Current tender opportunity

Procurement of contractor to deliver:
Science, Trust and Public Engagement – exploring future pathways to good governance

The Sciencewise-ERC programme, on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is seeking a provider for a study on 'Science, Trust and Public Engagement – exploring future pathways to good governance'.  This is a learning project to review, explore and test new and improved governance, transparency, trust and public engagement mechanisms for policy involving science and emerging technology, to run from September 2010 to March 2011.

Core requirements for the contractor are:

• Policy analysis and innovation in the areas of participatory governance, transparency, dialogue, scrutiny and multi-stakeholder compacts
• Policy analysis in the areas of science and technology, (and / or policies involving high degrees of uncertainty or controversy)
• Convening and running a participatory learning and synthesis process with wide stakeholder engagement, and encouraging creativity and innovation
• Managing an ongoing stakeholder debate / conversation / dialogue on a number of inter-related, complex issues, on a number of levels
• Commissioning and managing a range of smaller research and contributing projects
• Working with, and supporting, government officers (at a range of levels) to explore, develop and trial new policy ideas,
• Having influence in a policy space and convening influential contributors

The contractor must be able to demonstrate recent experience relevant to these requirements.  It is anticipated that a single supplier may not have the range of skills or relevant expertise required to deliver this requirement and so a consortium or sub-contracting approach would be welcomed.

The successful contractor will be appointed following open, transparent and equal competition. Previous engagement with Sciencewise-ERC projects will not confer advantage. Subject to the fulfilment of the mandatory requirements of this role, applicants will be evaluated against objective, known criteria at all stages of the process.

The next stage of the procurement involves completing a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, following which successful institutions will be contacted for further selection.

A completed Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) must be submitted by email to James Tweed by noon on Friday 17th September 2010. The contract will start in late October/early November. The PQQ can be downloaded below, together with an extract from the full Invitation to Tender that provides additional information.

An information session will be held on Tuesday 7 September from 3-5pm in London. Please email James Tweed to register interest in attending.

Procurement of contractor to deliver: Science, Trust and Public Engagement – exploring future pathways to good governance Pre Qualification Questionnaire.

Extract from draft technical specification to support pre-qualification questionnaire.

Q&As from Information meeting on 7 September 2010