Timescales
Please select from the four phases below for more details
| Procurement | Evaluation | Installation | Implementation |
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Product procurement approach
The student systems market in the UK (and globally) is extremely limited, both in terms of 'end-to-end’ student systems products active in the UK and ‘specialist’ suppliers who may offer partial solutions to cover particular areas of need, which we might then be able to combine as part of a ‘matrix’ solution. Over the last two to three years, extensive research has been undertaken by Oxford’s staff into the student systems marketplace. This has included identifying the main potential suppliers, discussing their offerings directly with them and making contact with their key users in comparator universities.
Working in consultation with an external student systems procurement specialist and the University's Legal Services and Purchasing departments, advice has been obtained on the procurement approach most applicable given our objectives and the time and resources available. Each supplier will be actively engaged with and encouraged to show practically how their solution(s) could meet our needs and that allows for them to develop alternative proposals in response to our outline requirements. The aim of this is to encourage innovation and to put the onus on suppliers to demonstrate the flexibility of their product(s) and how it might meet our agreed priorities. It is likely that the optimal solution for Oxford will require the effective integration of solutions from multiple suppliers, a procurement process is required that can accommodate this complexity.
The procurement process has the following objectives:
- determine and document the business case for the recommended solution(s) in accordance with the programme objectives;
- validate that the selected solution(s) have the capability to meet the needs of Oxford;
- evaluate the nature and extent of any amendments to existing procedures and workflows that may be required;
- explore the enhancements and configuration to systems that may be necessary to meet our needs;
- agree pricing and contract terms with supplier(s).
A Supplier engagement document is to be issued to suppliers in December 2010 and begins a highly iterative process of dialogue with the chosen suppliers by the Product Evaluation group.
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