The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 1 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Commissioning a Web site Martin Belcher University of Bristol

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 2 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Outline Background Rationale behind presentation Why put things out to tender? Developing a tender specification Advantages and disadvantages

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 3 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Background Internet Development Group - consultancy arm of the ILRT Web development, usability, design, training Local, national, international clients Educational focus

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 4 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Rationale The benefits of using third parties Guidelines for commissioning third parties/external Web professionals Service specification for in-house delivery Better end services and products

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 5 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Why use third parties? Lack of appropriate skills in-house Access to specialised skills Concentration on strengths Excess demand on your time and resources Better delivery times More cost effective?

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 6 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Developing a tender specification Interface design, build, service delivery, usability research, hosting, etc. User needs analysis –user consultation, user/task/environmental analysis Service level specification –support, iterations, meetings, communication channels, delivery dates, penalty clauses

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 7 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Examples and results Simple design specification –design brief for Faculty of Law Web site: use of graphics should be minimised in order to maximise speed of page loading top of page navigation bar with section names (names as attached) University crest in top left corner University colours where appropriate standard footer with agreed standard links (as attached) all code must validate to HTML 4.0 transitional complete site must meet WAI Guidelines (must validate to Bobby level 1) ariel, helvetica font for easy online reading incorporating content as agreed –results

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 9 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Examples and results... More complex design –specification –results Complex information gateway build and implementation –specification –results - in progress

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 10 Institute for Learning and Research Technology How much effort? Time and effort will need to be spent in drawing up a tender specification Related to the overall budget, complexity and potential for confusion Learning curve and ability to reuse parts of previous documents

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 11 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Tips for inclusion Leave nothing out - state it or you may not get it Agreed timetable and deadlines Agreed specification and what it relates to in terms of deliverables Iterations, meetings, contact points and lines of reporting Signed contract

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 12 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Advantages Access to specialised skills otherwise not available Access to certain skills NOW –appropriate skills, not necessarily better Concentration on strengths rather than “jack of all-trades” Cost effectiveness

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 13 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Disadvantages Up-front time and effort “Expensive” third-parties Internal resistance Which third-party do you trust? –Similar approaches to graphic design, logos, printing, etc. Additional management and administration overheads

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 14 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Additional benefits Detailed service specification for improved in-house build When replying to tenders Better user needs analysis –increased usability of Web sites and services Phasing and timetabling of projects Increased quality of Web based services

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 15 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Summary Commissioning aspects of a Web site should be considered –access to appropriate skills –cost –different ways of working Useful side effects for overall improvements in service delivery

The Institute for Learning and Research Technology is a national centre of excellence in the development and use of technology-based methods in teaching, learning and research 16 Institute for Learning and Research Technology Any questions? Thank you