Guidelines for Small Scale IWB Procurements -...

Guidelines for

Small Scale IWB Procurements

European Schoolnet IWB Working Group

July 2011

2 | Guidelines for Small Scale IWB Procurements

PUBLISHER European Schoolnet

Rue de Trèves

61 1040 Brussels

Belgium

www.europeanschoolnet.org

[email protected]

AUTHOR EdICTs Ltd.

Educational Services Limited

7 Dovedale Road

Hoylake

Wirral

CH47 3AN

www.edicts.com

EDITOR Jim Ayre

European Schoolnet

DTP Artmio, s. r. o.

Published in July 2011. Work related to IWB Procurement Guidelines was carried out in 2010-2011 by EdICTs Ltd, UK and

commissioned by Ministries of Education in the European Schoolnet Interactive Whiteboard Working Group (IWB WG). The IWB WG is

currently supported by Acer, DYMO/ Mimio, eInstruction, PolyVision, Promethean and SMART Technologies.

This report is published under the terms and conditions of the Attribution 3.0 Unported Creative Commons license (http://

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3,0/).

Guidelines for Small Scale IWB Procurements | 3

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Overview of Procurement process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Stage 1 Establishing the need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Making the fi nancial case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Development Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Educational vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Stage 2 Assessment of readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

School readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Identify learning spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Assess Technical Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Stage 3 Functional requirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Learning environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Outline solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Stage 4 Technical specifi cation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Review functional requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Align with current products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Investigate wider options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Building installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Technical and integration requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Mechanical & Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Computer location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

ICT systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Other procurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Additional functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Health & Safety requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Table of Contents


Local regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Environmental requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Quantity & type of devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Software requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Connectivity requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Warranty and support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Security requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Systems integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Dependencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Installation requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Total Cost of Ownership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Stage 5 Managing the procurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Contact the vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Evaluate the responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Work with the vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Agree testing and acceptance documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Stage 6 Installation and commissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Key testing issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Stage 7 Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Initial Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Continuing Professional Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Community of Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Teaching resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Teaching support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Comparing packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Appendix 1 Overview of IWB Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Appendix 2 Sample procurement templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47


Foreword

The European Schoolnet Interactive Whiteboard Working Group

(IWB WG) is a strategic initiative led by Ministries of Education

enabling countries to share experience related to the increasing

use of IWB technologies in schools and explore areas of common

concern. As a result of participating in the working group,

Ministries have been able to further develop their own national

ICT strategies involving the deployment of IWBs and to focus at

European level on key issues, such as IWB content interoperability,

that are essential for the successful implementation of these

technologies in classrooms.

The IWB Working Group has produced case studies related to the

use of IWBs in several countries, Guidelines for Eff ective School/

Classroom Use of IWBs, plus Making the most of your interactive

whiteboard, a shorter version of the guidelines that several

Ministries of Education have translated and distributed to schools.

At the end of 2010, the Working Group published a major report

on IWB Procurement Guidelines prepared by EdICTs Ltd. This report

explored current practices across 13 European Ministries of Education

and provided essential recommendations and advice on how to put

in place an eff ective and transparent procurement process.

I would like to thank the EdICTs team for their initial report and

also for preparing this shorter version, Guidelines for Small Scale

IWB Procurements. This latest publication may be particularly

useful to schools making smaller procurements of IWBs where

the level of fi nancial investment does not require a full tendering

process under EU legislation.

The studies, reports and guidelines produced by the IWB Working

Group are made possible as a result of participating Ministries

and IWB suppliers sharing their expertise and participating so

actively in the deliberations of the group. I would also like to

thank, therefore, all those who have contributed to this latest

publication.

To keep up-to-date on the activities of the IWB WG, I invite you to

visit our web site at:

http://moe.eun.org/web/iwbworkinggroup/iwb

Jerome Morrissey

Chair, European Schoolnet IWB Working Group


This report is derived from the longer IWB Procurement Guidelines

that can be accessed via the EUN website (the ‘Full Report’). It is

designed to support your decision-making when considering and

making a purchase of fi xed, mobile or collaborative interactive

whiteboard technologies (IWB).

The assumption behind production of this report is that you will

be purchasing a signifi cant number of IWB products for your

school, but do not need to embark on a full OJEU 1 tender process,

which can be lengthy and complex.

This link will take you to some OJEC guidance on OJEU

thresholds should you wish to clarify whether the scale of your

project requires OJEU compliance or not: http://www.ojec.com/

Threshholds.aspx

However, purchasing a signifi cant number of IWBs represents

a serious fi nancial investment and, as such, requires time to

be devoted to a proper assessment of how this technology

fi ts into an ICT strategy. Schools intending to buy just one or

two boards, in some cases perhaps to gain some experience

with this sort of technology, may not be able to go through

the whole process suggested in this document in the same

Introduction

level of detail but may particularly fi nd it useful to focus on the

following sections:

Stage 2: Assessment of Readiness

Stage 5: Managing procurement

Stage 6: Installation and commissioning

Stage 7: Support

Regarding Stage 7, schools should be aware that the amount of

support that schools can get from vendors and IWB resources in

their own language varies from country to country.

Users of this report MUST seek legal advice from within their

own organisations, before embarking on any procurement

programme, to ensure they are operating within national or local

guidelines and jurisdiction.

Overview of the Procurement Process

Figure 1 provides an overview of the important steps you need to

take before buying a particular product. Please use this and the

Contents’ page to locate particular guidance on various stages of

a procurement. In many cases you may not need to work through

all sections in detail. Detailed guidance then follows, should you

require it, explaining what to consider and how to manage the

process at each stage.

1 The Offi cial Journal of the European Union (OJEU) is the publication in which all tenders from the public sector must be published if they are valued above a certain fi nan-

cial threshold according to EU legislation. Only EU countries need to comply with OJEU.


Figure 1 Overview of process

What you need to do

Making a fi nancial case

Development plans

Produce educational vision for use of IWBs

Assess readiness of teachers and pedagogy

Identify learning spaces

Assess technical readiness

Describe learning environment in detail

Describe required solution in detail

Review functional requirement

Wider context

Detail technical integration requirements

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Contact vendors

Evaluate possible solutions

Work with a chosen vendor

Agree testing and acceptance documentation

Key testing issues

Warranty

Initial training

Continuing Professional Development

Community of practice

Teaching resources

Technical support

Comparing packages

Stages of procurement

Stage 1Establishing the need

Stage 2Assessment of readiness

Stage 3Functional requirement

Stage 4Technical specifi cation

Stage 5Managing procurement

Stage 6Installation and commissioning

Stage 7Support


Stage 1Establishing the Need

Why do you need IWBs?

How will they impact on learning and teaching opportunities?

How will they support successful delivery of priorities in your ICT development strategy?

Appendix 1

provides an overview of the technologies available, the pedagogy they support and issues relating to

additional devices. You should consider these details as part of your discussions as they will clarify what

can be achieved with IWBs


Development plans

Vision for use of IWBs


Your fi nancial case should be a simple document that does not have to be more than a single page (See

sample in Appendix 2 – Templates).

It should outline all of your development ideas and goals.

how the project will be managed;

what the outcomes will achieve for teaching and learning;

link the expenditure to priorities in your development plan


Development plans

A development plan is not generated for procurement purposes but should be referred to when making

your case for procurement. The document should outline how, when and where educational developments

are going to take place within the school.

A development plan is usually developed by the Senior Leadership Team in consultation with teachers.

A development plan can be a useful indicator of whether you are ready to integrate the use of IWBs.

By analysing the plan, you should be able to identify key areas that you will enhance and support

through the introduction of IWBs.

Areas you identify may not be ICT related:

Increasing the range of teaching and learning styles employed;

Improving pupils’ motivation and/or engagement;

Developing the use of peer assessment techniques;

Providing more fi nely diff erentiated learning experiences.

Identifying teachers, departments or schools that would benefi t most from IWBs can be found by

looking at their:

action plans;

schemes of work;

planning documents.

If this is your fi rst procurement of IWBs, you should also consider:

which staff will be involved

could they be good role models and support for others

to begin with

if further IWBs are purchased


Some UK Academies have developed their own frameworks of practice with interactive technologies,

defi ning diff erent levels of use and integration into the curriculum. Additionally, these can provide a useful

indicator for practitioners and school leaders to ascertain how eff ective IWB usage is across departments

and schools. The frameworks also identify who needs to develop further practice and requires support.

This can encourage use and provide rewards for best practice.

This is a small sample from the Becta Self Review Framework used to evaluate eff ective use of ICT in teach-

ing and learning:

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5Any use is incidental rather than planned and has little

impact on learning and teaching.

ICT is used to replicate traditional teaching approaches,

which results in only superfi cial gains.

Many staff use ICT to engage and motivate pupils in

their learning through active and interactive learning

experiences. They use a range of approaches and resources.

leading to identifi able gains in learning.

Most staff use ICT to enhance teaching and learning

experiences with approaches not readily accessible

through more traditional methods. This leads to signifi cant

gains in learning.

All, or nearly all, staff harness the full potential of ICT to en-

hance and extend learning and teaching. They provide oppor-

tunities for creative and independent learning that extends

pupils´capacity to learn within and beyond the school.

The proposed degree of integration into learning and teaching should inform the staging or phasing of

a deployment programme. Documentation used during planning activities can then be used to assess

the extent to which the IWBs are used eff ectively and have an impact on learning and teaching. This

comparison can also provide an indication of value for money, demonstrated against the fi nancial outlay

of the programme.


Information in Appendix 1 will help you when developing your educational vision.

The educational aims of procuring IWBs should include an exploration of the ways in which the IWB will

impact positively on aspects of learning and teaching. So, you could include some or all of the following, by

writing a brief sentence for each bullet (we have included a few examples to get you started)

Vision for use of IWBs

Other areas of functionality will include:

Assessment practices (such as instant grading);

Reinforcement of and refl ection on learning;

Sharing and publishing examples of good practice;

The structure of lessons;

Planning a series of lessons;

Broadcasting teaching materials;

Developing communities of practice;

Providing ‘real-world’ learning contexts

Interaction between the teacher

and learner and between

learners;

Motivation and engagement of

students;

Opportunities for collaboration;

The use of a range of learning

and teaching styles;

The use of devices in conjuction

with the IWB for assessment

practices;

Access to multimedia learning and

teaching resources and the ability

to create bespoke materials;

Ensuring suffi cient internal

experience in the organisation

that understands how an IWB

can be used eff ectively;

Example: The IWB should be a tool that easily allows teachers

and learners to interact in a variety of ways, so that learners

are active and not passive

Example: The solution must be able to present content that

is interactive and includes a range of rich media content that

will appeal to young people

Example: The solution must allow small groups to work

collaboratively with interactive content, which can then be

presented on the main fi xed board

Example: The solution should provide greater capacity for

teachers to plan more diverse activities and resources, which

in turn enhance the range of teaching styles they can adopt.

Example: the use IWB software to devise quizzes, tests and

content-related questions before or during lessons and

interaction between the students and the answers to the

questions during lessons through the voting pads.

Example: The solution should include software tools that make it

easy for teachers and learners to create interesting resources that

could include a mix of text, images, graphics, video, audio etc.

Example: Provision of workshops for teachers to demonstrate

what is possible for inclusion into future development

strategies.


A vital early stage in the process of procuring IWBs is the assessment of readiness of the teacher, department

or school involved. Following the creation of a clear educational vision, it is then essential that you evaluate

readiness, both in terms of adopting new technologies and, perhaps more importantly, the ability to

adapt to and take advantage of the enhanced learning opportunities the IWBs provide. This can infl uence

the scale and timeline of the procurement programme and the context presented within the functional

requirement document.

Stage 2 establishes the readiness of the teacher/s, department/s or school involved in the procurement. More

details about this can be found in Section 4 of EUN’s Full Report on IWB Procurement Guidelines.

Stage 2Assessment of readiness

School readiness


Technical readiness


Assessing readiness to take part in a procurement programme is a crucial stage in the process. Carrying

out the assessment at the very start of the project can inform the production of the educational vision.

Alternatively, it could be carried out after the vision has been established to help identify the most suitable

teachers, departments or schools to be involved.

Depending on how many IWBs they are going to buy, some schools may fi nd it helpful to use a criteria-based,

self-assessment tool, such as the UK’s (Becta’s) Self Review Framework (SRF). Time invested in using such

a tool would enable schools to carry out an evaluation before embarking on a procurement process and

ensure that all decisions are based on sound pedagogical evidence.

However, there are many ways to engage teachers and learners in exploring the potential impact of

IWBs on teaching and learning, including:

Attendance at trade shows where a range of IWB vendors can demonstrate and discuss with individuals

what they hope to achieve;

Bespoke conferences with best practice demonstrated by practitioners;

Local workshops where teachers can get ‘hands on’ experience of using an IWB;

Disseminating video case studies demonstrating the use of IWB embedded into diff erent phases of

education;

School audit of their readiness to embed the use of technologies into teaching and learning and

development of an action plan as a response to the audit.

Sample audit criteria from Becta’s SRF can be found in Appendix 9 of the Full Report.

Using these mechanisms can also help you understand which IWB vendors supply what types of products,

and how these might support your educational outcomes.

School readiness



Assess Technical Readiness

Before progressing with your procurement, you should carry out a full site survey of rooms or learning

spaces in which IWBs will be installed. The survey should focus:

on how the rooms are used

the styles of learning and teaching generally employed

the organisation of furniture and resources.

At this stage, you can also reappraise how you might use your available spaces in new ways; what is the

potential of your existing spaces once the new technology is installed? It may well be that existing spaces

take on a new role for delivery of learning; so keep an open mind and be fl exible.

In addition, there are more technical issues to consider, including:

Positioning of the board in relation to power and data sockets, windows, wall construction and other

obstacles;

Ensuring that the walls can support the weight of the IWB;

Possible sites for projector installation;

Ensuring suitable positioning for a computer and speakers;

Sunlight/ambient light levels and the need for blinds.

Data from the site surveys (See Appendix 10 of the Full Report for suggested site survey structure) will inform

the specifi cation and design for the procurement stage of the programme that can be discussed with

approved vendors.

This process should involve teachers and managers in contact with building supervisors and should be

informed by visits to other schools/classrooms with IWBs, information from demonstrations and research.


Stage 3Functional requirement

Learning environment

Outline solution

Your primary focus when buying IWBs is their potential impact on learning and teaching.

Stage 3 involves creating a single document outlining your functional requirement from all of the research

and analysis work done so far.

By using this as a key procurement document, the focus remains on learning and teaching, rather than

features of the technology. Stage 4 covers the evaluation of technical features in terms of how they deliver

elements of your functional requirement.

In addition, your functional requirement will assist in evaluating the success of your project and informing

future procurement exercises.

The functional requirement document has to clearly identify the educational aims of the project: the

positive impacts on learning and teaching that are expected within your Vision as described in Stage 1.

Additionally the functional requirement document should include:

A description of the learning environments available (from Stage 2);

The context in which the products will be used (from Stage 2);

An outline of what you expect to be included in the solution;

The training and professional development of teaching staff that you’ll require (see Stage 7 for details).


Learning environment

Outline solution

The functional requirement document will need to demonstrate that your Vision can be supported by

the learning environments in which the IWBs are to be used. This ensures that the solution procured will

function as required within the spaces available.

The description of the learning environment(s) should include:

Room size, shape and orientation;

Number and age of learners;

Type of interaction device/s required;

Any fi xed or portable devices;

Interoperability with peripheral devices;

Issues surrounding the inclusion of students with special needs.

The vendor will then need to make sure their solution can be properly ‘accommodated’ and should be

encouraged to carry out a site survey before giving a quotation.

A vendor’s response must then include all the elements of your required functionality. They should

itemise features of their product that matches these requirements. You can then determine the Total

Cost of Ownership (TCO), making sure they give details about:

Hardware;

Software;

Additional devices;

Power consumption;

Cost of spares/consumables such as lamps;

Infrastructure;

Installation and commissioning;

Technical support;

Warranties;

Training (See Stage 7 for more detail).


Stage 4Technical specifi cation


Investigate wider options

Technical and integration requirements

Alignment with current products

Location

Mechanical & Electrical

ICT Systems

Additional functionality

Local regulations

Quantity & type of devices

Connectivity requirements

Security requirements

Dependencies

Budget

Building installation

Computer location

Other procurement

Health & safety requirements

Environmental requirements

Software requirements

Warranty and support

System integration

Installation requirements

Total Cost of ownership


The development of a full technical specifi cation of an IWB deployment project essentially involves the

conversion and interpretation of:

The vision for the use of IWB – (Stage 1)

functional specifi cation (Stage 2)

and turning those into a specifi c technical requirement.

If you feel a full technical specifi cation is necessary for the scale of your procurement, refer to Section 5 of

the Full Report.

Potential vendors should demonstrate clearly how the technical features specifi cally support your required

educational outcomes. This is more likely to result in a successful procurement process that achieves your

required learning and teaching outcomes.

You will need to carry out thorough research into products currently available in the market. This might

be through:

Attendance at trade fairs;

Advice from expert consultants;

Schools that have already procured IWBs;

Documentation and advice available through local government, national or European-wide organisations.

This part of the process is not about product selection, but ensures that there is at least one (and preferably

several) product/s that meet your requirements in terms of functionality and cost.


Alignment with current products Budget

The functional requirement is often produced in isolation from the technical situation. The functional

requirement must be reviewed regularly, which may involve further discussion and refi nement before the

technical specifi cation can be produced.

Alignment with current products

On larger procurements, a detailed technical specifi cation is a vital element and is usually created by a

technical expert. For smaller procurements, this may not be possible or necessary to the same degree. It is,

however, vital that you consider technical issues to ensure that the IWBs purchased work eff ectively and

integrate with any existing systems and infrastructure. You may feel that you need specialist advice at this

stage and if so, you should approach someone who has both technical and education expertise.


Although your functional requirement may be achievable, it needs to be tested in a preliminary way to

ensure that it can be achieved in the context of the allocated budget for the project. The total costs for

the project will not be fully understood until the procurement is underway; it is possible to produce a

cost model that can help to ensure that your technical specifi cation can be delivered. The fi nancial case,

produced in Stage 1, will have already started this process.

Budget

Wherever possible, decisions about the type and positioning of IWBs should be made on sound educational

grounds. However, there are also constraints and obstacles provided by buildings themselves, as well as

other existing resources, such as furniture, power and ICT infrastructure.

If there is imminent building and/or refurbishment work about to begin in your school, you may wish to

integrate IWB procurement into that project. It is often signifi cantly simpler and cheaper to do this, rather

than retrofi tting equipment into a space. However, it is by no means impossible or ineff ective to install an

IWB into an existing learning space, but your options may be more limited. However, linked to this would

be an exploration of mobile vs fi xed devices.

Size Displaying images and documents with text on a small board in a large space can be problematic.

To ensure that work can be seen clearly at the back of the room, an appropriate sized board, along with a

projector with suffi cient brightness, must be specifi ed.

Investigate wider options

Location Building installation


Location A major consideration in selecting the correct board for a teaching space is

size of the IWB

location

both of which aff ect how it can be used.

Access Accessing all areas of an IWB is essential for teachers and desirable for pupils. An IWB should be

positioned so that it is high enough to maximise visibility from all areas of the space while ensuring that

all areas of it remain accessible to the particular age group of students. Whilst positioning IWBs for primary

pupils to access all areas of the board is unrealistic, it is important to locate it so that they can access a

suffi cient area, potentially by using pointers, but without the use of a platform.

Furniture The location of an IWB in relation to desks, tables and other furniture has to be identifi ed.

Access to the board should be made as easy as possible, as placing barriers in the way can destroy the pace

of a lesson.

Special Needs Special consideration should be made for pupils who require wheelchair access, with

attention paid to a realistic height for their reach.

Sunlight Identifying the path of the sun throughout the day is an additional factor when siting an IWB.

IWBs can be diffi cult to see in direct sunlight. If it is necessary to site one in direct sunlight at any time of

the school day, black-out blinds (or similar) will be needed.

Lighting If the lighting within a room runs parallel with the IWB it will assist in eliminating glare on the

board. Structured lighting that allows the user to switch off the row of lights closest to IWB is ideal.


There are a wide range of issues to consider in the installation scenario

Locations

obstructions (pipe work, doorways, windows)

the suitability of the walls for mounting (weight bearing, surface fi nish)

hazards (asbestos)

Equally, depending on the state of buildings, available budgets and educational requirements, a balance

needs to be struck in terms of whether to deploy fi xed or mobile interactive technologies.

Selection of particular pieces of equipment, such as boards deployed on stands or trolleys, can reduce the

total cost of the installation signifi cantly; however, they may not be appropriate to meet the educational

requirements specifi ed in the education vision.

Building installation

Technical and integration requirements


ICT Systems


Local regulations




Dependencies

Computer location

Other procurement

Health & safety requirements




System integration



Computer type You will need to decide what type of computer to connect to the IWB. It should be

located close to the IWB unless a wireless or tablet solution is being sourced. The computer should have

internet access. Internet access could be a hardwired or a wireless solution, but consideration must be

given to the type of demonstrations and interactivity that will be taking place during lessons to ensure

suffi cient internet speed is available.


Computer location

Interactive technologies require power and other forms of connectivity, particularly to the school network

and/or the internet. These requirements may be included within the procurement of the IWBs or installed

separately and the costs should be considered. Power requirements often present a real challenge, so the

physical readiness of learning spaces for which IWBs are planned, should be fully assessed well before any

procurement takes place. Retrofi tting spaces can be prohibitively expensive and could undermine value

for money on a procurement programme.

Additional power sockets may need to be installed near the IWB to reduce the number of extension leads

required for peripherals such as printers and scanners.

A desktop computer could be permanently connected to the IWB, with peripherals such as visualiser,

scanners and a printer also connected. This would facilitate ease of use for the less confi dent teacher and

seamless switching between the devices.

A suitable desk or workstation should be provided to house the computer and peripheral devices. It

should minimise visible cabling and the need for the teacher to plug in devices.


ICT Systems

IWBs rely upon software and content made available through computer systems and the internet. The

selection of software should be based on your functional requirement and the ability to make use of wider

facilities that may be available in individual and regional organisations.

Common fi le format Interactive whiteboards are often sold with software that allows learners and

teachers to create interactive presentations before a lesson and save the notes they write on the board

during the lesson.

These tools for creating presentations have been designed specifi cally for learning and teaching and

can be very easy to master. They also come with lots of features to make presentations interactive and

interesting.

However, there has always been a problem with these tools which has caused frustration with teachers

who want to reuse the presentations they create or share them with their students and maybe other

teachers. The problem is that presentations created using one supplier’s software probably won’t work if

you try and use them again with another supplier’s software!

Some of the suppliers have recognised this diffi culty and have adopted a solution to the problem which

allows you to save your work in a format that can be used with any other board’s software (as long as they

also include the format!).

It’s important to make sure that you ask for this “Common File Format” when purchasing a board that

comes with software or a lot of time could be wasted on content that can’t be widely reused or shared.


Computer operating systems and languages The IWB software will be specifi ed for use with

specifi c computer operating systems, for example a particular version of MS Windows or MacOS. You must

consider the computers that will be connected to the IWBs and ensure that the correct operating systems

are available.

If the IWB procurement is being carried out in parallel to, or independent from additional ICT or other

procurement, this may have an impact on device selection and deployment. This should be carefully

considered when producing the technical specifi cation.


Health & Safety requirements

Any specifi c health and safety considerations relevant to the school/s involved should be included in the

technical specifi cation. This may include the consideration of hazards such as asbestos.

As there will be a range of users of diff erent heights accessing the IWB, it is important to be aware of the

implications of using projection equipment in the classroom. Children could stand in front of the projector

beam when presenting to the rest of the class, with potential to cause eye damage. The use of short throw

projectors mounted on the board minimises this problem. But, where ceiling mounted projectors have

been installed, simple guidelines should be established.

The technical specifi cation should include an investigation into additional functions that might be

advantageous to the end users, even though it is not part of the functional requirement. For example, this

might include the ability of the IWB and projector installation to connect to the IP network in order to allow

for improved manageability and control over the devices.


Examples of Health and Safety guidelines include:

No one should stare directly into the beam of the projector;

If users have to cross the beam to present, then they should not look towards the class/audience for

longer than a few seconds whilst in the beam;

Users should try to keep their backs to the projector beam when in it;

Pupils should always be supervised when a projector is being used.

Health and Safety information should be visible close to IWBs to ensure that any users unfamiliar with the

technology can appreciate best practice.

Local regulations may prohibit the use of certain types of technology, for example placing a limit on

the brightness of projectors to be deployed in classrooms. These should be detailed in the technical

specifi cation.

The technical specifi cation should include any environmental issues relating to the project. For example,

there may be restrictions on the transport mechanisms and distances covered in the manufacture

and delivery of the equipment, the materials used in the boards’ manufacture or the disposal of any

packaging.

Any local or national policy for energy saving solutions for the use of devices (standby settings,

automated close down) and purchase and lifetime of lamps has to be considered.

Local regulations






The number and specifi cation for each type of device must be defi ned; for example, the size of each board

and brightness of projector must be included.

Any items of hardware, accessories or peripherals should be specifi ed. However, vendors should be free to

off er alternative solutions that meet the requirements of the functional requirement. This should prevent

schools missing out if new technologies become available or if there are solutions that they had not

considered.

The requirements for the software solution must be specifi ed. This may be included as part of a bundle

with the hardware solution or procured separately.

Licensing agreements should be specifi ed, including versions that can be used by staff and pupils

devices and installed separately for use away from the hardware. It is also important to note which

software can be used on which IWB, so the full range of combinations can be evaluated and you do not

fi nd that there are restrictions due to specifi c IWBs.

The technical specifi cation must provide detail about the full connectivity requirements for the installation.

For example, the diff erent types of video inputs required to deliver the full range of functionality need to

be specifi ed. Also, minimum cable lengths need to be specifi ed.




System integration

Dependencies


Warranty and support requirements must be specifi ed; particularly where these extend beyond what is

available from the manufacturers as standard. The technical specifi cation should outline the ongoing and

service requirements from the vendor. It should be stressed that even the more expensive IWB pens can

break and that the boards can be marked or torn and you need to know whether these issues are covered.

For further information please see Stage 6.

The level of security required will depend on the wider situation, including the security provided in the

building as a whole. This may include security marking or physical security measures to prevent theft of

the devices.

There may be particular requirements for the installation in a specifi c location. This not only includes

connectivity, but any local requirements for dado trunking to be used from particular manufacturers or

restrictions on the location of sockets within particular distances from other items. This may be due to the

construction or layout of the building or local building regulations.

If there is a requirement for the solution to integrate with other systems, for example software that can

save and retrieve content directly from a virtual learning environment, this should be specifi ed. For further

information about wider interoperability issues, see Section 7 of the Full Report.

If there any dependencies that must be completed before installation can take place, such as the provision

of additional electrical supplies to an area, these need to be outlined and dates provided.


Total Cost of ownership

The cost of deploying IWBs across a school or region forms only part of the TCO. It is important to consider

from the outset the TCO of any new technology. Vendors must provide information about the cost of the

equipment over its lifetime in any tender documentation. This should be clearly requested.

The TCO includes:

Initial equipment cost;

Installation;

Infrastructure e.g. electrical or data;

Running costs (electrical);

Consumable costs (lamps, fi lters etc.);

Initial Training;

Continuing professional development;

On going support and maintenance.


Factors

Restricting

alteration work

Continuing

Professional

Development

Support

Applications

Refreshment

Items

Installation

Cabling

Projector

Computer

Training packages

Face to face

Online tutorials

Level of support available

Warranties

Availability

Cost and licensing

Frequency of upgrades

Additional titles

Third party applications

Durability

Maintenance

Replacement of malfunctioning parts

Disposal

Solutions

Carry out no room modifi cations:

Place whiteboard on portable stand

Use USB cables directly into an existing

laptop/computer

Ultra-short throw projector

Access the websites for the free tutorials

Create a cascade training programme

where trainers train next level of trainers

Apply for an online support session

provider by a supplier

Negotiate supplier training sessions as

part of the procurement package

24 x7 online/email free or negotiate rate

to suit hours required

Negotiate warranty at procurement stage,

seek to get extended warranty if required

Local based support available or training

provided for local technicians to become

qualifi ed as support

Languages, dates, times for helpdesk

support

One off cost or annual licence

Negotiate upgrades free after original

purchase, or agree in an upgrade

schedule

Broaden the software by including the

applications available from 3rd party or

reduce cost by not including them

Consider open source software (e.g.

www.sankore.org)

Determine which board technology suits

intended use

Check separate components are

replaceable and not prohibitively

expensive, e.g. pens, pen trays, lamps

Check regime for projector fi lters, lamp

replacement, battery replacement,

remote controls

Check the costs associated with the

disposal of the equipment at the end of

its useful life

The table below outlines factors aff ecting the TCO and suggests solutions that could be considered and in-

cluded in the technical specifi cation


Stage 5Managing the procurement

Contact the vendors

Evaluate the responses

Work with chosen vendor


Contact the vendors

Having done your research into the various products available on the market, you can identify and contact

IWB vendors or their local distributors and begin the procurement process. At this stage it is important to

treat all vendors equally and make sure that they each have same opportunity to make a bid. The EUN set

of Procurement Templates (Appendix 2) will help with this part of the process. You can take these and adapt

them to your specifi c requirements. When contacting vendors, you will need to include the following

documents:

A covering letter that briefl y outlines your project requirements and the timeline of key dates for

return of tenders etc;

Your functional requirements;

Any technical specifi cation and requirements, including details of the rooms and buildings where the

IWBs will be installed. The more information you can provide for vendors at this stage, the easier it is

for them to specify and suggest a solution that will work eff ectively for you on all levels.

By Stage 5 you are ready to start contacting vendors.


Evaluate the responses

Work with the vendors

You need a team of colleagues to support the evaluation process. We recommend you use a mixture of

colleagues with the following roles in your school:

The procurement project manager;

A school leader (Head teacher, Deputy Head teacher);

A teacher with recognised skill in using technology to support learning;

A fi nance manager.

A competent teacher who is not using a lot of technology so far. This is a very important perspective.

A mix of men of women is also important.

An Evaluation Template has been developed to assist you in recording information. The key elements

of a tender that you need to evaluate are:

Price;

Response to Functional Requirement;

Support and warranty off er;

Details regarding installation and commissioning

Once you have chosen your preferred vendor, based on your team’s evaluation of their off er, you will

need to clarify contractual details before sign off and closure. This will include agreement on testing

and acceptance procedures, documentation to be used and the important process of installation and

commissioning (Stage 6).

Finally, once both sides have approved all commercial agreements, the contract is placed and the preferred

vendor becomes the partner in delivering the IWB solutions that have been defi ned throughout the

procurement process.



Milestone Activity

The IWB solution will have its own standalone testing and acceptance routine, but it will rely on other

factors in order to deliver against its stated educational objectives.

This will include the infrastructure that it relies upon to communicate with anything else, and the area

where it will be sited.

Testing and acceptance documentation should refl ect these major dependencies, and be structured to

refl ect the ‘layering’ of technical solutions required. The testing and acceptance process is illustrated in

Figure 3.

You should ensure your chosen vendor is clear about this requirement and the timescale for delivery.

ICT areas complete

ICT infrastructure complete

Systems ready for use

All structural work complete

Power, cooling and lighting complete

All structured cabling patched to cabinets

All active equipment installed and tested

Connectivity testing complete (copper and fi bre)

UPS installed and tested

End-to-end testing of all interactivity complete

All documentation complete

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Figure 3


Stage 6Installation and commissioning

Warranty

When arranging a contract, you should ensure that the vendor of the equipment is also responsible for

the installation of the equipment. They should visit your school or college to do a site survey, when you

can show them where IWBs are to be used. Ideally, an agreed installation guide should be produced and

signed by both parties. This may be in the form of a sketch supported by documentation.

The warranty agreements available may vary considerably between IWB vendors. It is important to be

clear about what is covered within the agreement and for how long. Additionally, details of how repairs/

replacements are managed should also be clarifi ed. The checklist below can be used to guide your appraisal

of diff erent warranty off ers.

How long is the agreement for?

What is covered by the agreement

Parts – pens, surfaces, projectors, lamps?

Labour?

Is it covered for work on site?

Is it a return to a base agreement?

If the goods are found to be faulty on delivery, how is this dealt with?

If goods have to be shipped for repair/replacement, who covers the cost?

Is there any warranty extension/enhancement available?


Key testing issues

The requirements for power and data (where will you need this to be placed);

If adding a considerable number of power points, it may be necessary to upgrade the main electrical

distribution board;

Whether the selected board will fi t over the dado trunking if that is the chosen solution. This is

particularly important if the selected IWB is height adjustable;

How power and data should be installed (dado or other);

Height of dado;

Height of board;

Space either side of the board (for non interactive whiteboard or other resources);

Where the leads from the IWB should be terminated; i.e. on the teaching wall or teacher’s desk;

How trailing cables will be avoided if the termination is on the wall close to where the computer will

be located;

If the termination is on the teacher’s desk, defi ne how the cables will reach the desk safely, possibly

under the fl oor;

Likelihood of direct sunlight shining onto the board: you might need to put up blinds to prevent this;

The best time to install boards or associated equipment/cabling, to minimise disruption to lessons

(e.g. after school hours or in the school holidays);

Are security checks required on installation staff if this work is undertaken whilst children are on the

premises (In the UK for example, this is done to ensure safeguarding of children);

Make sure the vendor delivers the IWBs on the day they intend to install. This will avoid unnecessary

delay;

Make sure the installer removes any packaging on completion of the job.


Stage 7Support

Initial training


Community of practice

Teaching resources

Technical Support

Comparing packages

Future support for your IWB solution should also be considered during the procurement process, and you’ll

need to make sure it is clearly signposted in any contract you and the vendor sign. This section indicates

the type of support you may require during and after installation. It is important to compare what vendors

can off er, in order to evaluate how well they meet the needs of your staff that will be using and supporting

the IWBs. Good support also provides value for money.

In addition to operational and maintenance support for the use of IWBs, schools should engage in a longer-

term evaluation of the impact of using IWBs. This should inform future action planning and procurement.

Engagement with an on going self-review process, focussing on wider use of ICT in the school, could

include an element that focuses on the use of the IWBs. This provides a sustainable approach to ICT

development, including procurement that is directly linked to the impact on learning.


Initial training


Initial training should be available at the time of installation of the IWBs and may vary in length.

It should:

Provide an overview of the functions of the IWB and associated software;

Provide an introduction to any other resources that are available, such as prepared fi les, images and

peripheral devices;

Provide an introduction to using video, audio and other rich media;

Explain the impact on pedagogy and lesson planning;

Enable teachers to start using the new equipment in their classrooms immediately;

Hands on practice by all teachers.

Initial training may be carried out on a one-to-one or group basis and should be face-to-face, supported by

independent study or online if necessary. Training may be provided by the vendors or from other sources.

Any costs involved should be included in the procurement process and the comparison of vendors’

solutions off ered.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) should be developed, either in your school, or in partnership

with a cluster of schools, so that teachers can share good practice, build on the initial training and provide

a richer pedagogical context (see Appendix 11 of the Full Report for an Exemplar CPD design).

Programmes of professional development should off er longer-term building of knowledge and skills,

specifi cally in the context of learning and teaching. This will develop critical refl ection skills and enable

teachers to make decisions about when the use of the IWB enhances learning and teaching. CPD

programmes recognise the importance of contextualised learning and the on-going nature of developing

an understanding of how to make best use of IWBs in the classroom.

Establishing vendor capabilities in terms of the CPD they are able to off er is important. Identifying any

accreditation available through vendor support programmes and fi nding out the range of languages

they can support should also be considered. Knowing how well they can support a specifi ed country’s

curriculum could also be used to infl uence fi nal choice of supplier.


Community of Practice

Vendors are now making use of other collaborative websites such as:

Twitter

Facebook

TeacherTube

LinkedIn

YouTube.

Users can follow vendors to receive news and information about updates and advice.

A vendor may provide direct support to schools or may provide access to a community of practice (e.g.

other users in other schools). If the vendor does not off er this, an alternative source of this type of support

should be sought and made available to teachers. A community of practice connects users of IWBs in order

that they are able to ask questions, engage in discussion and share ideas and resources, such as learning

and teaching resources, case studies and exemplar materials. This is usually an online community and may

be complemented by meetings or events.

A community of practice can provide a rich source of development through sharing and support from

fellow practitioners with recent and relevant experience of using the IWBs in the classroom.

Vendors’ websites also enable teacher-to-teacher connections through a range of diff erent forums and

blogs. Although some are not moderated, a number of them are controlled and you must join a group and

be approved before you can contribute to online discussions.

Some vendors have also created online knowledge databases. These provide users with answers to

specifi c technical problems and assistance in locating resources and advice.

Teaching resources

All of the major vendors have now developed a wide range of educational resources for use with their

IWBs. Most of the content is of a high quality with good interactive content but there are still signifi cant

diff erences between suppliers and it is important to check what resources each vendor can provide in your

own language. New resources (both from the vendors themselves and teacher/user generated resources)

are shared through collaborative websites and are frequently updated.

There are vendor neutral resource available through sources such as the Learning Resource Exchange:

http://lreforschools.eun.org


Some vendors have developed a separate website for sharing good practice. Although each website

diff ers in layout and appearance, they all off er free teaching resources which are usually categorised and

searchable by:

Skill level:

Teacher

User

Subject or type:

Lesson plans

Resource packs

Weblinks

Age

Phase of education

In addition to the teaching resources, there are vast amounts of images presented through galleries that

can be downloaded and used by teachers when they are creating their own resources.

Teaching support

Comparing packages

You should be clear about the level of technical support available after purchasing your IWB. This may be

part of a warranty but the level of cover, what it includes and the length of any warranty should be made

clear. You should also ascertain whether support is provided by an onsite engineer or by telephone. Some

warranties may provide new for old replacement, like for like replacement, repair of existing devices or

temporary replacement. Make sure you know what is being off ered.

As with the CPD for developing and delivering content, it is sensible to also have an in-house team for

technical support; for example, two or three people who know how to change a projector lamp. Also try

to establish the options that vendors make for ‘training the trainers’ alongside the languages and technical

knowledge required to join in online forums or resolve issues through knowledge based application.

You should know how quickly you can expect a vendor to respond to a technical issue and it will be

important to know how much extra work there is in reporting issues to a help desk.

All vendors have developed extensive support networks, including most or all of the elements outlined in

this section. A comparison of their support packages is necessary to determine which model of support

best fi ts individual requirements. A breakdown of suggested criteria for comparison is provided in Appendix

8 of the Full Report. Any judgement should be based on the requirements of the specifi c procurement

that should be contained in an educational vision and should take into account the level of technical and

pedagogical support available locally.


Visioning

You should read this section in preparation for writing your vision

document, focusing on learning and teaching. Please read it in full

and ensure you are familiar with the pedagogical aff ordances of

IWBs, the range of technologies available and associated issues,

before progressing through the stages of procurement. This should

ensure that it is the desired impact on learning and teaching that

drives the procurement process. The section provides defi nitions

of the diff erent types of IWB, associated technologies, software

and support available to schools. It also outlines other issues to

consider when procuring and installing IWBs in schools.

Pedagogical aff ordances

IWBs, and the associated technologies, have a range of

pedagogical aff ordances that may have a positive impact on

learning and teaching. In order to utilise these aff ordances fully,

and ensure that they have a positive impact on learning, it is

vital that teachers engage in professional development that

enables them to refl ect critically on the use of IWBs and develop

pedagogically sound usage. IWBs can encourage and enhance

a range of pedagogies and styles of learning and teaching,

from teacher-centred, didactic instruction to student-led social

constructivist models and a wide variety in between. The

aff ordances of IWBs and how they relate to pedagogical styles

are outlined below.

Instruction and demonstration

The IWB provides a large canvas on which to view resources,

demonstrate techniques and instruct a group or class. Being

able to operate software and the computer from the IWB means

that any techniques can be demonstrated using the hand or a

stylus, rather than students trying to follow the path of a cursor

or pointer on the screen. This can be particularly eff ective when

the use of the IWB is combined with a visualiser. This enables

the presentation of specifi c, delicate and precise techniques,

for example soldering, lino cutting, propagation or dissection,

which would be otherwise diffi cult or impossible to share with

a large audience. The IWB software can be used to capture such

processes and combine these with other media.

Modelling and exploration of concepts

Teaching and learning resources can be presented using a wide

range of media, thereby appealing to diff erent learning styles

and engaging a greater number of students. The IWB enables

a further step that allows teachers and students to stop, start,

label, classify and record discussions within the media used, in

order to explore concepts more deeply and begin to synthesise

information and ideas.

Manipulation and analysis

As well as presenting information and ideas using a range of

media, the software of the IWB enables teachers and students to

reorganise and edit materials and evaluate the results. This can

Appendix 1:Overview of IWB technologies

be enlightening in terms of helping students to understand the

construction of ideas, and, through creating their own versions,

the development of new information and original ideas inspired

by the work of others.

Collaboration and sharing

IWBs can be used to enable students to share their work. This can be

used as a stimulus for discussion and as a resource to demonstrate,

explore, model, manipulate and analyse ideas, as outlined above.

There is also potential for smaller groups of students, with or without

a teacher, to use the IWB to co-create products and resources that

would be diffi cult using only a computer.

For further information about pedagogical aff ordances and the

impact of IWBs, we recommend the following studies:

Making the most of your interactive whiteboard. European

Schoolnet. (2010) Available at http://moe.eun.org/c/

document_library/get_fi le?uuid=f4a9e773-b50a-4327-a164-

46d209e93eaa&groupId=10620

Rudd, T (2007) Interactive whiteboards in the classroom.

Futurelab. Available at http://archive.futurelab.org.uk/

resources/documents/other/whiteboards_report.pdf

Way, J et al. (2009) Symposium: Interactive Whiteboards

and Pedagogy in Primary Classrooms. Australian Association

for Research in Education - Annual conference 2009 Canberra.

Available at http://www.aare.edu.au/09pap/way091149.pdf

Core IWB technologiesInteractive Whiteboard(for specifi cation see Appendix 1 of Full Report)

Resistive membrane whiteboards

Resistive membrane IWBs are touch-based systems where a fi nger

or other simple pointing device is used to control the interactivity.

The most common resistive system has a membrane stretched over

the surface, which deforms under pressure and makes contact with

a conducting back-plate.

The location of the ‘touch point’ is registered electronically, just

like a computer mouse movement and left click. As resistive IWBs

are not dependent on a specifi c pen, the IWB can be used with

diff erent types of pointers e.g. a stick, pointer, pen or stylus.

Electromagnetic pen-based interactive whiteboard

Electromagnetic pen-based IWBs have a grid of wires embedded

behind a solid board. The board surface interacts with a coil in

the pen tip to determine the coordinate position of the pen. The

pen has a coil in the pen tip which sends a signal directly to the

passive electromagnetic surface of the board.

Where the pens do not have batteries or another power source,

the board’s active surface interacts with the coil in the pen tip to

determine the coordinate position of the pen.


When a pen is brought close to the board surface, the grid of the

board tracks it. Approaching the pen tip to the board provides

a ‘hover-over’ function, whereby the user is shown what will be

invoked if this item is clicked. Touching the screen then activates

a signal like a mouse click to the computer. This attribute is key

to strengthening user confi dence. These IWBs can be thought of

as enormous graphics tablets. Electromagnetic IWBs off er natural

pen action and have the ability to off er multiple input from

multiple pens.

When a pen with rechargeable batteries is brought close to the

board surface, the pen sends a signal directly to the grid.

Portable ultrasonic, infrared pen-based interactive whiteboard

A portable ultrasonic, IR pen-based interactive whiteboard

comprises sensing bars located on the top and left edges or a

traditional whiteboard to track where the pen (fi tted with a

refl ective collar) is positioned on the surface of the board.

After a simple calibration of the projected image using the

electronic pen, the user can then control the computer. The

device or bar scans an area up to 3m by 1.5m giving in theory a

110” interactive whiteboard. Additional brackets can be added so

that users can share between diff erent spaces or classrooms.

Mobile Electromagnetic pen-based interactive whiteboard

Mobile Electromagnetic pen-based interactive whiteboards

have a grid embedded behind solid hardware. By providing all

the advantages of an IWB, it off ers the teacher an alternative to

a fi xed IWB. This introduces the possibility to move around the

classroom more, or between classrooms and other spaces, to

share the device with students for demonstrating or discussing

work in progress. Such tools can potentially support more

collaborative pedagogies.

Rear projection units

Rear projection onto an IWB allows the user to stand in front of

the board without casting a shadow. The touch-sensitive screen

allows the user to carry out all the work that would usually be

done at a computer workstation just by touching the screen.

There are two main types of rear projection unit:

In-wall units where the unit is sunk so the screen remains

fl ush with the wall;

Cabinet units that can be moved around for viewing in

diff erent locations.

The units use digital-vision touch technology for both touch and

tool recognition. This requires specialised digital cameras placed

in the corners of the screen that track the position of a tool or

fi nger and transmit that position to a computer.

Camera-driven interactive whiteboards

Recently introduced boards may be camera-, rather than touch-,

driven. These will operate using touch and/or a pen or pointing

device, as the point of contact itself will not be active. The camera

will register the position of the contact. Camera-driven boards

will also support multiple users, increased collaboration and

group work.

Interactive projector

Recently, there has been the development of an alternative to the

interactive whiteboard, the interactive projector. This turns any

suitable surface into a virtual whiteboard. It works by detecting

the position of an active IR light pen when it contacts the surface

where the projected image is displayed. This allows users to

experience some of the interactivity of an IWB, but as with all

IR based IWB products, this solution can suff er from problems

caused by ‘line of sight’ between the pen, the projector receiver

and other light sources.

Visualisers(for specifi cation see Appendix 7 of Full Report)

A visualiser is a real-time image capture device for displaying a book,

document, 3D object or action, to a large audience. They provide

a means for co-constructing documents or sharing whole class

experiences while pupils remain at their desks.

As the image is displayed in real-time, the teacher (or pupil) can write

on the document, paint a picture, carry out an experiment, prepare

food or solder a joint while the audience watches. Images etc can be

viewed on either a fi xed IWB or a mobile IWB.

Unlike most projectors, the ambient light can be stronger as it is

not necessary to demonstrate in a darkened area. Some visualisers

will automatically adjust the brightness of the display to suit the

ambient light level.

Visualisers can be connected directly to the IWB or projection

screen. Some also have a range of tools inbuilt into the system, such

as a zoom feature and the ability to be connected to a microscope

or scanner.

They support a wide range of curriculum applications; for

example music pupils can co-construct a piece of music, sharing

the music staves on the IWB and deciding what the notes, rhythm

and pace of the piece should be. A visualiser could be used here

to project lined paper onto a whiteboard, thus enabling a whole

class of young pupils to see and copy the formation of letters on

a line. However, such activity can also be supported by the use of

a simple webcam, and schools would need to be clear about the

value of purchasing visualisers at greater cost: normally, decisions

would be based on the existence of the extra tools that come as

part of the visualiser.

Projector (for specifi cation see Appendix 2 of Full Report)

Installation

Projector installation should be specifi ed as part of an IWB

installation package as it is essential to have the projector

correctly aligned with the IWB. Recently the UK standard PAS

122 was developed with industry to raise standards of IWB

installations. Projector manufacturers have also developed more

secure data projectors for the education sector rather than just

using commercial products. Despite this, schools still need to

ensure adequate signage indicating that teachers and pupils

should not look directly at the projector light.

There are three main types of projectors used with IWB:

Short throw projectors attached to the board on a moveable

arm;

Ceiling mounted projectors (commonly known as ‘long

throw’);

Ultra-short throw projectors which are attached either to

the wall just above the board or to the board itself.

When using short throw projectors, the site of the board pre-

determines the location of the projector as they are usually integrated

at installation stage. The use of a short throw projector reduces the

problem of casting a shadow across the board when working on it.

Ultra short throw projectors almost eliminate this problem.

When dealing with ceiling mounted projectors the height of the

IWB will aff ect the height for positioning the projector, the angle


at which it needs to be situated and the distance of the projector

from the board. Digital projectors must also be fi rmly fi xed to

ceilings. Some classrooms have fl exible false ceilings. Where

this is the case, the projectors will have to be specially installed,

otherwise the whiteboards will be aff ected by the movement of

the projectors and will need recalibrating frequently.

The distance of the projector from the screen gives a maximum and

minimum ‘image throw distance’ for a specifi ed image size. When

mounting a projector, it needs to be fi xed within its throw distance:

too close and the image could be out of focus or not fi ll the board;

too far away and the image could be too large for the board.

Some projectors have built-in security measures such as pin

codes. As ceiling-mounted projectors can easily be unbolted, it

may be necessary to consider additional security measures, such

as data tagging or physical security such as locks or cages, to

protect them.

The power supply for a ceiling mounted projector would ideally

be ceiling-mounted and would need to be installed prior to the

installation of the IWB and projector. This should be completed

before agreeing an installation date for the IWB solution, so that

the system can be tested and fully functional by the end of the

installation.

Brightness

1,500 ANSI lumens is normally adequate for projection equipment

in most teaching spaces. If the space has extremely high ambient

lighting conditions, window blinds can be used in preference to

increasing the brightness of the projector.

If it is likely that the users will be standing in front of the beam,

there are methods of employing brightness reduction, including

a brightness adjustment facility or neutral density fi lter.

Projector lamps

The projector includes a light source, which is used to illuminate

and project the image. These lamps have a limited lifespan and

should be considered a consumable part. However they can

equally represent a signifi cant proportion of the total cost of

the entire unit. Typical lamp lives are quoted in the region of

between 2,000 and 4,000 hours. However these fi gures are based

on idealised usage scenarios and are only guidelines. At present

these models produce signifi cant noise and may not be suitable

for the classroom environment. Manufacturers have developed

particular technologies to increase these lamp lives and very

recently LED projectors have started to appear in the market,

which off er claimed lamp lives of up to 20,000 hours.

Many projectors include an economy mode, which is designed

to extend the lamp life of the projector by up to 50%. This mode

usually causes the projected image to appear less bright; so it can

be advantageous to use a brighter projector in economy mode to

promote the lamp life.

Ultra short throw projectors tend to have brighter lamps to

compensate for increased scatter due to the wider angles

involved.

Cabling

Any cabling must be safely secured for the entire length of the

cable, right up to the chosen position of the equipment that will

be connected to it. The local health and safety regulations for

cabling should be enforced and may aff ect the location of an IWB.

Future connectivity also should be considered when installing

cabling for IWBs, since it is expensive to re-install new cabling at

a later stage.

Speakers

Interactive teaching and learning often requires the use of sound

fi les and moving images and these should be readily accessible

when using IWB technology. When used eff ectively, these tools

can enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum.

Projectors often have built-in speakers, which can be small

and ineff ective. Therefore, it is advisable to have wall-mounted

external speakers, which will ensure that sound is of better

quality and volume in the classroom or learning space. Some

IWBs come with speakers integrated into their frames. Others

can be upgraded to have speakers installed at a later date. Some

schools prefer quadraphonic sound systems to support carousel

teaching in a classroom.

There are usually options to purchase speakers as part of an

IWB system and this should guarantee the correct installation,

although it could incur extra cost.

Software (for specifi cation see Appendix 3 of Full Report)

Core IWB Software

IWBs enable users to interact with content, to make and save

changes when required and to share content with others. An

initial consideration has to be whether the tools provided within

the software can be demonstrated to be:

Purposeful

Easy to use

Interactive

Collaborative

Transforming

Useful

Relevant

Engaging

IWB software allows a user to create separate ‘screens’ that, when

linked together, form a lesson or presentation. Diff erent providers

call their software tools by diff erent names, but they all have a

range of similar tools that enable users to customise resources

already developed (by the supplier or other users) or to start from

scratch themselves.

It is important to establish how frequently upgrades to software

are released and the implications for running the supplier

software when there are changes made to operating systems

and plug-ins.

As with many software packages, there are a variety of tools

available for developing content on the screen. The tools usually

found are icon based and are stored within onscreen toolbars/

toolboxes.

An important aspect of software is whether it is compatible

with other applications, for example, Can you import a ppt

presentation and work on it and export it back to PowerPoint.

Can you make pdfs? It is worth establishing this with vendors if

their guides are not explicit.

Common Software Tools

Diff erent vendors provide a range of additional tools running

bespoke features of their software packages. It is important to

evaluate the full range of tools and features that is available and

carry out a comparison to match a school’s vision for use. A list of

the most commonly found features of software tools can be found in

Appendix 3 of the Full Report.


Additional bundled software applications

Management software

As well as the IWB software, suppliers off er other applications

that can be used interactively. Software for teachers to be able

to monitor what pupils are doing on their own computers is

available. This software allows a teacher to share and deliver

a specifi c learning resource with a specifi c pupil or group of

pupils. Additionally, they can send messages to the pupil(s)

and direct their learning or can take over a pupil’s computer

to demonstrate how to do something or where the pupils are

making errors.

Pupil version

Vendors have developed versions of their main applications for

pupils to use for developing their own interactive resources.

The application also allows them to make notes on a copy of

a teacher-generated resource to improve their understanding

of a subject. They can also schedule their work to meet

deadlines that have been set for the completion of tasks.

Learner response

Software is available for engaging learners in real-time

response and feedback. Details of the educational use of this

application are explained in the section on Voting Systems

below.

Interoperability

Currently, most content available to run on IWB software is

proprietary to each vendor. Recently a Common File Format

(CFF) was developed by Becta in the UK. The advantages are

that fi les can now be shared across diff erent software programs,

thereby providing enhanced scope of use for teachers and

learners. A good example is delivery of Diplomas in the

UK, where students may be working in a range of locations

(schools, colleges, businesses, community groups) – all of

which may have diff erent IWB software. Interoperability is an

important factor here in ensuring students can access their

resources in these diff erent locations. Similar transference of

learning activity may take place when students move from

school to college or university, and wish to take fi les with

them. Diff erent systems in diff erent institutions should not

prohibit their use.

For additional information, see Section 7 of the Full Report.

Additional Teaching and Learning Accessories

To maximise the fl exible use of the IWB within teaching and

learning, teachers and pupils need to be able to interact in

diff erent ways with or without the system. Although pupils like

the freedom of leaving their desks to come to an IWB, all users

should enjoy the fl exibility of being able to connect with the

system from anywhere within a space or classroom.

Vendors have a range of devices to promote diverse ways of

teaching, including:

Interactive tablets

Interactive panels

Mobile interactive whiteboards

Voting systems

Visualisers

Interactive tablets

(for specifi cation see Appendix 4 of full report)

Typically, interactive tablets (also named by some suppliers as

Mobile Interactive Whiteboards) use a wireless connection to

fully integrate with the vendors’ IWB software and/or school

network. The dimensions can vary but are usually notebook sized

and small enough to be placed on a pupil’s desk.

Vendors off er a range of solutions, some allowing a number

of tablets to be distributed to the class for a lesson in order to

engage a number of users without the disruption of passing the

devices around the room.

Real time student collaboration enables multiple students (as

many as 9 with some systems) to interact with content at the same

time, either in a single working area or in several independent

working areas.

Some vendors diff erentiate Learner Solutions from Teacher

Solutions that can provide an instant feedback from the students

using Student Response Systems (or voting systems).

There is only one tablet ‘live’ at a time: the teacher (or whoever is

given control) chooses which tablet to display and when and how

often others are brought into the lesson. The tablets are light and

robust and most use electromagnetic technology.

Interactive panels/interactive pens

(for specifi cation see Appendix 5 of Full Report)

An interactive panel and interactive pen combine the functions

of an IWB within an LCD screen and uses a pen-input device.

This can be used whilst facing and engaging with pupils. Whilst

the solution does not have the fl exibility to allow users to move

around a classroom, it does enable a user to watch the audience

whilst annotating or editing a screen display.

Student response systems

(for specifi cation see Appendix 6 of Full Report)

New methods of engaging pupils with their learning are greatly

enhanced by the accurate use of individualised assessment.

The interactivity available through IWB systems enables pupils

to provide information about their understanding in ‘real time’.

Teachers can use the IWB software to devise quizzes, tests and

content-related questions before or during lessons.

The range of handsets has been developed to suit the full age

range of pupils. Establishing the correct handset for an age

group is important if the pupils are to be expected to work

autonomously. Evaluating the size of buttons and the complexity

of the layout is advisable prior to procuring devices.

Student response systems provided with IWB systems all have

similar interfaces but diff er in their approach to the integration

with the software packages. Vendors off er bundles of the voting

handsets (commonly known as ‘clickers’) related to the number

of responses that can be managed by a receiver.

The handsets are distributed to the pupils who will respond to

questions displayed on the IWB or projection surface, by logging

an answer through ‘clicking’ on a button on the handset. Receivers

are placed within the classroom or learning space to receive the

data. Vendors recommend the number, distance and setup for the

receivers to ensure that data is received and can be manipulated

by the software for automated feedback. The responses can then

be presented as graphs, pie charts or as individual responses to

questions on the IWB.


Assessments of individual pupil responses can be saved for

future reference, or can be saved in a format for export into the

most commonly used Management Information Systems (MIS),

as a .CSV fi le for example. If pupils’ names are tagged to specifi c

handsets, their data can be saved after each time they vote, thus

building up a progressive picture of their attainment. Teachers

can adjust lesson content to match the level of understanding

of the majority of pupils to help ensure that every pupil has an

understanding of the concepts taught.

Vendors have diff erent approaches to how the data is stored

but provide virtual Mark Books (Grade Books) for the data to

be stored and analysed remotely from the system. Reports can

be generated from the Mark Book for individual pupils or for

group marks. Some vendors have devised export facilities so that

reports can be transferred in common fi le format for Microsoft

applications such as Word or Excel.

As well as preparing questions prior to a lesson, teachers have the

opportunity to ask spontaneous questions during a lesson and

gain immediate feedback. This enables them to respond to the

needs of the students as the lesson progresses. Motivation levels

are known to increase when pupils are fully engaged and feel

empowered with their learning; using a combination of diff erent

types of questions at diff erent stages of a lesson retains pupil

concentration on the lesson content.

Self-paced and Homework modes (with some systems) enable

students to respond to diff erent versions of the same paper

based tests or to respond to diff erent tests at their own pace. This

allows teachers to adapt the level of their pedagogy to a specifi c

group of students that can respond either from their desk or from

their home. Homework mode can also be used on fi eld trips to

capture responses to oral questions.


Making the Financial Case – Supporting Stage 1

Question to be answered

How does the proposed way of meeting the requirement support the organisation’s objectives

and current priorities?

If it is a poor fi t, can the scope be changed?

Is the project needed at all?

Have the stakeholders made a commitment to the project?

Has a wide range of options been explored?

Have innovative approaches been considered and/or collaboration with others?

If not, why not?

Has the optimum balance of cost, benefi t and risk been identifi ed? If not, what trade-off s

need to be made e.g. foregoing some of the benefi ts in order to keep costs within budget;

taking carefully considered risks to achieve more substantial benefi ts?

Can value for money be obtained from the proposed sources (e.g. partners, suppliers)?

If not, can the project be made attractive to a wider market?

Can the required budget be obtained to deliver the whole project?

If not, can the scope be reduced or delivered over a longer period?

Could funding be sought from other sources; for example, local, state or federal authorities?

Can this project be achieved with the organisation’s current capability and capacity?

If not, how can the required capability be acquired?

Can the risks be managed – e.g. scale, complexity, uncertainty?

Does the scope or timescale need to change?

Appendix 2Sample Templates

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Response


Educational Vision Template

This template can be used to support Stage 1 (‘Establishing The

Need’) of your IWB procurement.

Your Educational Vision should outline your aspirations for the

learning experience in your school. IWB vendors are then able to

understand how their products might be used. In turn, you can then

consider how the IWB will impact positively on aspects of learning

and teaching. The ‘Areas of Focus’ that are included here are examples

and will cover some of what you need to consider. However, this list

is not comprehensive; you should adapt these examples and add in

your own so that the Vision truly refl ects your schools’ aspirations.

Remember that the content of this Vision should be aligned with

priorities in your School Development Plan. You can present this

Vision document to potential vendors either in table format or as

a single piece of prose with headings.

You may fi nd it useful to number the Areas of Focus (as with the

examples below) so these can be referred to when evaluating

vendor responses, should you wish to cross-reference

responses to your Educational Vision as well as your Functional

Requirement.


Educational Benefi ts and Outcomes

Example: Teachers and learners will interact in a variety of ways, so that

learners are active and not passive in the classroom. They will have

access to a rich array of resources for encouraging debate, discussion and

consideration of learning objectives, including hands-on opportunities

for learners and teachers to interact with content and ideas.

Example: Learners and teachers will be able to easily manipulate learning

objects and content, as part of learning processes such as decision

making; planning; creativity; problem solving; presenting ideas etc.

Example: Small and large groups of learners will work collaboratively

with interactive content, which can then be presented on the main

fi xed board, for sharing and evaluation. They will also be able to

communicate and interact with other groups of learners in diff erent

locations.

Example: Learners will be inspired by content that is interactive and

includes a range of rich media content that will appeal to young

people and contributes to creative learning activities (video, audio,

broadcasts, streaming, high quality graphics etc).

Example: Teachers will use technology to add greater capacity to their

planning, providing more diverse activities and resources, which in

turn enhance the range of teaching styles they can adopt.

Example: Teachers and learners will have access to software tools that

make it easy for them to create their own unique resources combining

text, images, graphics, video, audio etc

Example: Teachers will be able to use software that allows them to

instantly grade students’ work. They will be able to show data to

learners that indicate progress on a given activity, sign posting

for students where they need to progress to next in their learning.

Students will receive frequent, regular feedback and comments on

their learning from teachers, providing support and challenging

them to extend their investigations. Assessment will therefore be both

formative and summative. Peer to peer and self - assessment will also

become a regular feature of the learning process.

Example: Learners will have greater opportunities to refl ect on their

learning through peer and self-evaluation of projects.

Example: Teachers will share examples of best practice with

practitioners in other institutions, thereby becoming members of

an expanding community of practice that explores the benefi ts of

technology for learning.

Example: Teachers will develop a range of diff erent lessons, varying

the pace and the range of activities.

Example: Teachers will begin to develop clearly linked series of lessons

with easily accessible resources available at the point of need in their

classroom and elsewhere.

Example: Learners will have opportunities to carry out activities that

simulate the work place, community and other relevant contexts. They

will have meaningful contact with outside expertise from within the

local and wider community. They will have opportunities to develop

projects for a real audience. They will have access to real-time local

and world events to improve their understanding of a broad range

of issues.

Example: Learners will have access to tools that re-engage them with

learning (using motivating tasks in which they take an active role such

as simulations, games, modelling etc).

Example: Learners will have access to communication technologies

and social software that allow them to have a voice within school and

in the wider community, whether in the form of online publication,

discussions, questionnaires, feedback buttons, ratings, votes/polls or

surveys, giving them responsibility and control over their own and

communal online spaces.

Example: Learners will use tools and systems to help them to be more

eff ective, enterprising and entrepreneurial, for example by giving

access to devices which have a wide range of functionality and are

fl exible to be used in a range of diff erent environments.

Area of Focus

1. Interaction between teacher and learners

2. Interaction between learners

3. Collaborative learning

4. Learner engagement

5. Extension of pedagogy

6. Opportunities for creation of bespoke resources

7. Supporting Assessment for Learning

and associated practices (such as instant grading)

8. Reinforcement of and refl ection on learning

9. Sharing and publishing examples of good practice

10. Providing opportunities for restructuring of lessons

11. Supporting planning of a series of linked lessons

12. Developing ‘real-world’ learning contexts

13. Re-engaging disaff ected learners

14. Supporting student voice

15. Developing a culture of enterprise


Readiness to Adopt Questionnaire

This document can be used to support Stage 2 ‘Assessment of

Readiness’ of your procurement of IWB. It will function as a useful

internal audit for your school/organisation. It demands:

A self-review of the current knowledge, experience and

capability of your staff .

A review of the availability, (or lack) of a range of technology-

driven learning opportunities within your school/organisation.

A summative assessment of whether your staff and

learners are ready to fully exploit the benefi ts of interactive

whiteboard technologies.

This assessment will ensure that the money you spend brings

real learning benefi ts to your students and delivers good value.

It should be used to ensure that any technology procured is

appropriate to your school context, useful and useable both in

educational and technical terms.

The list of ‘Considerations’ has been numbered for easier reference

during your discussions. You can also use your comments from

this document to gather evidence and ideas for development of

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and training that

you require from the appointed vendor.

If most of your responses to these Considerations are positive,

with good qualifying evidence, then you are defi nitely ready to

adopt IWB for learning.

If most of your responses are negative, with a lack of evidence,

you will need to consider carefully how to transform practice

alongside procurement of IWB. This will involve more extensive

management of change, alongside operational training for IWB

and pedagogical CPD.


Considerations

Is use of technology a common feature of lesson delivery?

Do learners and teachers currently have access to a good range of

software tools to enable learning? To write, draw, animate, model

numbers, handle data, search the internet, merge images, create and

edit video, publish, communicate and present information?

Are learners and teachers experienced in developing resources for

projects or lessons using software tools?

Is there already a good range of learning strategies that are encouraged

in your school, which is underpinned by use of technology?

Do your school’s strategy documents reference the use of technology

to support learning (this should extend beyond the teaching of ICT/

technology as a separate subject)?

Do you already provide independent learning opportunities such

as research, problem solving, enquiry, collaboration, creativity, pupil

choice and responsibility, peer and self-assessment?

Do staff and pupils have access to the tools they need to work

eff ectively? Have you identifi ed the needs of all your learners, including

those with Special Educational Needs?

Are you aware of solutions available to meet identifi ed needs (e.g.

visual, hearing, physical and cognitive impairment/diff erences)?

Have you researched hardware/device solutions available to meet

identifi ed needs (visual, hearing, physical and cognitive impairment/

diff erences)?

Have you identifi ed, and are you aware of, the benefi ts interactive

technology can bring to diff erent subject areas?

Do you already work with multimedia with your learners?

Are you confi dent you will recognise how your investment in IWB is

being used eff ectively and appropriately?

Comments

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.


Functional Requirement Template

This template can be used to support Stage 3 Functional

Requirement of your IWB procurement. The document should

form part of the information you send to vendors when contacting

them (ref: Stage 5 Managing the Procurement).

It is split into two sections:

Section 1 provides a table for vendors to respond to your

Functional Requirement.

Section 2 provides a list of solution requirements that the

vendor must respond to.

Section 1

The focus in this section should be on the benefi ts and value for

learning and teaching, rather than features of the technology.

Potential vendors must then respond to these educational

requirements and outputs.

The functional requirement document has to clearly identify the

educational aims of the project: the positive impacts on learning

and teaching that are expected within your Vision as described

in Stage 1.

Requirements are numbered for ease of reference when

you evaluate responses.

Section headings refl ect the type of information you need

to include.

Examples for each section have been included, but you

can add more of your own, adapt or take out some of the

examples.

Ask vendors to complete the following table.


Functional Requirement

(A) Learning and Pedagogy

Learners will be able to interact with a wide and diverse range of

multimedia and high quality digital content and tools to support their

learning

Learners will be able to collaborate in small and large groups in order to

makes decisions, solve problems, create and present ideas and outcomes

Learners will have opportunities to work fl exibly in the classroom and

around the school site

Learners with special educational needs will be able to access all learning

opportunities and resources

Learners will be able to share ideas and present work in diff erent ways

Teachers will have access to a wide and diverse range of multimedia and

high quality digital content and tools to support their teaching

Teachers will be able to implement a broad range of assessment strategies,

including self and peer assessment

Teachers will be able to provide instant feedback to learners on their

progress and the quality of their work

(B) Our Learning Environment

The IWB will be required in ......classrooms, of which ......are science

laboratories, ...... are design and technology workshops, ......are art studios etc

Our buildings include a range of rooms where we will require IWB:

traditional sized classrooms, a main hall, some small break out spaces etc.

Specifi c room sizes where IWB will be requires, are as follows: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The shape of our rooms is as follows (indicate position of window/s, doors

and fi xed furniture): . . . . . .

The orientation of our rooms is as follows: . . . . . .

One of our spaces is a theatre style room used for presentations to groups

of up to . . . . . . learners

Our learners frequently access diff erent areas of the building to pursue

projects, and require access to the same tools and content for learning in

these diff erent locations

The IWB will need to interoperate with the following devices and

peripherals used by teachers

and learners

Devices: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Peripherals: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The IWB must be accessible to some of our learners who use wheelchairs

The IWB must be accessible to our learners who have a range of special

educational needs: . . . . . .

(C) Contexts for Use

The IWB will be used by all ages of children, e.g.:

The IWB must include fi xed boards as well as mobile boards, collaborative

tools

The IWB will be used with groups of learners up to . . . . . . in size

The IWB will be used for teaching and learning in all areas of the curriculum

(D) Training and Professional Development

Teachers will require initial operational training on all associated hardware

and software

Teachers will require access to case studies and advice on the pedagogical

benefi ts of the IWB

Teachers will require guidance and examples of how to apply use of IWB to

learning in diff erent subjects

Teachers will require access to any local or wider online communities of

practice, in order to access and share ideas and resources relating to the

IWB

Vendor Response

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5

A6

A7

A8

B1

B2

B3

B4

B5

B6

B7

B8

B9

B10

C1

C2

C3

C4

D1

D2

D3

D4


Section 2:

The focus for this section should be on provision of more detail of

what the proposed solution will actually include.

(E) Outline of required solution

E1 Hardware must include all boards, projectors, peripheral devices

necessary for delivery of educational requirements, installation

equipment

E2 Software must include operational tools as well as content

creation tools

E3 The IWB solution will include additional devices to aid

learning and teaching

E4 Provide details of likely power consumption per unit

E5 Provide details of the costs of spares and consumables

such as lamps

E6 Provide details of the overall infrastructure requirements

for the solution

E7 Provide details of the proposed installation and

commissioning process, stages and overall plan

E8 Provide details of the technical support available to users,

both at the point of installation and over the medium and

long term

E9 Provide details of warranties that are available on products


Example PQQ Document

This document can be used to support Stage 5 ‘Managing the

Procurement’ of your procurement of IWB:

The Pre Qualifi cation Questionnaire (PQQ) allows you to gather

important information on potential vendors, before asking them

to actually tender for the work. Issuing a PQQ allows you to

achieve the following:

Establish whether a vendor has experience of providing

technology in an educational context, thereby properly

understanding your requirements

Name of your organisation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SELF–ASSESSMENT PRE-QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE (PQQ)

Tender for Provision of Interactive Whiteboard Technology

Establish fi nancial viability

Gather important information that may infl uence a future

contract

Ensure the vendor has a robust and reliable business and is

capable of delivering requirements to a high standard

Vendors should be given a minimum of two weeks to complete

the PQQ and you should emphasise dates for returns of PQQ

responses in all correspondence.


Notes for Vendors

This self-assessment pre-qualifi cation questionnaire is for

contract opportunities below the European threshold.

The purpose of this document is to assist …………………………

in deciding which vendors to short-list to invite to tender for

Provision of Interactive Whiteboard Technology to Support

Learning.

A summary of the scoring to be used for short-listing is set out in the table below

PQQ ref Information requested % of total points available

1 Basic details of your organisation Not scored but must be completed

2 Financial information Pass or Fail assessment of responses to 2.1–2.6

3 Business Activities Scored where applicable

4 References 30% Scored against responses to 4.1–4.9

5 Insurance Pass or Fail against 5.1 and 5.2

6 Quality Assurance Not scored but must be completed

7 Health & Safety Not scored but must be completed

8 Equal Opportunities Not scored but must be completed

9 Environmental Not scored but must be completed

10 Professional & Business standards Not scored but must be completed

11 Requirement Specifi c Questions 70% Scored against responses to 11


All vendors will receive the same PQQ document so that you:

will be completing the same standard form as competitors

do not need to provide supporting documents, for example,

accounts, certifi cates, statements or policies etc.

However, the purchasing organisation named above may ask to

see these documents at a later stage. You may also be asked to

clarify your answers or provide more details, especially if there

are a signifi cant number of “NO” responses in the completed

questionnaire.

Please answer every question. If the question does not apply to

you please write N/A.

If you do not know the answer please write N/K.

Additional points to note:

1. Please note that if a bid is to be submitted by a consortium, joint

venture or structure other than a single company, then each

section may relate to one or more of the organisations. Care

should be taken to ensure that a completed response is provided

for each consortium member. The lead member should complete

the general sections and submit all responses together.

2. Applicants are advised that they are solely responsible for

bearing their costs and expenses incurred in connection with

the preparation of responses and submission of the completed

PQQ and all future stages of the selection and evaluation

process.

Under no circumstances will (name of your organisation) be

liable for any costs or expenses borne by an Applicant in this

procurement process.

3. Please note that if any of the information supplied in your PQQ

response regarding the Applicant changes in the ensuing

evaluation period, you are required to notify (name of your

organisation) accordingly, giving details of the changes.

4. (Name of your organisation) reserves the right to reject or

disqualify an Applicant where:

the PQQ response is submitted late, is completed incorrectly,

is incomplete or fails to meet the submission requirements

and conditions as set out in these guidance notes;

the Applicant is guilty of serious misrepresentation in

relation to its application and/or the procurement process;

there is a change identity, control, fi nancial standing or

other factor impacting on the selection and/or evaluation

process aff ecting the Applicant; and/or

there is a confl ict of interest arising between the (name of

your organisation) and the Applicant.

5. (Name of your organisation) reserves the right to:

cancel the selection and evaluation process at any stage;

require an Applicant to clarify its response in writing and/or

provide additional information; and/or

amend the terms, conditions and/or requirements of the

tender process including the PQQ/pre-selection process.

6. Evaluation of responses to the PQQ

This section sets out the basis of evaluation of responses to

the PQQ. The purpose of defi ning the basis for evaluation of

responses is to ensure that PQQs will be evaluated consistently

and objectively. The evaluation will be in two stages:

Stage 1: Compliance

An assessment will be made of whether each Applicant’s

responses to the PQQ are complete, and comply with the

requirements of the PQQ. If the PQQ is incomplete, (name of your

organisation) will score the PQQ on the basis of the information

provided. (Name of your organisation) may notify an Applicant

that information has not been provided, and give the Applicant

an opportunity to provide this.

If a potential confl ict of interest arises, (name of your organisation)

will assess the likelihood of any confl ict aff ecting the robustness

of the tender process. If it appears that the confl ict will do so,

(name of your organisation) will discuss the matter with the

Applicant and seek to agree a method for dealing with the confl ict

satisfactorily. In the event that no agreement is reached on terms

acceptable to (name of your organisation), the Applicant will be

excluded from further consideration.

Stage 2: Detailed Evaluation

The responses to the PQQ questions will be scored. The score for each

question is given in the Table above. The responses to the questions in

Section 2 (Financial) and question 5.2 (minimum level of public liability

insurance, or equivalent in your local jurisdiction) are pass or fail.

7. Financial Appraisal

The fi nancial appraisal of Part 2 aims to establish from formal

(audited) annual accounts, and the other information requested,

whether:

(a) applicant organisations have suffi cient resources to support

a contract, and

(b) applicant organisations are fi nancially sound and

potentially stable enough to remain in-business for the

duration of the contract.

The fi nancial strength of the organisation is assessed by looking at

its turnover, gross and (pre-tax or net) profi ts, net worth and certain

fi nancial ratios. Consideration of the accounts for the last two years

enables an opinion to be made on continuing information, rather

than just at one point in time. In general, a contract value should

not exceed 25% of a company’s turnover. Annual accounts should

indicate appropriate levels of net worth, liquidity and profi tability.

Overall, the fi nal pass/fail for an appraisal is taken by assessing these

factors and arriving at a professional view of what a company’s

formal fi nancial position is. Individual factors may sometimes off er

contrary indicators of a company’s position and no two companies

are ever exactly the same. The accounts will often refl ect the role

and nature of the organisation’s business and what is acceptable in

one area may not be in another.

However, in ordinary circumstances, if a company is materially

short or weak on any of the above issues, in a manner which is not

compensated for elsewhere in the accounts and from the other

information supplied, then the likely outcome to the fi nancial


SELF-ASSESSMENT PRE-QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE (PQQ)

1 BASIC DETAILS OF YOUR ORGANISATION

1.1 Name of organisation in whose name the tender would be submitted:

1.2 Contact name for enquires about this bid:

1.3 Contact position (Job Title)

1.4 Main Address for Correspondence, including full Post Code (or equivalent):

1.5 Telephone number:

1.6 Fax number:

1.7 E-mail address:

1.8 Company website address (if any):

1.9 Registered address including full post code if diff erent from 1.4 above

2 FINANCIAL INFORMATION

2.1 What was your turnover in the last two years (if this applies)

for year ended: …… for year ended: ……

If this does not apply, what year did you commence business? ____________

2.2 Has your organisation met the terms of its banking

facilities and loan agreements (if any) during the past year?

2.3 If “No” what were the reasons, and what has been done to put things right?

2.4 Has your organisation met all its obligations to pay its

creditors and staff during the past year?

2.5 If “No” please explain why not:

2.6 Please provide the following:-

Either, a copy of your most recent audited accounts

(for the last two years if this applies)

Or, a statement of your profi t and loss account and balance

sheet for the most recent year of trading signed off by your accountant

appraisal would be a fail, eliminating the organisation from the

next stage of the procurement procedure.

8. Information in relation to this pre-qualifi cation questionnaire

may be made available on demand in accordance with (any

national freedom of information legislation). Applicants

should state if any of the information supplied by them

in response to this pre-qualifi cation questionnaire, is

confi dential or commercially sensitive and should not be

disclosed in response to a request for information under the

above legislation. Applicants should state why they consider

the information to be confi dential or commercially sensitive.

Please return this form and any supporting documents, by email, to:

Your name and address

Email: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(please add IWB PQQ to the Subject line)

Not later than: The date and time of day you require PPQs to be

returned by.

(Name of your organisation) will contact you again by: Date you

will make contact.

If you have any queries about this form please email:

Your email address (please add IWB PQQ to the Subject line)


3 BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

3.1 Please describe the main business activities of your organisation

3.2 How many staff does your organisation have?

(If you are a sole trader, please say so)

4 REFERENCES

Please provide details of three recent contracts that are relevant to our requirement for the procurement of IWB. If you cannot

provide three references, please explain why.

Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3

4.1 Customer Organisation (name):

4.2 Customer contact name and phone number:

4.3 Customer email address:

4.4 Date contract awarded:

4.5 Contract reference and brief description:

4.6 Value:

4.7 Date contract was completed

4.8 Have you had any contracts terminated for poor performance in the last three years, or any contracts where damages have

been claimed by the contracting authority?

4.9 If “Yes” please give details:

5 INSURANCE

5.1 Please provide details of your current insurance cover:

a) Employers’ Liability

b) Public Liability

c) Other (please provide details)

5.2 (Name of your organisation) requires a minimum cover of …

for this contract - for each and every claim under a company’s

public liability insurance policy. Please confi rm that you will

provide this level of cover if successful in winning the contract

6 QUALITY ASSURANCE

6.1 Does your organisation hold a recognised quality

management certifi cation?

If Yes please state name of certifi cation

6.2 If No, does your organisation have a quality management

system? (see notes at end of questionnaire)

If you do not have quality certifi cation or a quality

management system, please explain why:


7 HEALTH & SAFETY INFORMATION

7.1 Does your organisation have a written health and safety

at work policy? (see notes at end of questionnaire)

7.2 Does your organisation have a health and safety at work system?

7.3 If “No”, to either of the above please explain why:

8 EQUAL OPPORTUNTIES

8.1 Does your organisation have a written equal opportunities’ Yes

policy, to avoid all types of discrimination?

8.2 If “No”, please explain why:

9 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

9.1 Does your organisation have an environment management Yes

system? (see notes at end of questionnaire)

9.2 If “No” please explain why:

10 PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS STANDING

Do any of the following apply to your organisation, or to (any of ) the director(s) / partners / proprietor(s)?

10.1 Is in a state of bankruptcy, insolvency, compulsory winding up,

receivership, composition with creditors, or subject

to relevant proceedings

10.2 Has been convicted of a criminal off ence related to business

or professional conduct

10.3 Has committed an act of grave misconduct in the course of business

10.5 Has not fulfi lled obligations related to payment of taxes

10.6 Is guilty of serious misrepresentation in supplying information

10.7 Is not in possession of relevant licences or membership of an appropriate organisation where required by law.

10.8 If the answer to any of these questions is “Yes” please give brief details below, including what has been done to put things right.


11 REQUIREMENT SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

11.1 What added value/ community benefi t could your company bring to (name of your organisation)’s requirement for goods,

services or works?

Supplementary diff erentiating questions:

11.2 Provide evidence, in the form of three case studies, of where

your products or tools have successfully met the demands

of an education project or client.

11.3 Describe how you would work with a group of teachers to

ensure that your product was used to its maximum benefi t,

within the setting for which it is being procured.

11.4 Provide evidence of your current product development and

how this is responding to emergent developments

in technology and their impact on education.

12. DECLARATION

I declare that to the best of my knowledge the answers submitted in this PQQ are correct. I understand that the information will be used

in the evaluation process to assess my organisation’s suitability to be invited to tender for (name of your organisation)’s requirement.

FORM COMPLETED BY

Organisation Name:

Name:

Position (Job Title):

Date:

Telephone number:

Signature:

*Notes: Environmental management system means processes and procedures to ensure that environmental issues are properly managed and all legal requirements are met.Quality management system means processes and procedures to ensure that quality management issues are properly managed and all legal requirements are met.Health and Safety Policies: A Health and Safety Policy usually consists of three distinct sections namely: – General Policy Statement – a short statement outlining the organisation’s commitment to Health and Safety, signed and dated by the senior organisation offi cial (for

example, the Managing Director).– Organisation – how the organisation addresses health and safety; lines of communication between managers and staff ; and any specifi c duties/responsibilities assigned

within the organisation - this should be relatively straightforward for smaller organisations. – Arrangements – the systems and procedures in place for ensuring employees’ health and safety at work


DOCUMENT 1

Dear Sir/Madam

Invitation to Tender for: Provision of Interactive Whiteboard Technology

Off ers are invited for supply of the services detailed above.

(Name of your organisation) does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any Off er and reserves the right to accept an Off er either in

whole or in part. Tenders must be submitted in a plain sealed envelope bearing the same address, no later than (insert date and time).

The tender envelope must not bear any name or mark to indicate the sender. It should state the title of the tender as above and the fi nal

date for return. Please enclose one original plus one copy of this off er document, complete with all attachments and literature. Please

also supply all documentation on CD-ROM.

This invitation to tender comprises the following documents:

DOCUMENT 1 Letter of Invitation

DOCUMENT 2 Off er Schedule of Tender Prices

DOCUMENT 3 Specifi cation of Requirement

DOCUMENT 4 Terms of Off er

DOCUMENT 5 Conditions of Contract

DOCUMENT 5 Form of Tender

Yours sincerely

(Insert Name of Principal Contact)

(Insert postal and telephone contact details of Principal Contact)

Example ITT Document

This document can be used to support Stage 5 ‘Managing the Procurement’ of your procurement of IWB. All text in italics is advisory

and should be deleted and replaced with text appropriate to your organisation and procurement.


DOCUMENT 2

(NAME OF YOUR ORGANISATION)

TENDER FOR: Provision of Interactive Whiteboard Technology

OFFER SCHEDULE OF TENDER PRICES

All bidders must complete the following Schedule of Prices based on their complete understanding of the Specifi cation of Require-

ment - DOCUMENT 3

Description Total Price

Interactive board/device

Projector

Peripheral devices

Installation including power, networking and integration with existing systems

Software and resources

Operational training


Technical support

Warranty

Annual charges

Other (please specify)

Total


DOCUMENT 3

(NAME OF YOUR ORGANISATION)


SPECIFICATION OF REQUIREMENT

The following is a detailed specifi cation of requirement

4. Specifi cation of Requirements

All bidders must respond to all sections of the requirements in the table below.

(The text in the table below derives from the Example Functional Requirement Template. It is indicative only and should be edited

and/or expanded to refl ect your organisation’s specifi c procurement.)

4.1. Impact on learning and pedagogy

Unique Requirement Priority Bidders Response

ID

4.1.1 Learners shall be able to interact with a wide and diverse range of multimedia

and high quality digital content and tools to support their learning Shall

4.1.2 Learners shall be able to collaborate in small and large groups in order to makes

decisions, solve problems, create and present ideas and outcomes Shall

4.1.3 Learners with special educational needs shall be able to access all learning

opportunities and resources Shall

4.1.4 Learners will be able to share ideas and present work in diff erent ways Shall

4.1.5 Teachers shall have access to a wide and diverse range of multimedia and

high quality digital content and tools to support their teaching Shall

4.1.6 Teachers should be able to implement a broad range of assessment strategies,

including self and peer assessment Should

4.1.7 Teachers should be able to provide instant feedback to learners on their

progress and the quality of their work Should

1. Background

Insert here a brief outline of the background of the project. This could include:

1.1. Source of funding;

1.2. Brief statement of the purpose of the project;

1.3. Number of classrooms, learning spaces and/or schools involved;

1.4. Any wider project of which this is a part (e.g. refurbishment or rebuilding, upgrading of ICT

systems/network, curriculum development etc.).

2. Project objectives

Insert here a more detailed explanation of the purpose of the project. This should refl ect the content of your Educational

Vision and Functional Requirement document and could include:

2.1. Impact on learning and pedagogy

2.2. The learning environment, including integration with existing ICT systems

2.3. Contexts for use

2.4. Training and professional development, including access to resources and community of practice

2.5. Outline of required solution, including hardware, software, installation, technical support and warranties

3. Notes

3.1. The requirements outlined are categorised as shall and should requirements. Where a solution should be compliant with

a requirement then the response to this requirement will be used to assess the solutions completeness and ability to meet

the requirements of the project. A shall requirement is mandatory and bidders should demonstrate that they can meet this

requirement. If the proposed solution cannot meet this requirement then the submission may be deemed to be non

compliant with the requirements and may be rejected.


4.2. The learning environment


ID

An IWB shall be required in (state number) classrooms, of which (state number)

are specialist rooms – science laboratories (state number), design and

technology workshops (state number), art studios (state number) (edit this lis

4.2.1 of specialist rooms as appropriate) Shall

For further detail of room dimensions, layouts and orientations, see Functional

Requirement document

The IWB shall interoperate with the following devices and peripherals used by

teachers and learners:

4.2.2 (List types of devices here e.g. Windows/Mac/Linux desktop/laptop computers) Shall

(List peripheral devices here e.g. scanners, visualisers, webcams, voting systems,

sound systems etc.)

4.2.3 The IWB shall be accessible to learners who use wheelchairs Shall

The IWB shall be accessible to our learners who have a range of special

4.2.4 educational needs: Shall

(List any specifi c special needs here)

4.3. Contexts for use


ID

4.3.1 The IWB shall be accessible to all ages of children (specify age range here) Shall

4.3.2 The IWB should include fi xed boards as well as mobile boards, collaborative tools Should

4.3.3 The IWB shall be usable with groups of learners up to a maximum size of

(insert maximum group size here) Shall

4.3.4 The IWB should be used for teaching and learning in all areas of the curriculum Should

4.4. Training and professional development


ID

4.4.1 Teachers shall require initial operational training on all associated hardware

and software Shall

4.4.2 Teachers shall require access to case studies and advice on the pedagogical

benefi ts of the IWB Shall

4.4.3 Teachers shall require guidance and examples of how to apply use of IWB

to learning in diff erent subjects Shall

4.4.4 Teachers shall require access to any local or wider online communities of

practice, in order to access and share ideas and resources relating to the IWB Shall

4.5. Outline of required solution


ID

4.5.1 Hardware shall include all boards, projectors and peripheral devices necessary

for delivery of educational requirements

4.5.2 Software shall include operational tools as well as content creation tools. This

shall be accessible to learners and teachers on all networked computers.

4.5.3 The IWB solution should include additional devices to aid learning and teaching

4.5.4 Provide details of likely power consumption per unit Shall

4.5.5 Provide details of the costs of spares and consumables such as lamps Shall

4.5.6 Provide details of the overall infrastructure requirements for the solution Shall

4.5.7 Provide details of the proposed installation and commissioning process, stages

and overall plan Shall

4.5.8 Provide details of the technical support available to users, both at the point

of installation and over the medium and long term Shall

4.5.9 Provide details of warranties that are available on products Shall


DOCUMENT 4


TERMS OF OFFER

1. Prices

Prices must be set out in the Off er Schedule of Prices (Document 2) and must remain open for acceptance for 90 days from date of off er.

2. Off er Documentation and Submission

2.1 Goods/services off ered should, be strictly in accordance with every element of the Specifi cation (Document 3). Alternative goods/services

may be off ered but all diff erences between such items and the Specifi cation must be indicated in detail within your tender off er

2.2 Off ers must comprise:

a) completed Off er Schedule of Prices (Document 2);

b) signed Tender form (Document 5);

c) evidence of compliance with the amended Section 71 (to a minimum of Level 1) of the Race Relations Act 1976 (UK – edit to meet

local requirements)

d) copies of all required standard Software Licence Agreements;

e) copies of any related Maintenance & Support and Warranty Agreements;

f ) details of related Service Level Agreements for hardware and software support.

2.3 If an Off er:

a) contains gaps, omissions or obvious errors; or

b) contains amendments and such alterations have not been initialled by the authorised signatory

(Insert name of organisation) reserves the right to reject that Off er.

2.4 Bidders are asked to provide 2 hard copies and an electronic copy on CD ROM of their bid to the named person and address set out

in 2.5 below

2.5 Off ers must be submitted in a plain sealed envelope or wrapped and sealed in plain brown paper, with no mark of the sender. The

envelope/parcel shall be clearly marked in the top left-hand corner, ‘Provision of Interactive Whiteboard Technology’. The parcel

must be delivered to:

(Insert Name of Principal Contact)

(Insert postal and telephone contact details of Principal Contact)

TO ARRIVE NO LATER THAN (insert closing date and time). Off ers received after the closing time may be rejected

2.6 Clarifi cation questions regarding this tender should be emailed to (insert email address of Principal Contact). Please enter the

words “IWB clarifi cation” in the subject line. Questions should be sent no later than (insert date approximately 2 weeks before

closing date).

3. Contract Award

3.1 The contract will be awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous off er based on the following criteria:

Criteria Percentage of total score available

1 Price and payment 40%

2 System and functionality fi t to requirements as detailed in the Specifi cation Requirements 60%

3.2 All tenderers should note that (insert name of organisation) may publish the amount of the successful tender, and the name of the

tenderer following award of the contract.

4. Contract Period

The contract shall commence on the Commencement Date of the Agreement and: -

for the supply of the Deliverables and Works and Acceptance of the System will be delivered in accordance with Critical Dates

detailed below.

Milestone

Planned completion date

(insert dates below)

Design Workshop

System design submitted

Onsite installation

User acceptance testing

Introductory Training

Pedagogical training


5. Sustainability

(This section may need to be edited to meet local/national requirements)

5.1 It is (insert name of organisation)’s policy to actively promote sustainability through procurement. This approach to sustainable

procurement means that the long-term environmental, social and economic factors must be considered by the contractor over the

whole life of the contract in the drive for continuous improvement.

5.2 (Insert name of organisation) encourages contractors to reduce all unnecessary waste and to re-use and recycle wherever

possible.

5.3 (Insert name of organisation) also welcomes new developments and innovation by contractors to reduce waste, energy and water

consumption; to only use raw materials where possible from renewable resources and to support economic sustainability.

5.4 Where sustainability proposals are considered to be directly relevant to the contract they will be included in the criteria used for

tender evaluation.

6. Equality of Opportunity and Diversity Policy

(This section may need to be edited to meet local/national requirements)

(Insert name of organisation) has responsibilities to ensure that organisations that deliver services on our behalf, or from whom

we purchase goods and services, do so in accordance with our policies. We expect all organisations with whom we have a contract

to deliver services as required on an equal and fair basis and to have, and implement, equality and diversity policies that are

compatible with ours.


DOCUMENT 5

(INSERT NAME OF ORGANISATION)


FORM OF TENDER

I/We certify

1. that this Off er and any contract arising from it shall be subject to the Terms of Off er, (insert name of organisation) Conditions of

Contract with the Invitation to Off er; and

2. to supply services of the exact quality, sort and price specifi ed in the Off er Schedule of Prices, and Specifi cation, in such quantities

to such extent and at such times and locations as ordered;

3. that this is a bona fi de tender, and that we have not fi xed or adjusted the amount of the tender by or under or in accordance with

any agreement or arrangement with any other person. We also certify that we have not done and we undertake that we will not do

at any time before the hour and date specifi ed for the return of this tender any of the following acts:-

(a) communicate to a person other than the person calling for those tenders the amount or approximate amount of the proposed

tender, except where the disclosure, in confi dence, of the approximate amount of the tender was necessary to obtain insurance

premium quotations required for the preparation of the tender;

(b) enter into any agreement or arrangement with any other person that s/he shall refrain from tendering or as to the amount of

any tender to be submitted;

(c) off er or pay or give or agree to pay or give any sum of money or valuable consideration directly or indirectly to any person for

doing or having done or causing or having caused to be done in relation to any other tender or proposed tender for the said

work any act or thing of the sort described above; or

(d) In this certifi cate, the word “person” includes any persons and any body incorporate; and “any agreement or arrangement”

includes any such transaction, formal or informal, and whether legally binding or not.

4. that this Off er shall remain open to be accepted or not by (insert name of organisation) for a period of 90 days from this date.

Dated this (insert closing date and time)

Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Print Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Duly authorised to sign tenders for and on behalf of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Postal address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Telephone no. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fax no. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

E-mail address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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