's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), and associated digital and print learning
aids, require updating in accordance with student feedback on their learning experience, key
assessment milestones for the new cohort's study dates, changes in the academic field and
requirements for the correction or clarification of errors.
The vendor partner will need to work inside OU systems and liaise closely with the
responsible OU Project Manager within Learner and Discovery Services (LDS), graphics and
interactive media developers within LDS' Design, Development and Production (DDP)
subunit, as well as with the Qualification/Curriculum Manager and academic authoring
teams within the faculty whose module is being updated, performing requisite editorial,
quality assurance, project coordination, graphic/interactive media assets update and rights
clearance tasks as required by the project specification.
Breakdown of service lines
Core service provision: OU module updates, editorial
o Copyediting of any new text insertions of 50+ words
o Proofreading of updated sections of material, including sense checks for 'fit' with
surrounding content and any internal cross-references
o Briefing IMD/GMD team on graphic/interactive media asset updates AND/OR
origination/updates of graphics/interactive media assets
o Taking in corrections to XML source files, re-rendering and sending to OU stakeholders for
approval
o Validation of XML with QC
o Checking and editing of closed captions and module
transcripts for any new assets via the OU's 3Play platform
o Web checks" - final QC of module websites, once all other updates complete, ahead of final
'presentation ready' signoff.
Ancillary services
Graphic media assets updates/origination/redraws
Interactive media assets updates/origination
Rights and permissions clearances
Copyedit and proofread
Structural editing
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Core delivery of service provision / Weighting: 25
Quality criterion - Name: Service Lines / Weighting: 25
Quality criterion - Name: Offshore/Onshore Capabilities / Weighting: 5
Quality criterion - Name: Demand Planning Tools / Weighting: 5
Quality criterion - Name: Performance Criteria and Monitoring continuous improvement / Weighting: 10
Cost criterion - Name: Finance Schedule Evaluation - Scenario 1&2 / Weighting: 20
Cost criterion - Name: Finance Schedule Evaluation - Scenario 3 / Weighting: 5
Cost criterion - Name: Adherence to Terms / Weighting: 2.5
Cost criterion - Name: Added value / Weighting: 2.5
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
2 x 12 month extensions
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2023/S 000-021305
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
7 January 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 7
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 7
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Amnet ContentSource Pvt. Ltd
Chennai
Country
India
NUTS code
- IN - India
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £1,320,000
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,320,000
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
7 January 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 7
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 7
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Integra Software Services Private Limited
Chennai
Country
India
NUTS code
- IN - India
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £1,320,000
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,320,000
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
7 January 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 7
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 7
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
Brainerd
Country
United States
NUTS code
- US - United States
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £1,320,000
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,320,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The Open University
Milton Keynes
Country
United Kingdom