Published date: 22 September 2017

This notice was replaced on 16 April 2019

This notice does not contain the most up-to-date information about this procurement. The most recent notice is:

Awarded contract (published 23 May 2019, last edited 23 May 2019)

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Contract summary

Industry

  • Research and development consultancy services - 73200000

Location of contract

Any region

Value of contract

£0 to £60,750

Procurement reference

DFERPPU/2017/057

Published date

22 September 2017

Closing date

6 October 2017

Contract start date

31 October 2017

Contract end date

30 March 2018

Contract type

Supply contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (below threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

We are seeking a contractor to evaluate Disabled Students' Allowances. The aims of the evaluation are:

• To evaluate whether receipt of DSA reduces barriers to learning
• To evaluate the impact of recent changes to DSA
• To better understand the type and intensity of support that students in receipt of DSA receive
• To better understand the adjustments that HE providers have made in light of the changes to DSA, in particular the changes made in 2016/17.

The evaluation will comprise:
• A quantitative online survey of 2000 disabled students
• Qualitative interviews of 50 disabled students
• Qualitative interviews of 5 Higher Education providers.

The survey and the qualitative interviews with students will be composed of the following four comparator groups:
• A cohort of students first accessing DSA in the 2016/17 academic year
• A cohort of students first accessing DSA in the 2015/16 academic year
• A cohort of students first accessing DSA prior to the 2015/16 academic years. This group will mostly comprise fourth year students on four year courses, and on that basis may be a difficult cohort to recruit.
• A cohort of disabled students not in receipt of DSA

As the survey is of students with a range of disabilities, such as visual impairments and learning difficulties, contractors will need to consider what adjustments need to be made to the online survey to capture accurate data. The survey should include postgraduates and undergraduates roughly proportionate to number who receive DSA.

The subject matter of this evaluation is sensitive. Therefore, the qualitative interviews with disabled students, in particular, will need to be conducted accordingly.

More information

Attachments

  • DSA EOI.docx
  • Tender notice
  • Evaluation of Disabled Students' Allowances

About the buyer

Contact name

Philip Lewis

Address

Ground Floor
Sanctuary Buildings
London
SW1P 3BT
England

Email

philip.lewis@education.gov.uk