Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
UNIVERSITY OF YORK
Heslington
YORK
YO105DD
Contact
Rob Hunt
Telephone
+44 1904328201
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKE21 - York
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
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Provision and Support
Reference number
UY/PROC/525
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 48190000 - Educational software package
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
Provision and support of a VLE for university students
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: £1,664,000
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKE21 - York
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Provision and support of a VLE for university students for a five year period commencing 1st July 2022
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated without a prior call for competition
- The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
A previously published VEAT notice (2019-OJS 149-367112) stated an intention to enter an open procurement activity prior to the end of the current extended contract. The impact of the COVID pandemic has prevented the University from being able to undertake this activity with enough time remaining to complete a procurement and an implementation activity without significant risk of project delay.
The University is currently undergoing an ambitious strategic change programme. This is affecting all staff involved in teaching and learning activities and any significant changes to the enabling VLE platform are considered too disruptive at this time. The University must have a solution to its current self-hosted BlackBoard infrastructure going out of support. It is therefore the intention to migrate to BlackBoard's cloud hosted infrastructure without undertaking a competitive tender.
By not undertaking a competitive tender, the University will increase the lead time available to start implementation; thereby significantly reducing the risk of missing a critical summer migration deadline. Furthermore, there has been significant investment in process, staff skills and capabilities over the last 5 years that can be utilised, removing the need for organisation wide retraining and detailed process review.
The strategic change activities currently underway at the University are expected to take between 3 and 5 years to deliver and become embedded within the University. The provision of a stable, well managed and understood VLE plays a significant role in enabling the success of these changes. The continuation of service throughout this 5 year period is therefore a critical success factor and any change to the VLE supplier during this period would neither be advantageous nor sustainable. As a consequence, the University will be seeking a 5 year commitment during which time we will consider competitive options for a new, longer-term solution.
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: 2019/S 149-367112
Section five. Award of contract/concession
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
18 October 2021
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Blackboard International B.V.
Amsterdam
Country
Netherlands
NUTS code
- NL - Netherlands
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £1,664,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
University of York
York
Country
United Kingdom