Provision of a Research Information Management System

Concepts

• loughborough
• software package
• research management system
• research information management system
• research
• research and innovation projects
• research and innovation applications
• contracts management
• our research and innovation project portfolio
• a research information management system

Location

Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire

Description

The proposed contract is for an off-the-shelf Research Management System that will support end-to-end processes for pre-award (bid development, costing and internal approval workflows), award set up, contracts management and post-award monitoring for research, innovation and consultancy projects within a single platform. The system implementation will include integration with Loughborough University’s Finance and HR system. The system will provide a suite of user-friendly tools that enable appropriate access for different user groups at the University to be able to monitor progress, manage and report on research and innovation applications (both in-development and submitted), awards and projects.

Total Quantity or Scope

Supply and implementation of a Research Management System to support end-to-end application and award processes (from bid development to project closure), comprised of the following products: Pre-award, Post-award, Reporting, and Contracts modules. The University has an ambitious new strategy for Research and Innovation and requires a system solution that will enable us to handle the increasing size and complexity of our research and innovation project portfolio. In pursuit of our strategic aims, the system will transform the way we manage research and innovation projects by, among many other things, streamlining and standardising our processes

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 48100000 - Industry specific software package

Legal Justification

Negotiated procedure without prior publication Through review of frameworks, soft market testing and informal discussions with staff at other institutions, we have concluded that Worktribe is the only proven solution available in the market that meets LU’s requirements. Other products were considered but ruled out as they did not offer functionality that addressed the full scope of the project requirements, and only delivered functionality to support some aspects. This would result in the need for use of multiple systems and complex integrations to deliver our requirements, which would inevitably increase complexity and implementation time required, and is inconsistent with our vision for a coherently integrated suite of digital tools and a reduction in the use of disparate technology. Use of multiple different systems would be to the detriment of user experience for our staff and would likely result in inefficiencies such as the re-keying of data across multiple systems. LU requires a solution that: •offers comprehensive end-to-end functionality for managing pre-award applications, costings, approval workflows, contracts, project set-up and post-award management for research, innovation and consultancy projects, as well as data and reporting capability for all information held within the system. • is a mature, tried and tested product that does not require any significant capability development • is recommended by multiple HEIs with similar integration requirements and research portfolio complexity • has proven integration capability with LU’s Finance system (Unit4 ERP – Agresso) and HR System (iTrent) for seamless transition of information for the purposes of costing project proposals, setting up budget codes and managing project budgets. • enables user groups to access information that is relevant to their roles through a user-friendly interface • is offered off-the-shelf and the supplier must be in a position to meet LU’s ambitious desired implementation timescales in support of the University’s strategic goals. Concerns raised about other system solutions included: •Primary capabilities of the system were either as a Current Research Information System (CRIS) or as an Ethics system. Ethics processes and management of research outputs / institutional repository are outside of scope for this project and not currently of interest. • Solution did not include an established Full Economic Costing tool for research and innovation projects. • Solution did not offer tools to manage the contracts aspect of the requirement. • Complex, un-proven integrations with other systems would be required to deliver the full requirement. • Not widely proven in the sector by other HEIs with similar integration requirements and research portfolio complexity that is in line with LU’s ambitions. Worktribe is the only vendor that offers an off-the-shelf, ready-to-use solution with end-to-end functionality and fully integrated workflows for Pre-Award, Post-Award, Contracts management and reporting within a single, user-friendly platform. Worktribe is therefore the only practical solution to meet LU’s requirements.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** To view this notice, please click here: <a href="https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=825934526" target="_blank">https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=825934526 GO Reference: GO-20231124-PRO-24617859