Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy Trust - ICT Partner

The Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy Trust (DSAMAT) encompasses 13 schools and circa 3071 pupils in and around Dunstable and Bedford.

The Trust Head Office is based at Manshead CE Academy.

The Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy Trust (DSAMAT) was established in 2016 by the Diocese of St Albans.

We are an inclusive Trust, working with schools in the Diocese of St Albans (the Local Authority areas of Hertfordshire, Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, parts of the London Borough of Barnet and two parishes in Buckinghamshire). Our Trust works with Church of England and community schools that share our values and ethos, and a commitment to a broad education that prepares pupils for a happy, fulfilled life.

We have a clear vision about creating and maintaining successful schools that serve their unique local communities through the provision of a rich and diverse curriculum underpinned by Christian values.

The Trust exists to make a difference and improve the lives of our pupils, staff, and wider community. To do this, we have three strategic aims:

1. To deliver an excellent education for children and young people, that will enable them to flourish throughout their lives.
2. To be an employer of choice, ensuring that staff and volunteers flourish in our care and are enabled to be the best that they can be.
3. To act as responsible stewards, securing strong and sustainable futures for our schools and communities

Like many Trusts DSAMAT has brought together a group of schools all of which originally had their own ICT strategies, technologies, support arrangements, finances, teaching and learning approaches using ICT etc., so from a Trust perspective DSAMAT 'inherited' a number of 'ICT islands'.

Some progress has been made to begin to join up services. The Trust has plans for further expansion over the next 5 years - possible as much as another 10 schools including one secondary, so an ICT strategy is required to stabilize the current cohort of schools and provide a foundation for future growth.

The current ICT Support across the Trust is currently provided by a mix of both Trust-employed and contractor (3rd party) staff.

The Trust is taking the opportunity to go to the market to identify the best innovative and forward-looking partner to provide a single, holistic service and support them in the delivery and development of their ICT provision over the next five years.

The companies identified from these shortlisting questions to receive the ITT for the Managed Service will then receive a detailed set of requirements. For the purposes of this shortlisting stage bidders should assume that the service will include, but is not be limited to;

• strategic advice and direction to the Trust regarding ICT
• a 42 week core service, incorporating on-site staff/visits as necessary
• Service desk
• local staffing that bidders deem necessary to deliver the SLA
• responsibility for design, specification, installation, and management of all ICT infrastructure
• supply of goods and services based on an agreed Best Value approach
• management of all ICT against an agreed SLA
• management of 3rd parties
• relevant monitoring, management, patching and reporting
• training - technical and curriculum as necessary
• risk registers and inventory management
• collective partnership targets aligned to the Trusts objectives
• in school support for the integration and upgrade of the communications and security infrastructure

Bidders should note the following:

• The Trust will provide a standard contract as part of the ITT Pack
• There may be a requirement for TUPE of up to two existing Trust employees