Tender for the provision of technical support and maintenance for the Springboard + online application system

AI-generated analysis of the documents. Check the official notice and any amendments for current submission details.

1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

The Higher Education Authority ran this procurement for “Tender for the provision of technical support and maintenance for the Springboard + online application system” as an operational contract requiring implementation and sustained service execution. The extracted pack showed qualification-stage material with references to later ITT technical depth; practical activity therefore centred on building, integrating, and operating the specified service stack with compliant reporting and handover obligations where stated. Constituent activities and named work elements in the supplied extracts:

• Title: Tender for the provision of technical support and maintenance for the Springboard + online application system
• e application system from start of contract for a period of 12 months (with HEA having an option to extend th
• Tender for the provision of technical support and maintenance for the Springboard + online application system
• The HEA leads the strategic development of the Irish higher education and research system with the objective of creating a coherent system of diverse institutions with distinct missions, which is responsive to the social, cultural, and economic development of Ireland and its people and supports the achievement of National objectives.
• The HEA has a statutory responsibility, at central government level, for the effective governance and regulation of higher education institutions and the higher education system.
• Agreed objectives (detailed in compacts with institutions) are delivered through effective performance – management at institutional and system levels.
• Objectives span the enhancement of teaching and learning, the promotion of equity of access to higher education, the enhancement of institutions’ responsiveness to the needs of wider society, research capacity-building, and the internationalisation of Irish higher education. The HEA leads in developing the evidence-base which underpins strategic planning and strategy implementation at institutional, regional, and national level.
• In support of our mandate the HEA exercises functions in respect of –
• Co-ordination of interaction between public bodies and the higher education system.
• The HEA is accountable to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science through his Department, for the achievement of national outcomes for the higher education sector. The HEA has conducted a service level agreement with the DFHERIS. Taken overall, the HEA exercises a central oversight role in the higher education system and is the lead agency in the creation of a co-ordinated system of higher education institutions with
• [HEA RFT - Springboard.docx] national outcomes for the higher education sector. The HEA has conducted a service level agreement with the DFHERIS. Taken overall, the HEA exercises a central oversight role in the higher education system and is the lead agency in the creation of a co-ordinated system of higher education institutions with clear and diverse roles appropriate to their strengths and national needs.
• The HEA wish to invite proposals from suitably-qualified contractors for the technical support and maintenance of www.springboardcourses.ie Please note Non-binding monetary references in the source were treated as context only and were not used as qualification thresholds.

3. Background & buyer context

The buyer context reflected a formal Irish public-procurement route, with pre-qualification used to control entry into the tender stage.

• The HEA leads the strategic development of the Irish higher education and research system with the objective of creating a coherent system of diverse institutions with distinct missions, which is responsive to the social, cultural, and economic development of Ireland and its people and supports the achievement of National objectives.
• Institutional strategies are aligned with National and strategic objectives,
• Agreed objectives (detailed in compacts with institutions) are delivered through effective performance – management at institutional and system levels.
• Objectives span the enhancement of teaching and learning, the promotion of equity of access to higher education, the enhancement of institutions’ responsiveness to the needs of wider society, research capacity-building, and the internationalisation of Irish higher education. The HEA leads in developing the evidence-base which underpins strategic planning and strategy implementation at institutional, regional, and national level.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

• Turnover requirement — — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.
• Insurance — — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.; Insurance type Required value € Employers’ liability €12.7 million Public Liability €2; 6 million Professional Indemnity €200k Cyber Security €1.5 million Criterion A Weighting Maximum
• Certifications — not specified for this tender
• Past experience — not specified for this tender
• Personnel — not specified for this tender
• Geographic / facility constraints — not specified for this tender Additional binding lines surfaced in the deterministic extract:
• — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.
• Insurance type Required value € Employers’ liability €12.7 million Public Liability €2
• 6 million Professional Indemnity €200k Cyber Security €1.5 million Criterion A Weighting Maximum
• l in Place Level in Place Details of Any Excess Details of Any Excess Details of Any Excess Renewal Date Renewal Date Renewal Date Employers Liability Employers Liability €12.7 million €12
• 7 million € € € Public Liability Public Liability €2.6 million €2
• 6 million € € € Professional Indemnity Professional Indemnity €200k €200k € € € Cybersecurity Insurance Cybersecurity Insurance €1.5 million €1

5. Award criteria & scoring

6. Submission requirements

• Method statement / response document (template/page limits) — Appendix 1 questionnaire/PQQ response was required.
• CVs (page count, named roles) — not specified in extract.
• Pricing schedule (format/template) — expected at ITT stage.
• Case studies (number/value range) — client references/comparable project evidence was referenced.
• Declarations (ESPD/Bona Fides/Tax/COI) — ESPD/declaration/statement-of-confirmation language was present.
• Mandatory site visit — not specified in extract.
• Submission portal and formatting — eTenders portal and PDF electronic copies were referenced. Submission-related source lines:
• The HEA wish to invite proposals from suitably-qualified contractors for the technical support and maintenance of www.springboardcourses.ie Please note this includes a separate but related on-line application facility for higher education providers to submit their proposals for new courses – Skills Direct.
• Skills Direct, a related but separate system used in the Call for Proposals process (i.e., the system used by higher education providers when submitting course proposals when HEA issues a call for proposals). We anticipate a call for Springboard+ in Quarter 4 2024.
• The suitability of the members of the proposed team to perform their assigned tasks, including experience on similar assignments, substantiating in the format of the CV (Curriculum vitae) including the elements below.
• Complete the HEA 3rd Party Supplier Information Security Assessment questionnaire which will be assessed as part of the award criteria with the RFT.
• As part of the award criteria (Criterion D) tenderers are required to submit their response to the HEA 3rd Party Supplier Information Security Assessment questionnaire referenced in 2.6 above. Each tenderers response which includes the HEA 3rd Party Supplier Information Security Assessment questionnaire will form part of the signed contract.
• [HEA RFT - Springboard.docx] 2.6 above. Each tenderers response which includes the HEA 3rd Party Supplier Information Security Assessment questionnaire will form part of the signed contract.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

Contract duration in the extract: 12 months. Payment cycle, SLA/KPI schedule, and penalty regime were not fully disclosed in the snippets unless listed below.

• VERIFIED PHRASES (deterministic regex extract from the documents — treat as authoritative for numerical claims)
• re parts of the contract may be performed that are in force 7 days prior to the deadline for receipt of Te
• Springboard+ provides free higher education courses to address current skills gaps in industry in Ireland. At the same time, it offers participants new opportunities for career development in growing sectors of the economy. See www.springboardcourses.ie for further information.
• The initiative has been in place since 2011. Since then, over 100,000 participants have enrolled on a Springboard+ programme. The current round of courses (2023/2024 academic year) features 260 courses offered across 25 higher education providers, with an anticipated 8,729 learners.
• The current system’s technology is Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP (LAMP) Stack and specifically uses Laravel as the PHP web framework. The system is hosted in AWS and is currently secured via a WAF. It allows users to view course information, make applications for multiple courses, with the process managed through the system up to and including enrolment of successful applicants. Course providers use the system to track enrolment and record both academic and employment related outcomes. An integral element of the system is the ability to generate comprehensive, real-time data on the profile of applicants and outcomes, including post-enrolment outcomes.
• A survey of participants is issued from the system one month and six months post completion of the course. As some of the data collected via these surveys may be sensitive, the successful tenderer must adhere to GDPR and data protection legislation at all times. See below.
• Skills Direct, a related but separate system used in the Call for Proposals process (i.e., the system used by higher education providers when submitting course proposals when HEA issues a call for proposals). We anticipate a call for Springboard+ in Quarter 4 2024.
• Applicants/Learners. Prospective learners are those who apply to a participating course provider for a place on a

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Qualification gate: the deterministic extract included a turnover threshold line (— use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.), which can materially narrow bidder pool composition.
• The two-step process (PQQ then ITT) shifted effort to compliance evidence early, with competitive scoring detail potentially deferred.
• Technical and contractual granularity appeared ITT-dependent, increasing ambiguity at qualification stage for non-incumbent bidders.

10. SME fit assessment

This competition looked most accessible to firms with established public-sector tender capability, documented financial capacity, and direct operational experience in the relevant service category.

• Credible bidder profile — mid-sized to large specialist with formal QA/compliance process.
• Consortium / sub-contracting — allowed or addressed in the extracts (Appendix references and reliance provisions).
• Indicative bid-prep effort — 6 to 12 working days for evidence collation, form completion, and review cycles at PQQ level.
• Pwin signal — strongest for bidders with reusable qualification artefacts, comparable references, and low-friction mobilisation capability.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT/PQQ filenames: HEA RFT - Springboard.docx, Award Criterion will result in the Tenderer being eliminated from the competition and will not be evaluated in relation to cost.

Note: Tenderers should ensure in their tenders that they provide detailed information in respect of all aspects of the award criteria as stated above. This will enable the awarding authority to fully assess the extent of their offers.

Methodology for evaluating Criterion A - Price

All tenderers must populate the following table with their Fixed annual cost. Please take note of section 6.4 Clarification of Abnormally Low Tenderers of this document when completing the following table. Please note, tenderers should populate this table within the provided (

[HEA RFT - Springboard.docx, RFT - Springboard.docx] Request for.

• eTenders CFT / notice reference: not specified in extract.
• Clarification contact / portal: eTenders message portal (email not surfaced in extract).
• Key attachments to prioritise: RFT - Springboard.docx] national outcomes for the higher education sector. The HEA, RFT - Springboard.docx] + programme by the Department of Further and Higher Educati, RFT - Springboard.docx] to edit course information (e.g., course content, start dat.