Panel for Online Exam Papers and Study Support

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 procurement seeks to establish a panel of service providers for the provision of online exam papers and study support to Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB) post-primary schools. The panel will operate for four years, with potential for annual re-advertisement based on performance, business needs, and budget. Individual contracts will be awarded via purchase orders as requirements arise.

The core services required include:

• Online Platform Access: A platform providing access to:
• All State Exam questions by topic.
• All State exam papers by year.
• All sample exam questions by topic.
• All sample exams in original format.
• All marking schemes.
• Teacher/Student Tools: A tool for teachers and/or students to create and take class tests and quizzes.
• Revision Resources: Revision tools including, but not limited to, subject notes, videos, exemplars, quizzes, discussion forums, and links to relevant websites.
• Language Support: Services must be available in both Irish and English.
• User Accounts: Individual accounts for students and teachers across CMETB post-primary schools.
• Technical and Customer Support: Full technical and customer service support for each individual user, with no requirement for the school or CMETB to resolve issues.
• Child Protection: The online platform must be secure, with no risk of child protection issues for students under eighteen.
• Availability: Services must be available immediately and throughout the 2026/2027 school year.
• Curriculum Alignment: Online exam papers and study support must be suitable for the current education curriculum.
• Bulk Provision: Ability for bulk provision/transfer of soft copies of online exam papers for student devices.
• Pricing: Annual cost per individual account, excluding VAT, with discounts for bulk accounts (e.g., 300, 500, 1000 accounts) and differentiation for DEIS schools.

The scope may expand to cover new activities and services as CMETB's provision develops.

3. Background & buyer context

Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB) is a statutory authority responsible for education and training in Cavan and Monaghan. Established in 2013, it replaced Vocational Education Committees (VECs) and is the largest educational provider in the region. CMETB operates second-level schools, further education colleges, and adult education centres, employing approximately 1,400 staff and educating over 13,000 students. This procurement aligns with CMETB's strategic objective of placing learning and the learner at the heart of its educational provision. The establishment of a panel is considered the most appropriate procurement process to ensure flexibility and efficiency in sourcing online exam papers and study support services over the panel's duration.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

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

• Turnover requirement: Combined turnover relating to the provision of online exam papers and study support must have exceeded €50,000 for each of the past three years (2021, 2022, 2023).
• Insurance: Confirmation of the following insurance levels, or a commitment to put them in place within one week of contract award:
• Employer's Liability: €13,000,000
• Public Liability: €6,500,000
• Product Liability: €6,500,000
• Cyber Liability: €1,000,000
• Insurance policies must indemnify the Contracting Authority.
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Applicants must demonstrate previous relevant experience covering the current education curriculum. Specific project numbers or values are not detailed.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

Additionally, applicants must provide evidence of financial stability (auditor's letter or financial statement confirming ability to pay debts), a copy of their Data Protection Policy, and confirm compliance with Health & Safety legislation. Tax compliance will be verified via the Revenue Commissioners' online system.

5. Award criteria & scoring

This tender uses a two-stage process. The first stage involves admitting providers who meet the selection criteria to the panel. The second stage involves awarding individual contracts from the panel.

For awarding contracts under the panel, CMETB will select the most appropriate member(s) based on the following criteria:

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria