Provision of a Research Information Management System

Official notice

Authority: Loughborough University (Education)

GoodsAward procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Sectors: Software Packages & ERP (48) Delivery: East Midlands (UKF2)

Awarded value£2,500,000published contract · exc. VAT

Awarded 23 Nov 2023no call for competition

Awarded to Worktribe

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The proposed contract is for an off-the-shelf Research Management System that will support end-to-end processes for pre-award (bid development, costing and internal approval workflows), award set up, contracts management and post-award monitoring for research, innovation and consultancy projects within a single platform. The system implementation will include integration with Loughborough University’s Finance and HR system. The system will provide a suite of user-friendly tools that enable appropriate access for different user groups at the University to be able to monitor progress, manage and report on research and innovation applications (both in-development and submitted), awards and projects.

CPV: Industry specific software package

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Lot #1Supply and implementation of a Research Management System to support end-to-end…

Supply and implementation of a Research Management System to support end-to-end application and award processes (from bid development to project closure), comprised of the following products: Pre-award, Post-award, Reporting, and Contracts modules. The University has an ambitious new strategy for Research and Innovation and requires a system solution that will enable us to handle the increasing size and complexity of our research and innovation project portfolio. In pursuit of our strategic aims, the system will transform the way we manage research and innovation projects by, among many other things, streamlining and standardising our processes

Delivery: East Midlands · Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached

Procedure method: Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Legal basis: CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category: Goods
Notice status: Awarded without competition
Procurement threshold: Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime: Standard
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Direct award (no call for competition)
GPA / WTO covered: Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 24 Nov 2023, 19:05 GMT
Last source update: 24 Nov 2023, 19:05 GMT
Authority reference: LU00892
FTS notice number: 2023/S 000-034873
Classification (CPV): Industry specific software package
Delivery area: East Midlands (UKF2)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-041cd4 Find a Tender

Why no open competition

The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive

Published justification

Negotiated procedure without prior publication Through review of frameworks, soft market testing and informal discussions with staff at other institutions, we have concluded that Worktribe is the only proven solution available in the market that meets LU’s requirements. Other products were considered but ruled out as they did not offer functionality that addressed the full scope of the project requirements, and only delivered functionality to support some aspects. This would result in the need for use of multiple systems and complex integrations to deliver our requirements, which would inevitably increase complexity and implementation time required, and is inconsistent with our vision for a coherently integrated suite of digital tools and a reduction in the use of disparate technology. Use of multiple different systems would be to the detriment of user experience for our staff and would likely result in inefficiencies such as the re-keying of data across multiple systems. LU requires a solution that:

offers comprehensive end-to-end functionality for managing pre-award applications, costings, approval workflows, contracts, project set-up and post-award management for research, innovation and consultancy projects, as well as data and reporting capability for all information held within the system.
is a mature, tried and tested product that does not require any significant capability development
is recommended by multiple HEIs with similar integration requirements and research portfolio complexity
has proven integration capability with LU’s Finance system (Unit4 ERP – Agresso) and HR System (iTrent) for seamless transition of information for the purposes of costing project proposals, setting up budget codes and managing project budgets.
enables user groups to access information that is relevant to their roles through a user-friendly interface
is offered off-the-shelf and the supplier must be in a position to meet LU’s ambitious desired implementation timescales in support of the University’s strategic goals. Concerns raised about other system solutions included:
Primary capabilities of the system were either as a Current Research Information System (CRIS) or as an Ethics system. Ethics processes and management of research outputs / institutional repository are outside of scope for this project and not currently of interest.
Solution did not include an established Full Economic Costing tool for research and innovation projects.
Solution did not offer tools to manage the contracts aspect of the requirement.
Complex, un-proven integrations with other systems would be required to deliver the full requirement.
Not widely proven in the sector by other HEIs with similar integration requirements and research portfolio complexity that is in line with LU’s ambitions. Worktribe is the only vendor that offers an off-the-shelf, ready-to-use solution with end-to-end functionality and fully integrated workflows for Pre-Award, Post-Award, Contracts management and reporting within a single, user-friendly platform. Worktribe is therefore the only practical solution to meet LU’s requirements.

Publisher note: To view this notice, please click here: <a href="https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=825934526" target="_blank">https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=825934526</a> GO Reference: GO-20231124-PRO-24617859

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £2,500,0001 contract exc. VAT

Contracts signed 1latest 23 Nov 2023

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Worktribe	£2,500,000 †	—	Awarded

Contracts

Provision of a Research Information Management System · Worktribe
Signed
23 Nov 2023
Value
£2,500,000
Status
active

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Loughborough University

Contracting authorityEducationBody governed by public lawEducation Anna, Loughborough, East Midlands, LE11 3TUContact name, email, phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

Worktribe LtdAwarded supplier04576074 Engineers House, The Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol, East Midlands, BS8 3NB

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.