Scope
Reference
CO6118
Description
Idea Store Learning, the community adult learning provision for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, is tasked with enabling residents to develop the skills they need to become active citizens, progress in work and express themselves across different media.
More than 3000 local residents enrol on over 6000 course places to develop their work and life prospects. Courses ranging from ESOL and maths to visual and performing arts enable learners to progress into employment, enhance their work skills, communicate more effectively, improve their health and wellbeing, support their children's learning and create stronger, connected communities. Digital skills are integral to the provision with digital communication and teaching embedded across all courses. Specific digital skills courses from beginner to advanced form an essential growing part of the provision as well as the council's Digital Inclusion Strategy.
The current digital skills infrastructure needs updating to meet the demands of today's and tomorrow's world. The existing set up limits the use and teaching of cloud-based technologies including Microsoft 365. Digital security concerns require the learning environment to be separate from the Council's corporate network. Consequently, learners have no automated institutional email address and/or accounts, and limited means of sharing work, communicating digitally in a secure manner, or easy access to a VLE.
Total value (estimated)
- £100,000 including VAT
Below the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027
- 2 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 48000000 - Software package and information systems
Contract locations
- UKI - London
Engagement
Engagement deadline
3 June 2025
Engagement process description
Idea Store Learning, the community adult learning provision for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, is tasked with enabling residents to develop the skills they need to become active citizens, progress in work and express themselves across different media. The current digital skills infrastructure needs updating to meet the demands of today's and tomorrow's world. Idea Store Learning are interested in hearing from third party providers to set up and run the below proposed changes:
• All Idea Store Learners have a Tower Hamlets' Idea Store Learning email and access/licence to Microsoft 365 - including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Teams, SharePoint, OneNote and other key apps
• Digital skills learners have access to the above apps within a learning environment and as desktop apps.
• All learners to share files and collaborate in the usual cloud-based manner
• All learners use Teams for Education as the provision's VLE
• All learners able to use Co-pilot in line with data-protection policies
• All learners able to use and learn about key AI tools as ChatGPT and other LLMs
• Future-proofed digital skills provision so it can respond to changes in workplace and everyday practices and run a varied, modern and skills-based curriculum - including developing a process of updating digital software to ensure the curriculum is agile and responsive to a changing world
• Access and safeguarding arrangements support an inclusive learning environment
• A single sign-on process ensures learner accounts are set up at enrolment
• Digitally secure sign-on processes
• Ongoing support and management to ensure learners and tutors receive timely help and data security is maintained
2nd June 2025
Interested parties to submit an outline of experience in this area and a brief account of the steps they would take to institute the proposed changes
W/B 9th June 2025
Selected providers will be invited to one-one meetings where the delivery model proposals can be assessed
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Contracting authority
Tower Hamlets
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PQBL-2673-MVYG
New Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road London
London
E1 1BJ
United Kingdom
Contact name: Ms Morgan Hughes
Telephone: +44 2073644099
Email: Morgan.Hughes@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Website: https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
Region: UKI42 - Tower Hamlets
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government