Provision of Intellectual Property Management Software

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

This tender seeks to establish a single-party framework agreement for the provision of Intellectual Property (IP) Management Software. The software will support Dublin City University's (DCU) Technology Transfer Office (TTO) by providing a secure, centralised repository for managing IP records across the university. The system must facilitate the end-to-end lifecycle management of IP, encompassing invention disclosures, patent management, licensing, commercialisation activities, agreements, and stakeholder engagement.

Key functionalities and requirements include:

• SaaS for Intellectual Property Management Software (M1): The solution must streamline the management of inventions, patents, financial data, contracts, and related processes for DCU's Knowledge Transfer Office.
• Cloud-Based System (M2): A fully managed, cloud-based software solution is required, enabling secure access for authorised DCU users from any campus location. It must support Single Sign-On (SSO) integration, be compatible with Azure AD/Microsoft Entra ID, and comply with GDPR regulations. The tenderer must describe their security governance framework, including personal data handling, storage, backup, and encryption. Data processing must occur within the EU/EEA or an adequate third country.
• User Access Control (M3): The platform must facilitate user authentication and role-based access control to restrict access to authorised users based on their roles and responsibilities.
• Invention Disclosure Management (M4): The platform must allow logging of invention disclosures, inventors, and patent families using pre-designed forms.
• Financial Data Management (M5): The platform must enable logging of financial information related to tech transfer, including patent invoices, license payments, royalties, and commercialisation revenue.
• Contract Management (M6): A comprehensive module is required to log and track supporting contracts (e.g., license agreements, research contracts, trademarks) and link them to patent families, invention disclosures, and inventors.
• Relationship Mapping (M7): The platform must establish and visualise relationships between patent families, invention disclosures, inventors, contracts, and financial data.
• Customisable Data Fields (M8): The platform must support customisable data fields to accommodate DCU's specific IP portfolio requirements and funder metrics.
• Search Functionality (M9): Advanced search capabilities with filters and keyword search are mandatory for efficient information retrieval.
• Reporting and Analytics (M10): Robust reporting and analytics tools are required to generate metrics reports, analyze patent portfolios, track commercialisation outcomes, and identify trends.
• Patent Prosecution Support (M11): The solution must store information related to the patent prosecution process, including documentation, deadlines, and communications with legal representatives, and link patents within a patent family.
• Cookie Policy and GDPR Compliance (M12): The platform must include a clear cookie policy and adhere to GDPR standards.
• Accessibility Features (M13): The platform must adhere to Universal Design principles, supporting screen readers, keyboard navigation, adjustable text sizes, and compatibility with assistive technologies.
• Hosting and Patching Schedules (M14): Hosting costs must be included, and maintenance schedules for major upgrades/releases must be agreed upon in advance with DCU.

Highly desirable features include an automated alert system (D1), customisation for DCU branding (D2), a user-friendly interface (D3), and customisable data analytics capabilities (D4).

The initial contract is anticipated to be for a 2-year term.

3. Background & buyer context

Dublin City University (DCU) is a young, dynamic university established in 1980, located north of Dublin city. It operates across multiple campuses and offers over 200 programs to more than 18,000 students across five faculties. DCU is recognised internationally as Ireland's most innovative university. The procurement of an IP Management Software aligns with DCU's strategic plan, which focuses on transforming lives and societies through education, research, innovation, and engagement. The university aims to enhance its technology transfer capabilities and streamline the management of its intellectual property assets. DCU has a policy to promote participation by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on a fair and equal basis.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for this tender:

• Turnover requirement:
• Confirmation that the tendering party's turnover exceeded €200,000 per annum for each of the last three years, or during one of the last three years.
• For recently established firms (in existence for at least 6 months), turnover must be confirmed on a pro-rata basis.
• Confirmation of financial standing to pay debts as they fall due.
• Insurance: Confirmation of the following insurances being in place, with agreement to implement the specified levels upon award if not currently available:
• Employer's Liability: €13 million
• Public Liability: €6.5 million
• Product Liability: €6.5 million
• Professional Indemnity: €2 million
• Cyber Liability: €1 million
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender, but tenderers must demonstrate a commitment to quality assurance, potentially through 3rd party certification. Compliance with Health & Safety and Environmental legislation is also required.
• Past experience:
• Successful delivery of 3 previous comparable contracts within the last three years.
• These contracts must have involved: IP lifecycle management (invention disclosure, patent tracking, licensing, commercialisation), cloud-based SaaS delivery, workflow automation, role-based access control (RBAC), reporting/dashboards/analytics, integration with identity management systems (e.g., Azure AD/Microsoft Entra ID SSO), GDPR compliance, and audit trails.
• Personnel: Access to the minimum number of skilled personnel:
• Account Manager (5 Years Experience): 1
• Maintenance Technical Support Engineers/Technicians: 1
• Implementation Specialist/Trainer: 1
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender, but data processing must occur within the EU/EEA or an adequate third country.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The framework will be awarded on the basis of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), considering the following criteria and weightings:

The lowest cost tender achieving minimum marks in qualitative criteria receives maximum cost score. Qualitative criteria scoring is based on the degree of conformance and functional characteristics.

6. Submission requirements

Bidders must submit the following:

• Submission of a Tender Response Document (TRD): Covering selection and award criteria, using the provided template.
• Confirmation of Acceptance:
• Framework Agreement Terms and Conditions.
• Contract Terms and Conditions.
• European Single Procurement Document (ESPD): Either electronically via eESPD on eTenders or as a separate uploaded attachment.
• General Information: Contact details, company overview, and information on sub-contractors/consortium members.
• Financial Capacity: Confirmation of tax compliance and financial standing.
• Insurance: Confirmation of current insurance levels and agreement to meet specified levels.
• Personnel Information: Details demonstrating access to required personnel.
• Previous Contracts: Information demonstrating successful delivery of 3 comparable contracts.
• Quality Assurance: Details of quality assurance policies and systems.
• Health & Safety: Information on health & safety systems and procedures.
• Environmental Management System: Information on environmental management systems.
• Proposed Service Level Agreement (SLA): A draft SLA detailing service delivery, uptime, incident management, support, maintenance, business continuity, and disaster recovery.
• Pricing Schedule: To be completed within the TRD.
• Declarations: Bona Fides Declaration (Art. 57), compliance with statutory obligations, and Article 5K Declaration (EU regulation 2022/576).

A mandatory site visit is not specified. The submission must be uploaded as a ZIP file to eTenders.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: 2 years, with an option to extend for up to 5 additional 1-year periods, subject to performance, business needs, and budget.
• Payment terms: Not specified.
• SLAs/KPIs: A Service Level Agreement (SLA) with agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be established. Tenderers must propose a draft SLA covering system availability, incident management, support, maintenance, business continuity, and disaster recovery.
• Liquidated damages: Not specified.
• Termination: The contract may be terminated by DCU with 30 days' notice.
• IP ownership: Not specified.
• Sub-contracting: Not specified, but reliance on other entities for selection criteria is permitted if resources are proven to be at their disposal.
• Guarantees/Bonds: Not specified.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Single-Party Framework: This is a single-party framework, meaning only one supplier will be appointed. This limits competition for future contracts under the framework but offers the successful bidder a sole supplier position.
• No Guaranteed Expenditure: The estimated value (€100,000 - €150,000) is indicative, and there is no guaranteed expenditure. DCU reserves the right to procure outside the framework.
• Tender Validity: A tender validity period of 12 months is required, commencing from the submission deadline.
• Evidence of Self-Declared Information: Tenderers must be willing to provide evidence of all self-declared information within five working days of request, prior to award. Failure to do so can lead to elimination.
• Groupings/Consortia: While allowed, a successful grouping must establish legal personality to enter the framework agreement. DCU will not act as an arbitrator between members.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is open to a range of suppliers capable of providing cloud-based SaaS IP management software. A credible bidder would likely be a specialist software provider with a proven track record in developing and implementing IP management solutions.

• Who can credibly bid: Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a focus on IP management software, or larger established software companies. The turnover requirement of €200,000 and the need for 3 comparable projects suggest a business with established operations and a demonstrable history. Consortiums are permitted, allowing SMEs to partner with larger entities or other SMEs to meet capacity requirements.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: Consortiums and joint ventures are permitted. Tenderers can rely on the resources of other entities to meet selection criteria, provided they can prove these resources will be available.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Preparing a comprehensive bid, including the TRD, SLA proposal, and evidence for selection criteria, would likely require significant effort. Estimating 10-20 working days for a dedicated team is reasonable, depending on the bidder's existing documentation and familiarity with IP management software.
• Pwin signal: The single-party framework structure and the specific technical requirements suggest a competitive process. There is no explicit indication of an incumbent supplier being favoured, but a strong demonstration of meeting all mandatory technical requirements and providing a competitive cost will be crucial. The emphasis on specific functionalities like GDPR compliance and Azure AD integration points towards a need for a technically robust and modern solution.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: [DCU-26027-S-ITT Framework -Intellectual Property Management Software.Final.pdf]
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in provided text.
• Contact / Clarification Portal: Information to be published on www.etenders.gov.ie.
• Most Important Attachments:
• Tender Response Document (TRD)
• Framework Terms and Conditions
• Contract Terms and Conditions