Short description
SOLAS is the Further Education and Training Authority responsible for planning, funding, and coordinating further education and training in Ireland. Its mandate is to ensure the provision of 21st-century high-quality, learner-focused, education and training programmes to school leavers, jobseekers, job changers, employees, and other learners. The Further Education and Training Strategy 2020 – 2024 sets out a range of priorities across three core pillars: building skills; creating pathways and fostering inclusion. Further Education and Training (FET) is a broad term that refers to a wide variety of lifelong education and training options for people over the age of 16. FET is delivered by 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs), and other groups funded by SOLAS. eCollege eCollege is the national online learning service for the further education and training sector funded and overseen by SOLAS. The service's ethos is to allow learners to study flexibly around their life and work commitments. Courses are free to the learner, and the service is designed to give a flexible response to the specific skills needs of individuals who require training interventions to assist them in re-entering or upskilling in the labour market. Business Requirement – Services eCollege is entering an exciting period of transformation, positioning itself as a digital gateway into Further Education and Training. It will serve as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for courses accessible nationally online, tailored to learner needs, and aligned to fundamental and national skills priorities while signposting learners to further FET and potential career paths. This new phase will focus on providing, supporting, and maintaining an expanded range of online learning programmes to support further education and training. It is envisaged that this phase of eCollege development will be provided by multiple external market operators. eCollege has strong foundations for diversification and plans to expand to more learner profiles in alignment with the Future FET strategy. eCollege is entering a transformational phase to further enhance the service and drive its reach, range and quality. The objective of this procurement activity is to set out the framework to achieve this diversity by increasing the range of course offerings, aligned to the unique needs of FET learners, and the service ethos of providing supportive and engaging learning experiences. Business Requirements – Lots It is envisaged that the procurement will consist of 4 Lots within the Framework for the Provision of online courses and related services for eCollege – The National Online Learning Service for Further Education and Training. The Lots set out below will allow for flexibility in approach in terms of delivery, support, and pricing model. Providers may apply for more than one Lot if they meet the required acceptance criteria. Lot 4 provides flexibility to allow for the provision of new courses outside of the other Lots e.g., Manufacturing, Hospitality, Healthcare etc. Tender Process An Open Procedure procurement approach will be used for this tender. During the Open Procedure tender, Suppliers bid to be part of the Framework to become pre-qualified Suppliers. The Framework is divided into 4 Lots according to the subject matter. Bidders can apply to join any Lot and will be allowed to submit applications for more than one Lot. Successful bidders will meet the required criteria as set out in the tender documents and become part of the Framework under their respective Lot(s). Multiple Providers can be admitted onto the Framework both on individual Lots and across Lots. This provides flexibility to the buyer and gives an opportunity to tailor specific needs according to current requirements.