The provision of Business Consultancy Services in relation to the National Employer Survey of Higher Education

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 “The provision of Business Consultancy Services in relation to the National Employer Survey of Higher Education” 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: The provision of Business Consultancy Services in relation to the National Employer Survey of Higher Education
• The provision of Business Consultancy Services in relation to the National Employer Survey of Higher Education
• The Higher Education Authority (“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.
• The HEA Act 2022 9(1)(F) references the following function “…to support the provision of a range of programmes of higher education and training aimed at meeting the educational and skills needs of individuals, business, enterprise, the professions, the community, local interests, and other locally, regionally, and nationally”.
• 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.
• 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 coordinated system
• [RFT - Employers Survey.docx] 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 coordinated system of higher education institutions, with clear and diverse roles, appropriate to their strengths and national needs. The HEA acts as a catalyst for change in the higher education system, requiring higher levels of performance while demonstrating an appropriate level of accountability, consistent with institutional autonomy and academic freedom.
• The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 presents a vision of higher education sectors that can successfully meet the many economic, and social challenges facing Ireland over the coming decades. The Strategy envisages the provision of a high-quality learning experience leading to better outcomes for all those who engage with education through excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship, and engagement with wider society, as appropriate. The Strategy notes that strong engagement between higher education and enterprise has the potential to play a vital role in enhancing Ireland’s economic competitiveness and that the education and training system is a core part of the enterprise, development, and innovation infrastructure in Ireland.
• The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 suggests that innovation must be the driving force behind such engagement: innovation in teaching, learning, and research from higher education; and innovation in taking advantage of learning opportunities from the business community. The Strategy suggests activities that could be progressed in business-academic partnerships range from knowledge transfer and the creation of joint research projects to the development and provision of education and training for employees, and problem-solving and consulting services. Employer-academic partnership could also facilitate high-quality internships and work placements for students and could be particularly useful as a way of enabling employer feedback on graduate employability and in facilitating employer input into curriculum design and development, as well as course supply.
• [RFT - Employers Survey.docx] could also facilitate high-quality internships and work placements for students and could be particularly useful as a way of enabling employer feedback on graduate employability and in facilitating employer input into curriculum design and development, as well as course supply. 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 Higher Education Authority (“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 strategic objectives.
• agreed objectives (detailed in compacts with institutions) are delivered through effective performance-management at institutional and system-levels.
• The HEA Act 2022 9(1)(F) references the following function “…to support the provision of a range of programmes of higher education and training aimed at meeting the educational and skills needs of individuals, business, enterprise, the professions, the community, local interests, and other locally, regionally, and nationally”.

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.; l Level required if successful Level in Place Level in Place Details of Any Excess Details of Any Excess Renewal Date Renewal Date Employers Liability €12.7 million €12; 7 million € € Public Liability €2.6 million €2
• 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.
• l Level required if successful Level in Place Level in Place Details of Any Excess Details of Any Excess Renewal Date Renewal Date Employers Liability €12.7 million €12
• 7 million € € Public Liability €2.6 million €2
• 6 million € € Professional Indemnity €200k €200k € € AND AND AN
• Insurance type Required value € Employers’ liability €12.7 million Public Liability €2
• 6 million Professional Indemnity €200k Criterion A Weighting Maximum

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 is seeking to commission a telephone survey of employers/enterprises to gather a range of information on their views of higher education outcomes. This will involve the use of a questionnaire which will be agreed between the HEA and the successful Tenderer.
• Explanation of how the questionnaire will be used effectively to meet the survey objectives.
• The Contracting Authority is using a Single Stage Procedure for the award of this contract therefore, while all interested parties may submit a tender, only those demonstrating that they have the required level of financial and technical capacity will have their tender considered. In order to demonstrate a tenderers qualification, tenderers are required to provide the information set out below in the Tender Response Document (TRD) which is based on a self-declaration model, however tenderers are required to provide the minimum information required.
• General Declarations and Financial Requirements
• The contract will be established for a period of 6 months with the option to extend for a further 6-month period should time be required to complete services outlined in the original specification and pricing agreement.
• Only tenders, which meet the selection criteria and are confirmed as valid and responsive to the specifications set out in this document will be evaluated against the award criteria. Tenderers should ensure that they have submitted sufficient relevant information to allow tenders to be assessed under each of the award criteria set out below.

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
• This contract is for an initial term of 6 months with the possibility to extend for a fu
• The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 presents a vision of higher education sectors that can successfully meet the many economic, and social challenges facing Ireland over the coming decades. The Strategy envisages the provision of a high-quality learning experience leading to better outcomes for all those who engage with education through excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship, and engagement with wider society, as appropriate. The Strategy notes that strong engagement between higher education and enterprise has the potential to play a vital role in enhancing Ireland’s economic competitiveness and that the education and training system is a core part of the enterprise, development, and innovation infrastructure in Ireland.
• The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 suggests that innovation must be the driving force behind such engagement: innovation in teaching, learning, and research from higher education; and innovation in taking advantage of learning opportunities from the business community. The Strategy suggests activities that could be progressed in business-academic partnerships range from knowledge transfer and the creation of joint research projects to the development and provision of education and training for employees, and problem-solving and consulting services. Employer-academic partnership could also facilitate high-quality internships and work placements for students and could be particularly useful as a way of enabling employer feedback on graduate employability and in facilitating employer input into curriculum design and development, as well as course supply.
• [RFT - Employers Survey.docx] could also facilitate high-quality internships and work placements for students and could be particularly useful as a way of enabling employer feedback on graduate employability and in facilitating employer input into curriculum design and development, as well as course supply.
• The purposes of reviewing the National Employers Survey are set out below based on the following set of principles:
• Conduct a nationally representative telephone survey amongst businesses domiciled in Ireland (which will be representative in terms of region, sector, company size, and whether indigenous or foreign owned).

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: RFT - Employers Survey.docx, RFT - Employers Survey.docx] Request for, RFT - Employers Survey.docx] Science through his Department, for the achievement of.
• eTenders CFT / notice reference: not specified in extract.
• Clarification contact / portal: eTenders message portal (email not surfaced in extract).
• Key attachments to prioritise: RFT - Employers Survey.docx] could also facilitate high-quality internships and wor, RFT - Employers Survey.docx] indigenous or foreign owned)., RFT - Employers Survey.docx] This contract is for an initial term of 6 months with.