Date:25th October 2010

Dear Sir/Madam,

Contract 3362 - INVITATION TO QUOTE FORKEY STAGE 1 MODERATORS AND SENIOR MODERATORS 2010/11

1.You are invited to submit a quotation and statement of work for the supply of the services noted above.

2.The following documents are attached to this invitation and provide details of the requirement:

  • Specification
  • Critical Steps
  • Payment Schedule
  • Evaluation Criteria, scores and weightings

3.You are required to complete and return the following items:

  • Payment Schedule
  • Technical Ability

4.Please submit your quotation, in writing by 12pm on Monday 8th November 2010 to:

Charlene Woodyard

53-55 Butts Road

EarlsdonPark

Coventry

CV1 3BH

Tel:024 7655 8176

E-mail:

  1. The QCDA does not undertake to consider quotations received after the due date and time unless clear evidence of despatch is available (e.g. clear post mark and/or certificate of posting). Envelopes franked by your own franking machine will not be regarded as sufficient evidence of posting.

6.The following instructions are relevant to this Invitation to Quote:

  • You must bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of the quotation.
  • Prices shall be quoted in pounds sterling unless otherwise stated. QCA is VAT registered. It is also an “eligible body” as classified in VAT Notice 701/30 Education and Vocational Training. Proposals must include VAT where applicable.
  • Quotations shall remain valid for a period of 30 days.
  • If requested you must provide documentary evidence establishing your eligibility to tender and your qualifications to fulfil the contract if your quotation is accepted.
  • The quotation, all correspondence and all documents relating to the quotation must be written in English. Any literature printed in another language and provided by you to QCDAmust be accompanied by an English translation of its relevant passages.
  • Where a conflict of interest may exist or arise you must inform the QCDA and submit proposals for avoiding such conflicts.

7.Thesuccessful quote/s will incorporate the QCDA’s award letter. The Contractor’s terms will not be applicable to any quotation.

8.By issuing this invitation QCDA is not bound in any way and does not have to accept the lowest or any quotation, and reserves the right to accept a portion of any quotation, unless the supplier expressly stipulates otherwise in their quotation.

  1. Evaluation Criteria, scores and weightings
  • The tender process will be conducted to ensure that tenders are evaluated fairly to ascertain the economically most advantageous tender.
  • Account will be taken of any risks or benefits to QCDA including any costs or saving resulting from the setting-up and running of the contract.

Yours faithfully

Charlene Woodyard

Procurement Advisor

Specification – Key stage 1 Moderators and Senior Moderators 2010/11

The purpose of these roles is to carry out the external moderation of local authorities (LAs) - QCDA has a remit to monitor the consistency and rigour of the support for the implementation and local moderation of Key Stage 1 assessment provided by LAs.

Moderators will be responsible for examining LA plans, visiting LAs to observe moderation and drafting feedback to LAs on plans and visits.

Senior moderators will have the same duties as moderators and will also support a moderator each in their work. They will accompany a moderator on their initial visit.

All moderators will also be required to attend two briefing meetings and a de-briefing meeting with QCDA.

Meeting dates – 1 December 2010, 26 January 2011 and 6 July 2011.

Key Stage 1 Moderation 2010/11

Consultants appointed to carry out moderation of local authorities (LAs) at key stage 1 on behalf of QCDA will be required to perform the following activities:

Meetings

Attend meeting 1 on 1 December 2010 to discuss the scrutiny process and allocate the moderation plans.

Attend meeting 2 on 26 January 2011 to discuss the moderation plans you have scrutinised and agree which LAs will be visited and by which consultant.

Attend meeting 3 on 6 July 2011 to discuss the moderation visits you have made.

All meetings will be held at QCDA's offices.

Scrutiny of moderation planning forms

Approximately 159 LA moderation planning forms will be divided between moderators. Moderators will be required to read each of the moderation planning forms assigned to them to check whether they meet minimum standards and address the issues raised in the previous year's feedback letter. For each one they will also be required to complete the moderation plan scrutiny form, the template for which will be provided by QCDA.

Moderators will not normally need to contact LA moderation managers unless minimum moderation standards are not being met or feedback from the previous year has not been addressed.

As the moderators look at the moderation plans they should identify any LAs that they think will need to be visited, either because their plan seems weak or their moderation procedures exemplify good practice. Moderators will also need to draft a feedback letter to each LA on their plan. Each letter will be sent by the Programme Leader.

Visits to Local Authorities

In January 2011 QCDA staff and moderators with identify LAs requiring a visit. Each moderator will visit three of these local authorities. The choice of LAs will be based on any concerns arising from their moderation process and time since the last moderation monitoring visit. There will be a template provided by QCDA detailing areas to focus on during the visit.

Moderators should arrange to see moderation in action at a school in at least two of their visits; the other visit could centre on a cluster meeting. Moderators should ensure that they arrange to discuss any queries or concerns with the moderation manager. Ideally the meeting with the moderation manager should take place after observing moderation in a local school.

Following the visit moderators will need to send a brief thank you letter to the moderation manager, as well as draft a feedback letter with positive points from the visit and any points for them to consider which will be sent by QCDA. Moderators will need to complete a report on their visit, using the template as a guide for what to include. In 2011 LAs will be given the chance to see the draft bullet points from the visit before the final letter is sent, which will allow them to raise any concerns before the final letter is sent and copied to their Director. In order for this to happen moderators will need to provide draft bullet points within five days of each visit.

Role of Senior moderators

Each senior moderator will team up with another moderator and will:

  • Provide a briefing for new moderators at meeting 1
  • Work through a number of moderation plans at meeting 1
  • Provide email and telephone support for their 'pair' when they are examining plans in December 2010 and January 2011
  • Accompany their 'partner' on the first visit and provide help with drafting the letter and report.

Invitation to Quote

SCHEDULE 2a – Moderation consultant

All amounts should be inclusive of VAT

Instalment / Critical Step / Due Date / Amount
First Instalment / First Critical Step – Attendance at QCDA Moderation Meeting 1 / 31/12/10
Second Instalment / Second Critical Step – Scrutinise LA Moderation Planning Forms, draft feedback letter and attendance at QCDA Moderation meeting 2 / 31/1/11
Third Instalment / Third Critical Step – Visit local authorities, provide draft bullets within 5 days of each visit, draft feedback letters and visit report (9 days' work) and attend QCDA Moderation debriefing meeting / 31/07/11

SCHEDULE 2b – Senior moderation consultant

All amounts should be inclusive of VAT

Instalment / Critical Step / Due Date / Amount
First Instalment / First Critical Step – Attendance at QCDA Moderation Meeting 1 and helping to brief moderation consultants / 31/12/10
Second Instalment / Second Critical Step – Scrutinise LA Moderation Planning Forms, draft feedback letters, support moderation consultant and attendance at QCDA Moderation meeting 2 / 31/1/11
Third Instalment / Third Critical Step – Visit local authorities, draft visit letters and visit reports (9 days' work), carry out one visit with moderation consultant (1.5 days), support a moderation consultant and attend QCDA Moderation debriefing meeting / 31/07/11

Note: You will also be reimbursed for all reasonable travel and subsistence costs incurred while carrying out work on behalf of QCDA.

Invitation to Quote

Critical Steps

Due Date – end of the Project Stage / Critical Step / Product or Service / Acceptance Criteria / Evidence of performance (e.g. passing of Acceptance Test, data showing level of performance in accordance with specifications in PID etc.)
31 Dec 2010 / 1 / Attendance at the QCDA moderation briefing meeting – 1 day on 1 December 2010 / The moderator has attended the briefing meeting with QCDA and is fully aware of their role within the external moderation of LAs / Moderator is aware of the objectives for moderation and the examination of LAs' plans that needs to take place
Senior moderator is able to contact the moderator they are supporting and are clear what help should be given
31 January 2011 / 2 / Carry out examination of LA plans, draft feedback letters and attend a meeting to discuss plans – 5 days to examine plans and draft feedback letters and 1 day to attend 26 January 2011 / Around 15 LA plans examined, LAs contacted for clarification where necessary and feedback letters drafted.
Senior moderators will make themselves available to provide guidance to moderators during this period
Attendance at meeting to discuss plans and agree on LAs to be visited / Feedback letters to LAs provide guidance on strong points and areas for improvement.
Moderators are supported in the process
Feedback is given on each LAs' plan and agreement reached on LAs which would benefit from a visit
31 July 2011 / 3 / Moderation visits to LAs; provide draft bullet points to LAs within 5days of each visit; write visit reports and feedback letters – 9 days in total for 3 LA visits, including travel and drafting of reports and letters. Senior moderators – 10.5 days to allow them to accompany moderators on their first visit
Attendance at the QCDA moderation de-briefing meeting – 6 July 2011 / Moderators visit three LAs to watch moderation in action and discuss the LAs moderation process with the moderation manager. Moderators provide draft bullet points within 5 days of each visit made; write their report on the various aspects of each LA's moderation process and draft a letter to be sent to the LA by QCDA following the visit.
Senior moderators provide support and accompany moderators on their first LA visit
Moderators report back on visits and draw out themes which illustrate the strengths and areas for improvement of the KS1 moderation system / Moderators contact LAs they are moderating and also arrange the initial moderation visit with their senior moderator. Moderators are competent and able to carry out subsequent moderation visits on their own.
QCDA has gained information that will feed into the process of confidence rating Las.

Technical Ability and Evaluation Criteria

# / Question / Response
A / Describe your understanding of the principles and processes of KS1 assessment / (Scored:0= Inadequate capability and experience
1= Significant capability and experience
2= Extensive capability and experience)
(Maximum 250 words)
B / Describe your experience as a KS1 moderation manager or in evaluating LA KS1 moderation procedures / (Scored:0= Inadequate capability and experience
1= Significant capability and experience
2= Extensive capability and experience)
(Maximum 250 words)
C / Describe your experience of drafting letters and reports and of conducting interviews / (Scored:0= Inadequate capability and experience
1= Significant capability and experience
2= Extensive capability and experience)
(Maximum 250 words)

Invitation to Quote