PRN2135 - Develop and design a new data dissemination portal for the National Student Survey (NSS), disseminate NSS data annually along with hosting historic NSS data and maintaining the portal.

Description

About adding context and requirements test Pre-market engagement None through this framework. This opportunity was previously published as a multi-lot open tender linked with the administration of the NSS, but was not awarded. Work done so far No work done so far on the particular requirements. The current portal has been in existence for almost 10 years and consists of five key NSS data analysis tools: - Static predefined reports - Custom reports - Open text comments reports - Odata reports (PowerBI tool) - Dashboard (predefined graphical elements) Which phase the project is in Not started Existing team The OfS NSS team will provide product ownership, data analyst and content management support. The supplier will engage with the team to set the goals for each phase of work to meet the overall requirements of the specification. The NSS team will engage in the work throughout, to understand the outcomes of the user testing and provide feedback and decision making for design work. Also the NSS team will be involved in the planning of the other requirements of the specification. The supplier may also need to work with the supplier who is contracted to administer the NSS to see how a more streamlined service for an online platform for users across both services could be achieved to gain efficiencies and innovation and help reduce burden on providers. Address where the work will be done No specific location, supplier can work remotely. Office for Students is based at Westward House, Lime Kiln Close, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8SR. Working arrangements The supplier is expected to work closely with the OfS team and implement robust project management procedures to provide the services required in the specification and manage an effective relationship with OfS, ensuring clear communication between the supplier and the OfS with all communication through a lead contact at the supplier and OfS. We expect to see a breakdown of the project team roles demonstrating how each role will contribute relevant skills and knowledge that will enable successful delivery of this work. We expect an incident and change management system, and a process for escalation, reporting and service reviews with OfS. For the user journey work (potentially across UK or online), the expectation is that the supplier will work with current portal users for the user testing and ensure that data protection policies are adhered to. There is no separate budget for travel costs or expenses so this should be included in the overall project costs. The supplier will complete user testing, ensuring that the appropriate methods are used to obtain the required information (e.g. one to one interviews, focus groups etc). Once feedback has been gathered and design work has been completed, the supplier is expected to present the design work recommendations and how they will implement the designs for a new build of a data dissemination portal. A report to summarise the user journey is required with recommendations for the design and new build of the data dissemination portal. An annual project plan and budget for delivery of activities is expected for the rest of the specification (points 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 detailed in the "The business problem you need to solve" section). This includes having an online project management tool to share and store documents related to the NSS project between OfS and the contractor. We expect an assessment and management of all key risks that could affect the delivery of the project with strategies and processes to mitigate these risks. We expect the contractor to ensure that the necessary resources will remain available throughout the lifetime of the project and we expect any changes to resources would be managed to minimise the impact on the delivery of the project. We expect weekly meetings to update OfS on progress with the project activities and of any issues that have become apparent. We expect monthly project review reports giving an overview of the project process against activities and milestones. We expect annual review meetings, as well as ad hoc meetings, with OfS to discuss the dissemination of the survey results, improvements and planning for the next NSS cycle. We expect all processes and any changes to processes to be agreed with OfS, who will consult with other UK funding and regulatory bodies before taking decisions. We expect the supplier to meet NSS data dissemination deadlines, target portal response times, and helpdesk target response and resolution times. We expect a smooth transition of the service to any new supplier through an agreed exit plan and a handover/termination review meeting with OfS should the contract be awarded to a new supplier at the end of the contract. Provide more information about your security requirements: No security clearance needed Latest start date 2024-04-15 Enter the expected contract length: 2 years Extension period: 1 year Write the term or acronym: HE Write the term or acronym: OfS Write the term or acronym: NSS Explain the term or acronym: Higher Education Explain the term or acronym: Office for Students Explain the term or acronym: National Student Survey Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: 357000 Provide further information: Maximum budget is excluding VAT. We would expect more cost in year one to carry out the user journey and build a new portal. Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Summary of work • Understand the user journey to inform the development of the data dissemination portal • Design, build, and implement a bespoke and secure data dissemination portal • Host historic NSS data from previous years of the survey and maintenance of the portal • Disseminate the NSS results to providers annually • Provide and manage user support to ensure that all users are aware of the portal functionalities and changes • Consultation with users to inform future improvements to the data dissemination portal Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Who the organisation using the products or services is Office for Students Why the work is being done The NSS is a high-profile UK-wide survey of final year undergraduates managed by the OfS on behalf of the four UK higher education funding and regulatory bodies. The NSS gathers students’ opinions on the quality of their courses which helps to: - inform prospective students’ choices - provide data that supports universities and colleges to improve the student experience - support public accountability. The NSS results are published in aggregated form in the summer on the OfS website for press and general public and at the same time the results are made available to HE providers through a secure data dissemination portal. Data from the NSS is also published at course level on the Discover Uni website at a later date to help inform prospective students’ choices. The current data dissemination portal has been in place for almost 10 years and requires redevelopment and redesign based on user experience to improve the look, feel and functionality of the data dissemination portal. Following this work, the supplier is expected to annually disseminate NSS data, host historic NSS data and maintain the portal as part of the contract. The business problem you need to solve 1. Understanding the user journey on the data dissemination portal - We need a supplier to engage with current portal users to investigate and understand their user experience on the NSS data dissemination portal. We would expect the supplier to obtain an understanding of who the portal users are and what needs they have and use this to create prototypes for an accessible and user-friendly portal to meet those needs. We also expect this work to have considerations for the Welsh language requirements and for this to be investigated as part of the user journey as a potential need. 2. Design, build and implement a data dissemination portal - We need a supplier to gather an understanding of the user experience in order to design and build a new secure data dissemination portal. We are looking for an innovative solution for HE providers to be able to access their NSS data and be able to use tools and functions to help them analyse results without any added burden on the users. 3. Hosting of historic NSS data and maintenance of the portal - We need a supplier to create a new data dissemination portal that can host historic NSS data from previous years of the survey starting from NSS 2021 onwards and provide the same tools and functions for analysis of historic data. We expect the supplier to maintain the portal to ensure the user continually receives a good experience of the portal. 4. Disseminating NSS results annually - We need a supplier to to disseminate NSS results to providers on the newly designed portal annually starting with NSS 2025 results in the summer of 2025. 5. Providing support to users - We need a supplier to provide support to users and ensure that all users are aware of changes to the portal and its functions through digital guidance and training materials and through a schedule of communications with users to check and update their contact details, to inform them of what to expect on the portal with the NSS results through a newsletter, and to inform users of the support available. 6. Consultation with users to inform future improvements to the data dissemination portal - We need a supplier to make provision for on-going consultation with the users throughout the project cycle, including a mechanism for users to feedback through the user support helpdesk provision or directly through the portal. We also expect a process of evaluation and review and a collection of user feedback annually at the end of the NSS results dissemination cycle, in consultation with OfS, to identify any necessary improvements to the process and the portal, with a report to OfS on the recommended actions. 7. Flexibility to disseminate data that is an outcome of any pilot survey activity - At the request of OfS, we need the supplier to be flexible in being able to disseminate data that is an outcome of any pilot survey activity during the contract period. We will also require the contractor to be able to implement and deliver any resulting changes to the dissemination of NSS data that are an outcome of reviewing the NSS. Therefore, the portal should be designed in way that it can be adapted to include additional survey data, changes in the survey data collected or presentation of data. It is essential for a supplier to have the experience of disseminating survey data to a wide audience. We do not expect the supplier to price this pilot survey exercise part of the bid. 8. Project management for disseminating the NSS results - We need a supplier to implement robust project management procedures to provide the services required in the specification and manage an effective relationship with OfS. For more details on specification requirements, please see the uploaded document. First user type: Higher education providers and students' unions Enter more details about this user type: The NSS data dissemination portal is a UK wide service for providers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is vital that the portal achieves a high level of usage amongst its target audience of more than 400 providers. This includes higher education providers and further education colleges. Students’ unions also require access to the portal. These organisations vary considerably in their experience with NSS data, their uses of it, and the resources they are able to mobilise to support their organisations interaction with the NSS. Currently through a secure data dissemination portal, providers can access the detailed results which meet publication thresholds (at least 10 students of the cohort sample) and detailed results of unpublished data such as optional banks questions, provider specific questions, open text comments and data that did not meet the publication thresholds. The purpose of the NSS data dissemination portal is to allow providers and associated student unions to understand and interrogate the NSS data, to support them in identifying areas for improvement and areas of good practice, and to support the development of strategies to enhance the student experience. The portal presents data from the NSS, linked to demographic data from existing student record datasets. It allows users to view and undertake analysis of data by a range of factors, including demographics, course title, department and subject codes. The portal also presents individual providers with the responses received from any selected optional banks of questions as well as two providers’ optional ‘open’ questions. These too are subject to publication thresholds. Users are able to view their own responses at detailed level, but they are only able to see higher level results for other providers. Questions and Clarifications 0. Why did the OfS’s previous tender result in no award? No viable tender bids were received that met our requirements Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:30</strong> 1. Please confirm the budget for 2 years is only £347,000 and this includes the User Journey Discovery, the build, support and maintenance. The budget listed of £357k is our estimation of the cost over three years, but we expect more cost in year 1 to include the user journey and development of the portal as well as the costs related to hosting of historic data, maintenance of the portal, and publishing the NSS 2025 results. Year 2 and year 3 costs would be for hosting of historic data, maintenance of the portal, and publishing the NSS 2026 results in year 2 and NSS 2027 results in year 3. However, the £357k is not a maximum amount and bidders are free to include their own figures in the proposal. Last Updated: <strong>25 January 2024, 14:14</strong> 2. In relation to the question in the nice-to-have skills and experience, please can you articulate what is meant by “…diversity of the HE sector…” ? We would like to see an understanding of the UK HE landscape, an understanding of the context of HE in each nation and with a recognition of the different types and size of providers, such as universities and further education colleges, large and small providers. We are also interested to see an understanding of how the devolved nations use the NSS to measure and regulate the quality of HE. Last Updated: <strong>29 January 2024, 10:15</strong> 3. The question response guidelines states the limit to be 750 characters including spaces. Is that per question or per section? i.e for the Essential Section is the response 750 characters per question or as a total of all answers That is not a limit that Office for Students has imposed, so that must be a CCS system default. I hope that it is 750 characters per question, but please advise if you are having issues Last Updated: <strong>31 January 2024, 16:56</strong> 4. Is there a requirement for year on year analysis/comparisons We would expect that providers are able to compare and aggregate NSS data from year to year using NSS 2023 data onwards. There is no requirement for the supplier to undertake any analysis of the NSS data, neither on the basis of requests from individual providers. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:23</strong> 5. Is there a requirement for capture in other languages, other than Welsh There is no requirement for the supplier to consider other languages, only the English and Welsh languages should be considered. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:25</strong> 6. What is the expected split of budget between build and support ? We have no expected spilt for build and support within the budget. The budget listed of £357k is our estimation of the cost over three years, but we expect more cost in year 1 to include the user journey and development of the portal as well as the costs related to hosting of historic data, maintenance of the portal, and publishing the NSS 2025 results. Year 2 and year 3 costs would be for hosting of historic data, maintenance of the portal, and publishing the NSS 2026 results in year 2 and NSS 2027 results in year 3. However, the £357k is not a maximum amount and bidders are free to include their own figures in the proposal. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:25</strong> 7. What are the target portal response times ? We expect the contractor to maintain a target portal response time of one second. However, we recognise that response and load times are dependent on the browser being used. Availability of service should be 99.9 per cent 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and 99.5 per cent outside these times. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:26</strong> 8. What are the helpdesk target response and resolution times ? The exact response and resolution times will depend on the volume and complexity of queries received and resources allocated as per the resource schedule and agreed with OfS. An initial response, which at a minimum will be an acknowledgement, will be received the same day. Urgent queries, characterised as a service (Production system) down, will be given immediate attention. The contractor will respond to non-urgent queries as soon as possible and should aim to respond within 3 working days. The supporting word document called 'Specification for disseminating NSS results' has further information on the maximum query response times in paragraph 5.38. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:27</strong> 9. Can you provide more information about the user support expectations, such as response times, communication channels, and expected service levels? Please see supporting word document called 'Specification for disseminating NSS results', there is a specific section called 'Providing support to users' paragraphs 5.34 to 5.39 which gives further information on the user support expectations, response times, communication channels and expected service levels. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:28</strong> 10. How does the Office for Students plan to measure the success of the newly developed data dissemination portal? We expect the supplier to propose how the new data dissemination portal can be measured for success through the application of user analytics and a collection of user feedback annually at the end of the NSS results dissemination cycle. It is expected that the supplier will make provision for on-going consultation with the users throughout the project cycle, including a mechanism for users to feedback through the user support helpdesk provision or directly through the portal. We also expect a report to identify any necessary improvements to the process and the portal along with recommended actions. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:28</strong> 11. Are there specific KPIs or performance metrics that we should be aware of? There are no specific KPIs. Last Updated: <strong>2024-02-02T15:29:03.28803Z</strong> 12. Please can you confirm how you arrived at the budget of £357k? What is this number made up from? E.g. Can you break this down based on year and materials? The budget listed of £357k is our estimation of the cost over three years, but we expect more cost in year 1 to include the user journey and development of the portal as well as the costs related to hosting of historic data, maintenance of the portal, and publishing the NSS 2025 results. Year 2 and year 3 costs would be for hosting of historic data, maintenance of the portal, and publishing the NSS 2026 results in year 2 and NSS 2027 results in year 3. However, the £357k is not a maximum amount and bidders are free to include their own figures in the proposal. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:29</strong> 13. Has any party provided an estimate of effort or costs for this project (indicative, for budgetary purposes or anecdotally) in the past 2 years? The current NSS data dissemination portal is provided by Texuna Technologies Ltd, and the budget for the hosting of historic data, maintenance of the portal, and publishing the NSS 2025 results has been based on the exisiting contract. We have anticipated further costs for the user journey and development of the portal in year 1. Last Updated: <strong>2024-02-02T15:29:49.97598Z</strong> 14. How many days travelling would the OfS suggest it is reasonable for the supplier to budget for in its proposal? We expect the supplier to complete user testing, ensuring that the appropriate methods are used to obtain the required information (e.g. one to one interviews, focus groups etc), to result in minimal travel, as the supplier can work with current portal users (across the UK) online for the user testing. There may be some travel required to visit the OfS Bristol office for an annual review meeting and this should be built into costs. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:32</strong> 15. Are any of the components in the existing solution expected to be reused in the new portal? No we are looking for a new portal to be built with the availability of the current portal functionalities as a minimum and further enhancements and new functions built in as per recommendations of the user journey. Last Updated: <strong>02 February 2024, 15:32</strong> 16. Is there a requirement for this to be hosted by the supplier, including source data ? If not where is source data located ? (relates to SLAs and response times) Yes we require the supplier to host the NSS data, including previous years of NSS data starting from NSS 2021. The source data will be provided to the supplier as csvs. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:26</strong> 17. Would this be linking into an existing authentication service, or would we be required to establish one, with relevant IDAM services ? We would expect the supplier to create new logins for users and propose any extra authentication measures as necessary. The supplier may also need to work with the supplier who is contracted to administer the NSS to see how a more streamlined service for an online platform for users across both services could be achieved to help reduce burden on providers. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:27</strong> 18. What is the current functionality of the portal ? Does this need to be maintained and enhanced ? The current NSS data dissemination portal has the following key functionalities: - Static predefined reports - Custom reports - Open text comments reports - Odata reports (PowerBI/Tableau tool) - Dashboard (predefined graphical elements) However, we expect the supplier to build a new portal based on the needs of users. We would expect the current portal functionality to be available on the new portal where a continued need is identified. This would be enhanced along with new functions added based on the needs of users. The new portal should be an innovative solution for providers to be able to access their NSS results and be able to use tools and functions to help them analyse results without any added burden. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:28</strong> 19. How is publicly accessible data different from that available the secure dissemination portal ? (Permissions) The NSS data that meets the publication thresholds is published on the OfS website and on Discover Uni, along with benchmarked data and sector analysed data. The open text comments data is not publicly available to protect student anonymity. The NSS data dissemination portal gives providers access to their detailed NSS data, this includes the public data, the data that has not met the 50% response rate publication threshold, optional banks and open text comments. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:28</strong> 20. Does the budget include the migration of data from the current data source into the newly created one ? The OfS and the existing supplier will work with the new supplier to migrate NSS data. Data will be supplied in the form of csvs, with specifications. This does not need to be costed. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:28</strong> 21. How many different demographic datasets are to be linked with the survey results? There are two source datasets for each year of the NSS. One contains full NSS responses and demographic fields. The second contains open text comments. Both datasets contain a unique identifier for linking. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:29</strong> 22. Is it expected that any costs associated with developing and executing an agreed exit plan at the end of contract, should be included in the proposal ? Yes. We would require handover/destruction of data, and the handover of materials to allow the OfS to host the portal with a new supplier if required. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:30</strong> 23. What does the source data look like - how complicated is it , how much of it is there? There are two source datasets for each year of the NSS, these are supplied as flat text files with one row per student. One contains full NSS responses and demographic fields. The second contains open text comments. Both datasets contain a unique identifier for linking. These datasets exist for each year of NSS from 2021. The main dataset has approximately 150 columns and 475,000 rows in each year. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:30</strong> 24. Are there specific user demographics or user groups that have been identified as priorities when conducting user journey analysis? No we have not identified user groups and we would expect the contractor to obtain an understanding of who the portal users are and what needs they have and use this to create prototypes for an accessible and user-friendly portal to meet those needs. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:31</strong> 25. Could you clarify the expected volume and frequency of data dissemination? The NSS data is disseminated annually to around 400 providers of Higher Education in the UK. Each year two source datasets are supplied. One contains full NSS responses and demographic fields. The second contains open text comments. Both datasets contain a unique identifier for linking. These datasets exist for each year of NSS from 2021. The main dataset has approximately 150 columns and 475,000 rows in each year. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:31</strong> 26. Are there any specific security requirements for handling and sharing this data? Please see the supporting word document called 'Specification for disseminating NSS results' for further information on data protection in section 7. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:34</strong> 27. Are plans to disseminate pseudonymised data that could potentially be linked with external datasets for specific use cases? There are no plans for this at this time. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:35</strong> 28. Is there a technology or preferred development framework that the supplier should consider when building the portal? We expect the portal should meet AA of web content accessibility guidelines 2.1 as a minimum requirement, and work on the most commonly used assistive technologies. We expect the supplier to propose the suitable technology or development framework for building the portal. Last Updated: <strong>2024-02-05T11:35:40.06607Z</strong> 29. Can you confirm if you have engaged with any partners in the alpha or discovery stages of this project? This project is new and is to be initiated with a user journey, therefore no partners have been engaged and there are no completed stages of the project yet. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:36</strong> 30. Please can you confirm the types of and scale/effort anticipated to support future changes required – noting that these are included but not specified At the request of OfS, we require the supplier to be flexible in being able to disseminate data that is an outcome of any pilot survey activity during the contract period. We will also require the supplier to be able to implement and deliver any resulting changes that are an outcome of reviewing the NSS. Therefore, the portal should be designed in way that it can be adapted to include additional survey data, changes in the survey data collected or presentation of data. It is essential for a contractor to have the experience of disseminating survey data to a wider audience. We do not expect the supplier to price this pilot survey exercise part of the specification. We would therefore be interested in hearing how the supplier would support this work by: • Demonstrating the flexibility to be able to disseminate additional data • Maintaining high standards of service for the main contract whilst taking on additional services for data dissemination • Contributing to the review and design of processes for disseminating additional data Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:37</strong> 31. Is there a specific solution architecture requirement in terms of software and set up, or is this at the advisors discretion? At advisor's discretion Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 11:37</strong> 32. What infrastructure and architecture is in place for the existing portal? The existing portal is hosted hosted on cloud computing with Amazon Web Services. Last Updated: <strong>05 February 2024, 12:34</strong> 33. Are there any technical or geographic limitations on the hosting of the data ? Any data sharing and hosting would need to be in accordance with requirements under the UK GDPR, with assurance that appropriate safeguards for any international transfers are in place, alongside appropriate organisational and technical measures. Please see the supporting word document called 'Specification for disseminating NSS results' for further information on data protection in section 7. Last Updated: <strong>06 February 2024, 10:07</strong> 34. Is there a requirement to align with common ISO standards such as 27001 or achieve SOC2 accreditation ? Preferred suppliers will be asked if they are ISO 27001 or Cyber Essentials certified and if they are not then they are able to complete an OfS information security questionnaire which allows us to check their information security capabilities independently of these certifications. Last Updated: <strong>06 February 2024, 10:08</strong>