INSERT COMPANY LOGO · Web viewPlease provide details of any assurance accreditation that your company holds (e.g. BS EN IS09000, Cyber Essentials etc.) Part 6. Please . indicate

Request for Proposal July 2021

Babington Business College Limited

4th Floor Colmore Gate 2-6 Colmore Row Birmingham

B3 2QD

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Subject “Preferred Supplier Framework: Learning Content”

Issue Date: 30 July 2021

Closing Date and Time: 12 Noon Last Friday of each month starting with 27 August 2021.

1


Table of Contents

SECTION 1: Introduction - Babington Business College Ltd........................................................3

SECTION 2: Background and Context............................................................................................3

SECTION 3: Statement of Requirements........................................................................................5

SECTION 4: GENERAL INFORMATION........................................................................................9

Request for Proposal......................................................................................................................9

Status of the RFP............................................................................................................................9

Costs and Expenses.....................................................................................................................10

Confidentiality of Proposal Information and Documents..........................................................10

Conflict of Interest.........................................................................................................................10

Proposals.......................................................................................................................................10

Terms and Conditions..................................................................................................................10

SECTION 5: INSTRUCTIONS AND TIMETABLE........................................................................10

Evaluation Methodology...............................................................................................................10

Price Submission..........................................................................................................................11

Questions and Answers...............................................................................................................11

Timetable.......................................................................................................................................11

Returning the RFP........................................................................................................................11

SECTION 6: RFP: SUPPLIER QUESTIONNARE........................................................................12

2


SECTION 1: Introduction - Babington Business College LtdBackground to Babington Business College

Founded in 1974, Babington provides first class training across the UK to employers of all sizes, from central government bodies to local authorities; and multi-national private corporations through to SMEs and micro-businesses. We specialise in delivering a range of learning services from levels 1-8 nationally, specialising in Professional Services development programmes, including Finance & Accountancy, Leadership & Management, and Project Delivery

Babington is one of the UK’s leading independent training providers of professional development programmes and training courses; and consistently achieving some of the highest achievement rates in the sector. We have consistently maintained our status as an Ofsted Grade 2 ‘Good’ provider.

Our Purpose is ‘developing better futures’ by living our Vision Statement:

“To be globally recognised as a valued and trusted partner unlocking potential through a bold passion for learning”.

Our aim is to transform the way in which we deliver our services to our customers and learners and provide a consistent and differentiated experience that delivers on our purpose, our mission and our values. We drive a customer-focused approach in everything that we do and really ensure that this permeates throughout the whole business.

Babington are committed to achieving and delivering great customer experience and as such have adopted The Six Pillars being:

Personalisation Using individualised attention to drive an emotional connection. Integrity Being trustworthy and engendering trust. Setting expectations Managing, meeting and exceeding customer expectations Resolution Turning a poor experience into a great one. Time and Effort Minimising customer effort and creating frictionless processes. Empathy Achieving an understanding of the customer’s circumstances to drive deep rapport.

We focus on putting the customer at the heart of everything we do which requires us to align our Target Operating Model (TOM) to develop a one team approach to service provision, through Customer Welcome, Customer Business Partnering, Customer Support and the measurement of Customer experience.

SECTION 2: Background and ContextBabington is developing a range of sector specific programmes of learning that support the overall people strategy of organisations. We are focusing on regulated markets (or those with the potential to become regulated) because of their ongoing commitment and stable expenditure on learning and development and our ability to clearly differentiate in these markets.

We are transforming our current sector learning programmes and developing propositions for new sector programmes which are cross-cutting, differentiated and market leading learning products.

To facilitate the development of our learning solutions, we have undertaken a strategic review of our internal Solution Design team and our approach to developing learning products. As part of the review, we have identified the opportunity to enhance our existing skill set and team through the development of strategic content partners, highly skilled associates, and multimedia designers. This

3


Request for Proposal is intended to establish a working pool of such individuals and companies who can be called upon for short-term work assignments to meet the Solution Design team’s needs.

Who we are and what we do.

The Babington Solution Design team owns the development of all programme types, and the content partnership would involve closely working with the existing Solution Design team to ensure alignment with our curriculum development pillars:

Defining the High-Level Proposition Designing the Learner Journey Designing the Diagnostic and Skill Gap Analysis approach Applying the Capability Framework Curriculum Mapping and Structure Change & Adoption Approach

We are continuously reviewing learning trends to ensure our learning experiences meet and exceed the needs of our learners. As the ever-growing improvements in artificial intelligence mean that learners undertaking vocational study for jobs that are no longer future proofed, we want to inspire a passion for continuous learning and personal growth so that individuals can succeed and thrive in a range of markets and sectors irrespective of the contextual development of their knowledge, skills and behaviour.

How the Framework will work

As assignments become available, a scope of work, outlining the requirement, specific curriculum content, syllabus or specification and topic area will be sent to each organisation and consultant on the framework, depending upon their stated skills and expertise, for an opportunity to bid on the stated project. These bidding opportunities will be short-term.

As part of the RFP submission for the Framework organisations, consultants/associates and designers will be required to provide their day rates over a set period of timeframes. In contracting for this work, we will seek to obtain the best value for money and will use the fee rate range determined by Contracts and Procurement’s review of each organisation, consultant and designers fee rate as part of our final agreement.

In this way, Babington aim to speed up the procurement process from initial bid to contract award to be in 10 working days or less. We expect to tender only short-term pieces of work through the Framework.

Please note that submission to this Request for Proposal indicates your willingness to become part of this Framework and is not a guarantee of work.

4


SECTION 3: Statement of Requirements3.1 We are looking to work with suppliers who can demonstrate how they would support us in developing learning solutions and resources that are:

1. Agnostic & modularised – Plug and play approach so content can be utilised elsewhere i.e. induction, campaigns, cross skill and embedding, apprenticeships, employability or commercial offerings.

2. Blended – Learners will experience a mixture of learning modalities to suit the context and desired outcome.

3. Challenging & tackling mindset – Learning will aim to tap into emotion, challenge thinking and shift mindsets.

4. Clear – Learning will describe what is going to happen, how long it will take, why it’s relevant, the benefits it provides, and how the learner can play an active role in building their capability.

5. Exciting & creative – Where appropriate, learning will be delivered in a fun and creative way to build learner engagement and motivation, whilst also doing what it needs to do – building skills, knowledge and behaviours.

6. Meaningful & applicable – Every module, message and activity will aim to make a difference, have ‘real-world’ context and immediately actionable. Links will be made to other relevant content i.e., external resources or other programmes.

7. Consolidated & embedded – Learning will have a clear directive following the learning activity, and guidance provided on how the trainers/tutors in operations and line managers (for employed learners) can support before, during, and after the learning.

3.2 In order to achieve this we wish to establish a Framework of organisations and highly skilled associates with the skill set to support our content development on short term assignments.

3.3 Who are we looking to work with as part of our Preferred Suppliers Framework?

Technical Content Partners Highly skilled consultants/associates Multimedia Designers

3.4 We are seeking to work with either associates or organisations who are known for their subject matter expertise, can produce and supply learning content that delivers high quality programme specific knowledge. Our requirement is to work with organisations who can supply learning in line with our approach to building robust learning curriculum and fill the gaps in our curriculum at pace and with real expertise in their chosen fields. This will ensure that our learning curriculum deliver the right knowledge and latest thinking on technical subject areas as listed below:

HR Learning and Development Leadership and Management IT and Digital Data and Data Analytics Business Analyst Project Management Accountancy Financial Services (Banking and Insurance) Housing and Property Management

5


Logistics, Supply Chain and Warehousing Retail Management Regulatory and Compliance Business Improvement

3.5 Our specific requirements – The “What”

The supply of learning resources and content that will enable us to fill the gaps in our curriculum, efficiently and effectively by a combination of the following ways:

Lot A Technical Content Partners that can supply:

Requirement Skills Required/ Evidence to support

Scripted content that is ready to be developed into a final solution such as Video, E-Learning, Article, Virtual or Physical Classroom experiences

Examples of a range of content

Ready to use “off the shelf” content that can be Babington Branded

Examples of white labelled ‘off the shelf’ content in relevant learning areas

Content writers and or designers who can develop content from a scope brief

Can demonstrate sufficient staff resource with relevant skill set and sectorial knowledge/competence.

Experience and can provide examples of e-learning which has been scripted/developed.

Proven ability to implement and maintain brand guidelines, brand tone of voice and house style.

Accurate use of grammar and punctuation.

Lot B: Highly skilled associates


Expertise to write content and resources from online learning modules, video scripts and session plans for workshop delivery. Must be in the prescribed format and tone of voice.

Experience and can supply examples of e-learning the associate has scripted/developed.


Accurate use of grammar and punctuation

Competent and experienced in the use of the software packages used within Babington (see below)

CV of experience essential

Sector/Occupational knowledge of the relevant project topic area

6


Lot C Multimedia Designers


Expertise to develop a range of learning media types, videos, e-learning, interactive documents, presentation packs and other digital learning resources

Experience and can supply examples of e-learning the associate has interpreted scripting for and developed.


Track record of quality assured content and outputs.

Understanding and application of accessibility guidelines for learning resources.

Accurate use of grammar and punctuation

Competent and experienced in the use of the software packages used within Babington (see below)

CV of experience essential

Sector/Occupational knowledge of the relevant project topic area

3.6 Please note Babington use the following learning development software to create and design learning resources:

Adobe Spark Adobe CC Suite – specifically:

o Adobe After Effects, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop Articulate 360 – Storyline for more complex e-learning experience Articulate 360 – Rise for most interactive articles and less complex e-learning experiences Microsoft Office Suite PageTiger

3.7 Therefore, it is important that applicants to the Framework are experienced and competent in the use and application of these various types of software.

3.8 Our Learning Systems and Learning Environment Minimum Specifications:

SCORM compliance 2004 (and at least 1.2 compliant) Document formats: PDF, Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt/.pptx/), Microsoft Word

(.doc/.docx/ .rtf / .otd), Microsoft Excel (.xls/ .xlsx/ .csv/), Image files (.jpg .png), Audio Files (.m4a, .mp3, .wma, .avi, .mov, mp4, .wav)

File sizes cannot exceed 500 MB We also work with APIs to help integrate learning content into our learning platforms and

systems – more specific details will be provided as part of each particular project scope

Potential bidders may respond to one or more Lots but must designate the specific Lot to which they are replying.

3.9 Bidder Instructions – Next Steps/Checklist

7


Please complete the RFP questionnaire (Section 6 of this document) Please ensure you submit an up-to-date CV with your submission (Lots B & C) Please ensure you submit evidence of skills as specified by the Lot, for example an e-learning

module or workshop.(Lots A, B and C) Provide day rates as per the day rate ranges.

8


SECTION 4: GENERAL INFORMATIONRequest for Proposal4.1 This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by Babington Business College.

4.2 The aim of this RFP is to Establish a framework of highly skilled associates and technical content partners to

support our content development work. Consider all proposals in a fair and equitable manner.

4.3 All proposals should meet the requirements and specifications stated in this RFP and the Annexes. a) Babington Business College Ltd reserve the right to change the specification and desired

solution.b) The bidder shall supply examples of content that has been developed in the past and

provide reference details.

4.4 Babington’s procurement policy is to achieve continuing improvement in value for money based on whole life costs and quality.

4.5 Before completing the Babington RFP questionnaire and pricing information you are advised to ensure that you have read the following documents carefully. Specification contained within this document. Terms and Conditions

4.6 Babington Business College Ltd look forward to receiving responses to this RFP no later than 12 noon on 27 August 2021 and the last Friday day of each month thereafter through to 26 November 2021.

Status of the RFP4.7 The RFP is a request for a proposal from the bidder and is not a contract or an offer capable

of acceptance by any bidder. Babington reserves the right to:

a) Cancel the selection and evaluation process at any stage.b) Require the bidder to clarify their submission in writing and/or provide any additional

information (failure to respond adequately will entitle Babington to disqualify the bidder from the process).

c) Alter dates, procedures, or any other aspects of the RFP including terms and conditions of the tender process, in its absolute discretion.

4.8 Bidders are required to inform Babington of any apparent ambiguities, errors or omissions of this RFP.

4.9 Babington reserves the right to reject and/or disqualify a bidder at its absolute discretion, including: receipt of an incomplete proposal, misrepresentation by the bidder in relation to its proposal and/or the process, change in identity, control, financial standing or other factor impacting on the selection and/or evaluation process affecting the bidder and/or its supply chain members: or an actual or potential conflict of interest between Babington, the bidder and/or its supply chain members.

9


Costs and Expenses4.10 Bidders will not be entitled to claim any costs or expenses from Babington that have been

incurred in preparing and/or submitting their proposal or participating in any stage of the procurement process. This applies whether or not a bidding organisation is successful.

4.11 If Babington modifies or amends the requirements, bidders will not be entitled to claim any costs or expenses from Babington for any additional cost incurred in this competition.

4.12 Babington may terminate this competition, decide not to award a contract and change the basis, procedures and timescales referred to in this RFP. Babington will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by any bidder in connection with this proposal process, howsoever incurred.

Confidentiality of Proposal Information and Documents4.13 All information supplied by Babington in connection with this RFP shall be regarded as

confidential to Babington.

4.14 Information and documents contained in this RFP must not be passed on to third parties without the written consent of Babington.

Conflict of Interest4.15 Each bidder shall disclose in its proposal full details of any circumstances, including personal,

financial and business activities that will, or might, give rise to a conflict between its interests and those of Babington. Where a bidder identifies any potential conflict, it shall state in its proposal how it intends to avoid or deal with such conflicts. Babington reserve the right to reject any proposal which in its opinion gives rise, or could potentially give rise, to a conflict of interest.

Proposals 4.16 Issuing this RFP does not commit Babington to award a contract to any person or party or to

continue with the process.

4.17 Any information supplied to the bidder by or on behalf of Babington at any time is.

a) Provided in good faith for the convenience of the bidder only.

4.18 Babington’s decision on whether or not a proposal is acceptable will be final.

Terms and Conditions4.19 The inclusion into the Framework will last for 1 year, until 31 July 2022. Any contract

awarded through the use of the Framework will be on a non-exclusive basis. A copy of Babington’s standard supplier contract terms are attached.

SECTION 5: INSTRUCTIONS AND TIMETABLE

Evaluation Methodology5.1 Submitted RFP responses will be evaluated, and an assessment will be made based on all

the requirements set out in the specification and evaluated on a 60% technical and 40% financial basis. Babington Business College Ltd will not necessarily appoint on the basis of the lowest cost submission.

5.2 Respondents may be invited to a telephone interview.

10


Price Submission5.3 Prices must be inclusive of all expenses (including delivery) but exclusive of VAT.

Questions and Answers5.4 Bidders who require any further information in order to complete a response to the RFP,

require any clarifications on the procurement process or on any of the questions asked in the RFP, can raise their questions by emailing the following address: Q&[email protected] .

To support organisations gain a good understanding of our requirements and how the framework will work in practice we will deliver a Q&A session on 12 August 2021. This will be via Teams and will be recorded. If you would like to attend, please send your details to the Q&A In Box. Please note by choosing to attend this session you agree to your email address being visible to other attendees and give your permission for the recording of the session to take place.

Timetable5.5 The following table details the anticipated timescale for the proposal process. This is

intended as a guide and whilst we do not intend to depart from it, Babington reserve the right to do so at any time.

Stage Date

Issue Request for Proposal 30 July 2021

Q&A Session 12 August 2021

RFP Return Date 27 August 2021(noon), and the last Friday of each month thereafter through to 26 November 2021

Shortlisting (interviews if required) 3-4 weeks after stated deadline

If successful, inclusion in the Framework 5-6 weeks after stated deadline

Returning the RFP5.6 Bidders must submit an RFP response that wholly complies with the requirements of

Babington as set out within this document.

5.7 Please do not password protect the completed RFP questionnaire and submit to [email protected] by noon on the last Friday of each month through to 26 November 2021 accompanied with any other documentation as stated in the RFP.

5.8 Completed proposals must be received at the email address above by the deadline. Proposals will be accepted up to the deadline. Babington may not consider or accept responses submitted after the deadline. IT problems within the bidders systems will not be grounds for a late submission. It is the responsibility of the bidder to ensure that their proposal is received by Babington no later than the deadline.

11

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:Q%[email protected]


SECTION 6: RFP: SUPPLIER QUESTIONNARE

Please complete the following questions (Lot A, B & C)

Part 1: Contact DetailsQuestion number Question Response

1.1 Name of organisation 1.2 Name of contact for this RFP 1.3 Contact's telephone number 1.4 Contact's email address

Part 2 Organisation Details

Question number Question Response

2.1Registered company name and any t/a details

2.2 Registered office address 2.3 Company registration number 2.4 Registered website address 2.5 Registered VAT number 2.6

Trading status a) public limited companyb) limited company c) limited liability partnership d) other partnership e) sole trader f) third sectorg) other (please specify your trading status)

Part 3: Insurances and DBSQuestion number Question Response

3.1 Insurances: Please confirm insurance levels in place for:3.1 (a) Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability

Insurance

3.1 (b) Public Liability Insurance 3.1 (c ) Professional Indemnity Insurance 3.1 (d) Product Liability Insurance 3.2 Do you hold a current DBS certificate?

(Issued within the last 3 years)

12


Part 4: Technical and Professional Ability - ReferencesQuestion number Question Response

4.1 Relevant experience and contract examples

Please provide details of two contracts that are relevant to our requirement.

Reference No 1 Name of customer organisation Point of contact in the organisation Position in the organisation E-mail address

Description of the service provided (within this please include an indication of the size/scale of the project)

Contract Start & End date Reference No 2 Name of customer organisation Point of contact in the organisation Position in the organisation E-mail address

Description of service provided (within this please include an indication of the size/scale of the project)

Contract Start & End date

Part 5: Professional Memberships and Accreditations

5.1 Please indicate whether your organisation belongs to any professional or trade bodies.

5.2 Please provide details of any assurance accreditation that your company holds (e.g. BS EN IS09000, Cyber Essentials etc.)

13


Part 6. Please indicate which Lot(s) you are bidding to participate in:

Lot A: Technical Content Partner: Yes/No

Lot B: Consultant/Associate: Yes/No

Lot C: Multimedia Designer: Yes/No

Part 7. Content Submission: Please indicate if attached (select Yes or No from the drop down)

Please refer to the specification in the Lot/s you are applying for to see if evidence/examples of previous work is required.

Choose an item.

Part 8: CV attached: Please indicate if attached (selected Yes or No from the drop down)

Choose an item.

Part 9: Software Competence

Please state your level of competence against each (Options are: basic, intermediate or expert)

Software package Level of competence

Adobe Spark

Adobe CC Suite

Adobe After Effects

Articulate 360 – Storyline for more complex e-learning experience

Articulate 360 – Rise for most interactive articles and less complex e-learning experiences

PageTiger

Part 10: Occupational/Sectorial area of specialism

Our experience has shown that learning content is more impactful when developed by people with a good understanding and experience of the particular sector. Given this requirement, please indicate from the list below the occupational sectors in you which you specialise:

Occupational Sector Area of specialism Yes/No

Human Resources

Learning and Development

Leadership and Management

IT and Digital

14


Data and Data Analytics

Business Analyst

Project Management

Accountancy

Financial Services (Banking and Insurance)

Housing and Property Management

Logistics, Supply Chain and Warehousing

Retail Management

Regulatory and Compliance

Business Improvement

Part 11:

Please provide an indicative day rate range for contracts:

Day Rate £ State any assumptions

Up to 10 working days

Up to one month (20-22 working days)

Up to three months (60 – 66 working days)

State clearly any assumptions made in arriving at the same. If you only charge on a flat rate basis, please state the amounts to be charged and assumptions at arriving at the same. Failure to state a full range of days rates may result in review delay of your submission or rejection of your application.

For pre-existing content please provide price list and licensing details

15


16


Part 12: DECLARATION – Lot A, B & C

I hereby confirm that all information given is complete and accurate.

NAME OF CONTACT:

DESIGNATION:

COMPANY NAME:

ADDRESS (including postcode)

TELEPHONE

EMAIL

SIGNATURE

DATE

17