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- Invitation to Proponents
This Request for Supplier Qualification (“RFSQ) is an invitation to prospective Proponents to submit Proposals for the supply of Online Program Services in the following categories: Online Program Management (Category1), Online Program Course production (Category 2), Online Program Marketing (Category 3) and Online Program Student recruitment and Retention (Category 4) (the “Services”), to the University of Ottawa as further described in Part 2 – The Deliverables.
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- Objective
The University is seeking to satisfy the following objectives in issuing the RFSQ:
Obtaining the best value and cost savings for Online Program Services by establishing a list of pre-qualified vendors (Vendor of record (VOR)) which will be called upon request based on faculties and services needs.
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- Background
Founded in 1848, the University of Ottawa (the “University”) is located in the heart of Canada’s capital, with a population of over 45,000 students, teachers and support staff. It is the largest bilingual (English-French) university in the world. The University has ready access to the great institutions of our country. Our advances in social sciences, health, science and the humanities make the University a unique place to learn, grow and excel.
Furthermore, The Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS), is dedicated to the support and advancements of teaching excellence at the University of Ottawa.
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- Type of Agreement
The University intends to award a Contract (VOR Pre-qualification) (the “Contract”) for a maximum of two (2) Service Providers for the Online Program Management (Category 1) and a maximum of up to four (4) Service Providers per category (Online Program Course production (Category 2), Online Program Marketing (Category 3) and Online Program Student recruitment and Retention (Category 4)) to be part of the VOR Arrangement for the supply of Online Program Services.
The services are described further in Part 2 – Deliverables and will be subject to the terms and conditions of Part 4 of this RFSQ. The term of the Agreement is to be for a period of three (3) years, with an option in favour of the University to extend the Agreement on the same terms and conditions for two (2) additional terms of one year.
It is anticipated that the Contract will be executed around November 2019, and no obligation on the part of the University shall arise until such time as the Contract is signed.
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- VOR Arrangement for standard services
The VOR ceiling will be set at $999,999.99 before taxes for a single one-time mandate request for Category 1 mandates and $499,999.99 before taxes for the other categories. Any one time procurement valued over this amount will be required to go to an open competitive process.
The University makes no guarantee of the value or volume of work to be assigned to the Providers. At its sole and absolute discretion, the University reserves the right to procure the Services by other means, including an open competitive process or otherwise. The agreement is not an exclusive contract for the provision of the described deliverables.
When requirements for services arise during the contract, the University will consult the list of pre-qualified Service Providers and will procede with a second stage invitational competitive process.
The second stage invitational competitive process will follow the thresholds indicated below whereby the number of qualified Service Providers under the Vendors of Record will be contacted to provide quotes. This will be based on the dollar value of the procurement and the category of services required (see the table below.) Request for quote may be based on lump sump proposal, hourly rates or combination thereof and possibly in larger project (risk/reward profit sharing).
A statement of work for each engagement entered under the Agreement will be required..
CATEGORY 1 MANDATES
Procurement value
(not including taxes, all values CAD $)Minimum Number of Vendors of Record to be invited to the Second Stage Selection
$0 up to $9,999.991 Vendor
$10,000 up to $999,999.992 Vendors
$1,000,000 and aboveOpen competitive process on Merx
CATEGORIES 2, 3 AND 4 MANDATES
Procurement value
(not including taxes, all values CAD $)Minimum Number of Vendors of Record to be invited to the Second Stage Selection (if the number of qualified vendors permit)
$0 up to $9,999.991 Vendor
$10,000 up to $49,999.992 Vendors
$50,001 up to $99,999.993 Vendors
$100,001 up to $499,999.994 Vendors
$500,000 and aboveOpen competitive process posted on Merx
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- Addition and Removal from the Vendor of Record Arrangement
The University reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to suspend or remove a Vendor of Record from the VOR list if:
1.6.1 a Vendor never submits proposals following second stage invitations, three times within a period of 12 consecutive months or
1.6.2 if a Vendor or its resource fails to perform the work as specified in the SOW deliverable, including meeting the milestone or completion dates.
Additional vendors can be placed on the list (for VOR arrangements) at the end of the initial fixed term of three years. The University will post a public notice on Merx inviting new vendors to present a proposal.
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- Statement of Work (SOW)
Service Providers will be required to complete an individual Statement of Work for each engagement entered into under the Agreement. The SOW will describe the specific staffing services and deliverables to be provided and will include at the minimum the following:
- A detailed description of the deliverables to be provided, including a a schedule of deliverables;
- The team assigned to perform the services, their qualification and respective role during the mmandate;
- The agreed terms (hourly rates, flat fee, etc…) and terms of payments based on the deliverables/schedule;
- Roles of client/service providers; etc…
The Statement of Work Authorities (Campus Clients) reserve the right to include performance measurement and termination clauses.
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- Definitions
The following definitions apply:
“Business Hours” means 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time in Ontario, Canada (or specific daily start and finish times as otherwise mutually agreed with the University) of every business day (Monday to Friday), excluding statutory holidays and days in which the University is closed.
“Eligible Proposal” means a Proposal that meets or exceeds a prescribed requirement, allowing it to proceed to the next phase.
“Evaluation Team” means the individuals who have been selected by the University to evaluate the Proposals.
“Preferred Proponent” means the Proponent that the University has identified as the highest-ranked Proponent in accordance with the evaluation process.
“Proponent” or “Proponents” means an individual that submits a Proposal in response to this RFSQ and, as the context may suggest, refers to a potential Contractor.
[End of Part 1]
PART 2 – THE DELIVERABLES
2.1 Context
The University of Ottawa intends to develop progressively its capacity to create Online Programs internally. In order to get the this point, the University will adopt a progressive approach where Prequalified Service Providers under this VOR will assist in the process. In some larger projects, the University may require the support of solid Service Providers qualified under Category 1 (Online Program Management) to provide an end to end service for a specific project. In other situations, service required might be needed in one specific area to support the University whether it is in:
-Category 2 (Online Course Production);
-Category 3 (Online Program Marketing); and
-Category 4 (Online Program Student recruitement and retention)
Teaching Learning Support Services (TLSS) will be the Campus authority overseeing the Online Programs development initiative. The actual content of the programs developed at this stage is intended to be on the current University’s Learning Management System (LMS) platform Brightspace (a D2L product) (there might be adjustment in the future as need may arise).
2.2 Forecasted volume of business
At this stage it is still hard for the University to foresee the potential volume of business since this program is at its early stage. There is already an interest to develop an Online Graduate Program for the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Telfer School of Management.
2.3 Description of Deliverables
Here is a general overview of the types of deliverables that would be expected under each category when the University will invite pre-qualified service providers in a Stage 2 request (scope may change and these are only indicative of type of nature of mandates):
1.CATEGORY 1 – ONLINE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT:
Service providers qualified under this category would essentially deliver a online program under a ‘’turnkey’’ approach and their responsibility would include as well the elements of category 2, 3 and 4. In certain mandates, the Universiy may ask to submit proposals where it pays for the services (lump sump/hourly rates or combination of) or work together within a risk/reward profit sharing model.
2.CATEGORY 2 – ONLINE COURSE PRODUCTION (INCLUDED AS WELL IN TYPICAL CATEGORY 1 MANDATES):
Proponents shall provide post-secondary institution caliber Instructional Design and Course Development. E-Learning design elements should include, but not be limited to:
-Advanced Instructional design services that support work with subject matter experts to clearly define both measurable and "soft" learning outcomes for a course or set of courses, create a plan for achieving those outcomes (including a syllabus), work with others to execute the plan, and assess the results;
-Advanced instructional design services that include effective chunking of content into appropriate learning segments, creating content tailored to different circumstances (e.g.: blended or online, synchronous and asynchronous learning), sequencing of content and, with the possible assistance of user experience experts, the creation of activities to support engaged learning and communities of learning;
-All necessary design, project management and other skills to knit the efforts of multiple uOttawa experts and services and as otherwise required, to produce complete and effective courses including Storyboarding and script writing and revision services;
-Creation of eLearning projects that comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ADDA) or other similar accessibility legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and comply with York's obligations with respect to Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act (FIPPA) and Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA);
-Creation of new courses in blended and/or online formats using web technology, specifically the Brightspace Daylight version 20.19.7.17133 or later, incorporating Web programming with an emphasis on responsive design;
-Creation of tools to track the initiation and completion and time spent on each activity;
-Creation of tools that support management in tracking instructors at the time of course delivery etc.);
-Creation gradable activities that are linked to the Brightspace gradebook;
-Creation and editing of web-ready multimedia (still graphics, audio, video, animations, etc.) to support effective learning, including storyboarding and scriptwriting;
-Sourcing and licensing of relevant available multimedia to include in courses, and their integration;
Creation of visual designs for the materials to support effective learning, including style guide(s) for use throughout a course for a family of related courses;
-Creation of feedback instruments from student to instructor and from instructor to student;
-Testing of delivered materials to ensure they are accurate, functional, adaptable to multiple devices, and meet modern web standards for accessibility;
-Coaching of instructors so that they work effectively with the constructed courses;
-Monitoring of course delivery for initial pilot offering of the newly developed course, with ongoing feedback to instructors and administrative staff as desired.; and
-Debriefing with the instructor(s) after course delivery and managing any required changes to the course content.;
-Other pertinent deliverables as required with the type of services covered under this category depending on the specific mandates.
3.CATEGORY 3 – ONLINE PROGRAM MARKETING(INCLUDED AS WELL IN TYPICAL CATEGORY 1 MANDATES) :
Market Research: Provide robust, technically sound analysis of prospective student markets for newly proposed online programs, as well as existing programs that are seeking to expand.
Marketing & Lead Generation: Create messaging and branding aligned with the strategic marketing plan of the University and program-specific attributes to generate quality leads.
Other pertinent deliverables as required with the type of services covered under this category depending on the specific mandates.
4.CATEGORY 4 – ONLINE PROGRAM STUDENT RECRUITEMENT AND RETENTION(INCLUDED AS WELL IN TYPICAL CATEGORY 1 MANDATES) :
Recruitment & Enrollment Services: Documenting contacts with students through a Customer Relationship Management system, qualify student prospects, and counsel students in completing application for admission.
Student Support: Provide engagement and retention processes and operational procedures that are used at the company to ensure student success.
Other pertinent deliverables as required with the type of services covered under this category depending on the specific mandates.
2.4 Required Qualifications
Each proposal will be evaluated and scored in accordance with the mandatory and rated criteria, as set in Appendix E.
2.5 University Project Authority and SOW Authority
2.6.1 The Services shall be performed under the authority and direction of a University’s manager identified in each SOW given during a second stage.
2.6.2 The Statement of Work (SOW) authority will have the responsibility to carry out the services agreed to in the SOW with the identified team for each engagement entered into under the Master Service Agreement.
2.6 Business Environment
2.6.1 Location
The service provider will normally work remote but may be required to work on site in some projects according to the University’s needs and pre-determined schedule.
2.6.2. Policies and language
The service providers will be expected to follow Universities policies (https://www.uottawa.ca/administration-and-governance/policies-and-regulations).
As well, we are looking for Service providers who will have the ability to provide services in English and French as required based on the SOW when quotes will be requested.
2.6.3 Fees
Parking fees on the University of Ottawa premises are not an admissible disbursement and shall be paid by the Proponent. In no circumstances can hospitality, incidental or food expenses be considered allowable expenses for the Supplier. The Supplier cannot claim and the University will not reimburse such expenses, including meals, snacks, beverages, gratuities, laundry, dry cleaning, valet services,
dependent care home management or personal telephone calls. In some instances where travel may be required, this will be identified in the Statement of Work when quotes will be requested (any travel costs will have to be pre-approved).
[End of Part 2]
