National monitoring programme feasibility study

A Contract Award Notice
by LLYWODRAETH CYMRU / WELSH GOVERNMENT

Source
Find a Tender
Type
Contract (Services)
Duration
7 month (est.)
Value
£391K-£417K
Sector
PROFESSIONAL
Published
22 Dec 2023
Delivery
To 19 Jul 2024 (est.)
Deadline
n/a

Concepts

Location

Caerdydd / Cardiff

Geochart for 2 buyers and 1 suppliers

Description

The Welsh Government is seeking to deliver a national programme of sample-based assessments to monitor learners’ attainment in the Curriculum for Wales (“national monitoring programme”) to provide national information on learning standards. We are seeking to pilot such assessments within the 2025/26 academic year.

Total Quantity or Scope

The Welsh Government is procuring a feasibility study to develop fully costed and detailed options for the creation and delivery of this national monitoring programme. Curriculum for Wales is being taught in schools and settings across Wales up to year 6 and half of year 7 in September 2022. In September 2023 it will roll out to all secondary schools in respect of years 7 and 8, and will then roll out year by year until it includes year 11 in September 2026. Curriculum for Wales does not contain a national standardised assessment framework. Schools must design their curriculum in line with the Curriculum for Wales Guidance including appropriate assessment arrangements that support learner progression. End of Key Stage assessments, which previously provided information on attainment in the core subjects, have been phased out due to their inconsistency with the Curriculum for Wales. In line with the recommendation of Successful Futures, the Welsh Government is pursuing a national monitoring programme as the means of monitoring learner attainment and discerning learning standards at a national level over time. In July 2022, the Government Social Research Service published the final report of the scoping study undertaken by Arad Research and the Open University on the evaluability of the Curriculum and Assessment reforms. Recommendations included the development of a national monitoring programme for learner attainment and considerations for its development. The Welsh Government’s response committed to considering these recommendations in the development of the Curriculum for Wales Evaluation Plan. The Evaluation Plan has been published, setting out our long-term approach to evaluation and monitoring, including our ambition to develop national monitoring. The feasibility study must answer a series of detailed questions regarding the design, development, delivery, and operation of the national monitoring programme which will be set out in the specification. It must develop costed proposals for the programme which meet the requirements set out by the Welsh Government. These requirements include principles that should underpin the development of the programme; and requirements regarding what should be assessed and the outputs that the programme must deliver. National monitoring will form one part of the broader school information ecosystem – the holistic range of information about schools that we will use to inform local, regional, and national improvement. Therefore, this study will need to acknowledge and work within the broader context of developing policy on the creation of a new school information ecosystem (including how the outputs of national monitoring can integrate with other sources of information in this ecosystem and as part of the broader Evaluation Plan) and take a flexible approach that allows iteration of the approach to discerning learning standards in line with policy development. Given the breadth and complexity of the study, suppliers may wish to consider consortium arrangements when responding to the invitation.

Award Detail

1 Alphaplus Consultancy (Manchester)
  • Reference: c075/2023/2024
  • Num offers: 2
  • Value: £391,196

Award Criteria

Understanding of the policy context - Demonstration of a clear understanding of the policy context and need for this feasibility study 15.0
Proposed approach to project delivery - Proposed approach to delivering project 30.0
Expertise of resource - Describe the staffing resources and expertise of staff that would be brought to this project 25.0
Project management plan - Understanding of, and ability to meet, project timetable and dependencies / risks 10.0
PRICE 20.0

CPV Codes

  • 73110000 - Research services
  • 73210000 - Research consultancy services
  • 79419000 - Evaluation consultancy services
  • 80100000 - Primary education services
  • 80420000 - E-learning services
  • 80200000 - Secondary education services

Indicators

  • Award on basis of price.

Other Information

E-Tender Information: https://etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk - The first person from your Organisation to use the Platform will be required to register on behalf of the Organisation. - Registration involves accepting a User Agreement, and providing basic information about your Organisation and about the User performing the Registration. - On registering on the Platform the Super User will select a Username and will receive a password. - The Password will be sent by e-mail to the email address that was specified in the User Details section of the Registration page. - In order to log-in to the Platform please enter your Username and Password. - Note: If you forget your Password then visit the homepage and click “Forgot your password?” - Registration should only be performed once for each Organisation. - If you think that someone in your Organisation may have already registered on this Platform then you must not register again. - Please contact the person who Registered (i.e. the Super User) in order to arrange access to the Platform. 5.1 - Contact the Helpdesk immediately if you are unable to contact the Super User (for example if they have left your Organisation). - Note: If your Organisation is already registered on the Platform then you must not make any additional registration. Please contact the Helpdesk to gain access to the Platform. - Tenders must be uploaded to the BravoSolution portal by 14:00. Late bids will not be accepted. How To Find The ITT: - Once logged in you must click on ‘ITT’s Open to all Suppliers’ - The e-tender references for this contract are: project_54209 and itt_104887 - Click on the title to access summary details of the contract. If you are still interested in submitting a tender, click the 'Express an Interest' button. This will move the ITT from the ‘Open to all Suppliers’ area to the ‘My ITT’s’ on the home page. - You will then see the full details of the ITT in the qualification and technical envelopes along with any relevant documents in the‘Attachments’ area. - Any questions on the ITT, please use the ‘Messages’ area to contact the buyer directly (WA Ref:133956) The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia bidding. (WA Ref:137564)

Reference

Domains