Original Tender Description
On 21st July 2021, Coventry University placed a contract notice [PD-631-VCM] on the University's procurement portal seeking tenders from potential suppliers using the closed procedure for a Peer Mentoring Partner.
Coventry University sought a supplier to assist it with the provision of a University-wide Peer Mentoring platform, incorporating systems requirements, cultural adoption, role development, processes and technology which would play a core role in Coventry University's EdTech ecosystem.
Coventry University and Vygo have worked together since 2019 to streamline and digitise peer connections through the Vygo Student Support platform. Through the COVID-19 Pandemic, Peer Mentoring has provided opportunities through peer-to-peer connections leveraging a truly asynchronous support model.
The university acknowledges this area of interest is niche and as such undertook initial market research to locate potential suppliers and as part of the initial tender invited what were identified as the top suppliers to submit. This pre-market engagement resulted in only one submission.
Extensive work has been undertaken during this period to to embed Peer Mentoring at the beginning of the students' journey and leverage our New Academic Year model. This led, in May 2021, to the creation of the 'Transition+' model whereby every student has the opportunity for every new student to be paired with a mentor when joining the University.
The Vygo platform brings a distinctive approach to Peer Mentoring. In light of the ongoing global pandemic, and a general movement in higher education towards offering digital teaching and learning, Coventry University has identified a need for incorporating systems requirements, cultural adoption, and transformation services specifically tailored to the Platform, to transform the peer supported delivered on the Platform so that they are suitable for synchronous or asynchronous delivery via the Platform.
As the Platform is provided by Vygo and the Services required are specific to Vygo's Platform, Coventry University considers that Vygo is the only supplier in the market who could effectively deliver the Services. Procuring the Services from a different supplier at this stage would cause significant disruption to Coventry University's peer mentoring offering, which remains a fundamental offering in light of the ongoing global pandemic. Coventry University does not consider that another supplier would be able to meet its requirements in respect of the Services considering the specificity of its requirements in relation to the Vygo Platform, and the fact that the functionality of the Platform, and detailed knowledge thereof, is integral to the effective delivery of the Services.