Request for Proposal (RFP)
For:

Phase 2 scoping commission to inform the British Council Japan Education teamprogramme on promoting gender equality in Higher Education through UK-Japan collaboration
Date: 25 July 2024
1

Overview of the British Council

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the
UK and countries worldwide.
We uniquely combine the UK’s deep expertise in arts and culture, education and the English language, ourglobal presence and relationships in over 100 countries, our unparalleled access to young people andinfluencers and our creative sparkle.
We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform theirlives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore
creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised
qualifications.
We work with governments and our partners in the education, English language and cultural sectors, in the
UK and globally. Working together we make a bigger difference, creating benefit for millions of people allover the world.
We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries.
In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.

2

Introduction and Background to the Project / Programme

2.1

The British Council Japan Education team is seeking to engage a Japan-based consultant to support

the team’s scoping exercise to explore if, what and how it could support the promotion of gender equality
and the empowerment of women and girls in the Higher Education (HE) sector and ecosystem in Japan.
The aim of this exercise is to: 1) assess whether there are any unique contributions the British Council canmake in this area; and 2) inform the design of new programmes and activities if that is the case.
2.2

Phase 1 of this scoping exercise was completed in March 2024, with a report produced that outlined

the current context, understanding and actions relating to gender equality in HE in Japan. The report was
based on desk research, stakeholder consultations with a small number of university academics andadministrative staff in Japan, and case studies of existing initiatives in Japan. (This report will be madeavailable to the chosen supplier.) This RFP is for Phase 2 of the British Council’s scoping exercise.
British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

1

2.3

The purpose and scope of this RFP and supporting documents is to explain in further detail therequirements of the British Council and the process for submitting a proposal in response to this RFP(“Proposal”).
2.4

Project background

The British Council is committed to addressing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
Worldwide, there are persistent inequalities between the sexes, which are expressed and reproduced at thelevel of individual relationships, within families and social groups, in institutions and structures, and which
affect the rights, capabilities, opportunities and well-being of all. The British Council has made a commitment
to improving the life chances of women and girls in its Corporate Plan and to ensuring that women and girls
participate in, and benefit from, decision making and social change.
In its work and programmes in higher education (HE), the British Council engages policymakers, education
leaders, academics, researchers and students in international dialogue, partnerships, mobility and exchange
to create educational opportunities and support improvements to HE worldwide, with a focus on the sharedglobal challenges of quality, inclusion and internationalisation.
The role of higher education in transforming society in relation to women’s equality andempowerment
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are the incubators for the thought leaders and social leaders of the
future. HEIs and systems where norms for gender equality are practised and modelled, and where the voices
and ideas of women are valued and raised up, will play a key role in accelerating progress towards theequality and empowerment of women and girls everywhere. This is why the British Council believes putting
resources into promoting gender equality in HE worldwide is both the right thing to do and the smart thing todo.
The outcomes (long-term) that the British Council seeks to achieve though engagement in this area:•

Policy and system change will be gender sensitive, to the benefit of all genders.

•

Women students, educators and researchers from the UK and other countries will be less at risk
from violence, and there will be increased accountability.

•

International students and alumni will be less likely to be perpetrators of sexual harassment, violenceor discrimination.

•

There will be increased gender sensitivity in research content and application, to the benefit of all
genders.

•

Better gender balance in fields of work and study will improve the quality of future research and its
application.

•

Progress will be achieved towards equality and empowerment of women students, educators,
researchers, policymakers and leaders, as well as more broadly in society.

•

Participants will be ambassadors for gender equality.

British Council RFP – Revised May 20222

Report: Gender Equality in Higher Education – Maximising Impacts
On 10 March 2022, the British Council published a report (Report: Gender Equality in Higher Education –Maximising Impacts1) exploring the gender equality challenges in higher education across the world, andstrategies for positive change. It is a unique reference document that brings together for the first time thewealth of research, knowledge and evidence-based practice on gender equality and inequalities that are
specific to HE systems and institutions around the world.
The report presents the consensus, that to address the gender equality issues that impact and are reflected
in higher education (HE) systems worldwide, will require concerted efforts from governments, higher
education oversight and funding bodies, HEIs and other partners. Given its relationships and partnerships
with individual institutions and through its overarching work on policy and systems change, we believe the
British Council is in the position to be an influential driver for progress towards gender equality in HE globally.
Gender equality and HE in JapanThe British Council’s 2022 report referenced several sources finding that:
In Japan, despite its high GDP, there are significantly fewer female graduates than in comparable highincome countries, with women making up only 45 per cent of entrants to undergraduate degree courses,
and only 31 per cent of PhD graduates compared with the OECD average of 47 per cent. This disparity isalso reflected in university teaching staff (23 per cent, half the OECD average) (OECD, 2019 2 ).
Commentators have noted that factors playing a part in this picture include examples of active discriminationsuch as artificially boosting the entrance scores of male medical school applicants (Shirakawa, 20193) – a
practice now proscribed by the Education Ministry – as well as the long working hours culture forprofessionals, deemed incompatible with family commitments which have been regarded as the domain of
women. Strongly stratified gender roles affect the aspirations of women as well as the climate surrounding
them within HEIs which can be experienced as hostile (Rich, 20194).
These realities are well known in Japan, as are the low ratio of female HE leaders (Presidents, ViceChancellors, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Deans etc.) and the low number of female students in STEM andSocial Science subject areas, and the government and HEIs are already taking action to address genderinequality. The British Council Education team in Japan feel there is a part the British Council can play toconnect stakeholders, facilitate discussions and international collaborations that would bring mutual benefits
to partners and multiply impact. This aligns with the British Council’s commitment to gender equality and thecreation of educational opportunities and supporting improvements to HE worldwide.

1 https://www.britishcouncil.org/gender-equality-higher-education-maximising-impacts
2 https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2019_CN_JPN.pdf

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/01/11/commentary/japan-commentary/japanunderdeveloped-country-women/#.Xpbugm57mZO
4 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/08/world/asia/tokyo-university-women-japan.html
3

British Council RFP – Revised May 20223

3

Proposal Conditions and Contractual Requirements

This section of the RFP sets out the British Council’s contracting requirements, general policy requirements,
and the general conditions relating to this procurement process (“Procurement Process”).
3.1

Contracting requirements

3.1.1

Contracting authority: the British Council which includes any other companies and organisations that

controlorarecontrolled

by

the

BritishCouncil

from

time

to

time

(see:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/structure/status).
3.1.2

Delivery location for goods and/or services: the British Council offices in Tokyo and other locations

within Japan.
3.1.3

Duration: until 31 January 2025 with an option for an extension for up to an additional 1 month, until

28 February 2025.
3.1.4

Contractual terms: As set out at Annex 1 (Terms and Conditions of Contract) (“Contract”). By

submitting a Proposal, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this RFP and the Contract without
further negotiation or amendment. In the event that the chosen service provider is operating as a Sole Traderor through a Personal Service Company, the British Council retain the right to issue specific contractual
terms and conditions, in order to take account of this status. If you plan to submit a bid as a Sole Trader or
Personal Service Company please contact < ihe@britishcouncil.or.jp > for a copy of the specific terms. Once
the Contract is awarded, there will be no changes allowed to the Contract (except in accordance with theprovisions of the Contract). Any clarification questions in relation to any aspect of this Procurement Process
and the associated documentation should be submitted in accordance with the process set out in paragraph
12 (Clarification Requests). Only changes which relate to the correction of ambiguity or manifest error in
relation to the terms of the Contract will be considered and, if necessary, the British Council may, whenissuing its response to clarification questions, reissue Annex 1 to reflect such changes. Any proposed
amendments received from a potential supplier as part of its Proposal shall entitle the British Council to rejectthat Proposal and to disqualify that potential supplier from this Procurement Process.
3.2

General Policy Requirements

3.2.1

By submitting a Proposal, you confirm that you will, and that you will ensure that any consortium

members and/or subcontractors will, comply with all applicable laws, codes of practice, statutory guidance
and applicable British Council policies relevant to the goods and/or services being supplied. All relevant
British Council policies that suppliers are expected to comply with can be found on the British Council website(https://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/transparency/policies).
3.3

General Proposal conditions (“Proposal Conditions”)

3.3.1

Application of these Proposal Conditions – In participating in this Procurement Process and/or bysubmitting a Proposal it will be implied that you accept and will be bound by all the provisions of this RFP
British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

4and its Annexes. Accordingly, Proposals should be made on the basis of and strictly in accordance with therequirements of this RFP.
3.3.2

Third party verifications – Your Proposal is submitted on the basis that you consent to the British

Council carrying out all necessary actions to verify the information that you have provided, and the analysisof your Proposal being undertaken by one or more third parties commissioned by the British Council for such
purposes.
3.3.3

Information provided to potential suppliers – Information that is supplied as part of this Procurement

Process is supplied in good faith. The information contained in the RFP and the supporting documents andin any related written or oral communication is believed to be correct at the time of issue. No liability (savefor fraudulent misrepresentation) is accepted for its accuracy, adequacy or completeness and no warranty
is given as such.
3.3.4

Potential suppliers to make their own enquires – You are responsible for analysing and reviewing all

information provided to you as part of this Procurement Process and for forming your own opinions andseeking advice as you consider appropriate. The clarification process set out in paragraph 12 should be
used for any queries in relation to this Procurement Process.
3.3.5

Amendments to the RFP – At any time prior to the Response Deadline, the British Council may

amend the RFP and if appropriate, the Response Deadline shall, at the discretion of the British Council, be
extended.
3.3.6

Compliance of Proposal – Any goods and/or services offered should be on the basis of and strictlyin accordance with the RFP (including, without limitation, any specification of the British Council’s
requirements, these Proposal Conditions and the Contract) and all other documents and any clarifications
or updates issued by the British Council as part of this Procurement Process.
3.3.7

Compliance with the terms of the Contract – The successful supplier must comply with the Contract

as set out in Annex 1 without any amendment (save as described in paragraph 3.1.4).
3.3.8

Format of Proposal – Proposals must comprise the relevant documents as detailed by the British

Council in Annex 2 (Supplier Proposal) completed in accordance with relevant all instructions. Any
documents requested by the British Council must be completed in full. It is important that you read the RFP
carefully before completing and submitting your Proposal.
3.3.9

Modifications to Proposals once submitted – You may modify your Proposal prior to the Response

Deadline by giving written notice to the British Council. Any modification should be clear and submitted as acompletely new Proposal in accordance with Annex 2 (Supplier Proposal) and these Proposal Conditions.
3.3.10 Disqualification – If you breach these Proposal Conditions, if there are any errors, omissions ormaterial adverse changes relating to any information supplied by you at any stage in this Procurement
Process, if any other circumstances set out in this RFP, and/or in any supporting documents, entitling the
British Council to reject a Proposal apply and/or if you or your appointed advisers attempt:
British Council RFP – Revised May 20225

•

to inappropriately influence this Procurement Process or fix or set the price for goods or services;•to enter into an arrangement with any other party that such party shall refrain from submitting a
Proposal;•

to enter into any arrangement with any other party (other than another party that forms part of yourconsortium bid or is your proposed sub-contractor) as to the prices submitted;•

to collude in any other way;•

to engage in direct or indirect bribery or canvassing by you or your appointed advisers in relation tothis Procurement Process; or•to obtain information from any of the employees, agents or advisors of the British Council concerning
this Procurement Process (other than as set out in these Proposal Conditions) or from anotherpotential supplier or another Proposal,

the British Council shall be entitled to reject your Proposal in full and to disqualify you from this Procurement
Process. Subject to paragraph 3.3.11 below, by participating in this Procurement Process you accept thatthe British Council shall have no liability to a disqualified potential supplier in these circumstances.
3.3.11 Proposal costs – You are responsible for obtaining all information necessary for preparation of your
Proposal and for all costs and expenses incurred in preparation of the Proposal. Subject paragraph 3.3.14,
you accept by your participation in this Procurement Process, including without limitation the submission of
a Proposal, that you will not be entitled to claim from the British Council any costs, expenses or liabilities
that you may incur in submitting a Proposal irrespective of whether or not your Proposal is successful.
3.3.12 Rights to cancel or vary this Procurement Process – Nothing in this Procurement Process will bindthe British Council to enter into any contractual or other arrangement with you or any other potential supplier.
It is intended that the remainder of this Procurement Process will take place in accordance with the provisionsof this RFP, but the British Council reserves the right to terminate, amend or vary (to include, without
limitation, in relation to any timescales or deadlines) this Procurement Process by notice in writing. Subject
to paragraph 3.3.14, the British will have no liability for any losses, costs or expenses you incur as a resultof such actions.
3.3.13 Consortium Members and sub-contractors – It is your responsibility to ensure that any staff,
consortium members, sub-contractors and advisers abide by these Proposal Conditions and therequirements of this RFP.
3.3.14 Liability – Nothing in these Proposal Conditions is intended to exclude or limit the liability of the British
Council in relation to fraud or in other circumstances where the British Council’s liability may not be limited
under any applicable law.

British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

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4

Confidentiality and Information Governance

4.1

All information supplied to you by the British Council, including this RFP and all other documents

relating to this Procurement Process, either in writing or orally, must be treated in confidence and notdisclosed to any third party (save to your professional advisers, consortium members and/or sub-contractors
strictly for the purposes only of helping you to participate in this Procurement Process and/or prepare your
Proposal) unless the information is already in the public domain or is required to be disclosed under any
applicable laws.
4.2

You shall not disclose, copy or reproduce any of the information supplied to you as part of thisProcurement Process other than for the purposes of preparing and submitting a Proposal. There must be
no publicity by you regarding the Procurement Process or the future award of any contract unless the British
Council has given express written consent to the relevant communication.
4.3

The British Council reserves the right to disclose all documents relating to this Procurement Process,including without limitation your Proposal, to any employee, third party agent, adviser or other third party
involved in the Procurement Process in support of, and/or in collaboration with, the British Council. The
British Council further reserves the right to publish the Contract once awarded and/or disclose informationin connection with supplier performance under the Contract in accordance with any public sectortransparency policies (as referred to below). By participating in this Procurement Process, you agree to suchdisclosure and/or publication by the British Council in accordance with such rights reserved by it under thisparagraph.
4.4

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”), EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

2015, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“EIR”), and public sector transparency policies apply
to the British Council (together the “Disclosure Obligations”).
4.5

You should be aware of the British Council’s obligations and responsibilities under the Disclosure

Obligations to disclose information held by the British Council. Information provided by you in connection
with this Procurement Process, or with any contract that may be awarded as a result of this exercise, may
therefore have to be disclosed by the British Council under the Disclosure Obligations, unless the British
Council decides that one of the statutory exemptions under the FOIA or the EIR applies.

5

Proposal Validity

5.1

Your Proposal must remain open for acceptance by the British Council for a period of sixty days fromthe Response Deadline. A Proposal not valid for this period may be rejected by the British Council.

6

Payment and Invoicing

6.1

The British Council will pay correctly addressed and undisputed invoices within 30 days inaccordance with the requirements of the Contract. Suppliers to the British Council must ensure comparable

British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

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payment provisions apply to the payment of their sub-contractors and the sub-contractors of their subcontractors. General requirements for an invoice for the British Council include:•

A description of the good/services supplied is included.

•

The British Council Purchase Order number is included.

•

It is sent electronically via email in PDF format to < ihe@britishcouncil.or.jp > or by post to:
The British Council Japan Education team, 1-2 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0825 Japan

7

Specification

Background
In FY2023-24, the British Council Japan Education team commenced a scoping exercise to explore if, what
and how it could support the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in theHigher Education (HE) sector and ecosystem in Japan. The aim of this exercise is to: 1) assess whether
there are any unique contributions the British Council can make in this area; and 2) inform the design of new
programmes and activities if that is the case.
Phase 1 of this scoping exercise was completed in March 2024, with a report produced that outlined thecurrent context, understanding and actions relating to gender equality in HE in Japan. The report was basedon desk research, stakeholder consultations with a small number of university academics and administrative
staff in Japan, and case studies of existing initiatives in Japan. (This report will be made available to thechosen supplier.)This RFP is for Phase 2 of the British Council’s scoping exercise.
Objectives
At the end of this Phase 2 scoping commission the British Council aims to have:
1. A list of key stakeholders in Japan and to have engaged in some way with most (if not all).
2. A list of UK organisations/individuals who could input and bring value to UK-Japan collaborations inthis area.
3. An understanding of Japan HE sector strengths and needs in this area to inform the design of ameaningful UK-Japan collaboration.
4. An understanding of UK HE sector strengths and needs in this area that align with stakeholderinterests in Japan.
5. Several ideas for UK-Japan collaborations/next-stap actions that could deliver impact in this area
derived from stakeholder input.
6. An idea of the level of stakeholder interest and motivation towards UK-Japan collaborations in thisarea and any barriers that programmes/activities could face.
7. A list of potential partners for the British Council to co-deliver/collaborate with on any newprogrammes/activities.

British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

8

The intelligence and connections gained from this Phase 2 scoping commission will inform the British
Council’s decision making on future programmes and activities.
Scope
There will be four core elements to this Phase 2 scoping commission:
A. Mapping: Identify key UK and Japan stakeholders.
B. Connecting:i.

Support the British Council to engage UK and Japan stakeholders and facilitate exchange ofknowledge and ideas.

ii.

Support the British Council to build relationships with key stakeholders.

C. Collecting: Design process and collect high-quality stakeholder input.
D. Advising: Support the British Council to design a new programme of activities drawing on the newintelligence gained.
Audiences
It is expected that the Phase 2 scoping commission will necessitate the engagement of the following groupsof stakeholders in both the UK and Japan:•

HE organisations, academics, researchers and administrative staff•

Government officials, policy makers and advisers•

Funding bodies, intermediaries•

Students•

Private sector corporations•

Research institutions

The learnings, outputs and outcomes of the Phase 2 scoping exercise will be shared with stakeholders inboth the UK and Japan, also referenced in future activities.
Constraints/Mandatory requirements
As part of the ‘connecting’ element of this scoping exercise the British Council will host an event to bring
together key UK and Japan stakeholders. The type and content of this event will be developed with thechosen supplier, and we ask that ideas for this event are considered in proposal submissions. The date andtime for this event is confirmed as the morning of Friday 29 November 2024, and a venue in central Tokyo
that can accommodate up to around 100 participants has been secured.
Deliverables
The chosen supplier will provide to the British Council:
1. Consultancy services – which must include but is not limited to:

British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

9oInput on methodology and approach to achieve the objectives set out above.

o

Identifying key stakeholders in the UK and Japan (main focus on Japan as the British Council
can seek support from other sources for UK stakeholders).

oSupport for British Council to connect with key stakeholders and identifying potential
collaborators.

oDesign process for and collect the required intelligence as set out below.

oAdvise the British Council in the design of future programme of activities drawing on new
intelligence gained from stakeholder engagement.

2. Intelligence – which must include but is not limited to:o

List of key stakeholders in Japan.

oList of UK organisations/individuals who could input and bring value to UK-Japan
collaborations.

oList of the strengths and needs of the Japan HE sector in this area.

o

List of the strengths and needs of the JK HE sector in this area that align with stakeholderinterests in Japan.

oList of ideas for UK-Japan collaborations/next-stap actions that could deliver impact in thisarea derived from stakeholder input.

oLevel of stakeholder interest and motivation towards UK-Japan collaborations in this area
and any barriers that programmes/activities could face.

oList of potential partners for the British Council to co-deliver/collaborate with on any newprogrammes/activities

3. Event operation and facilitation support – which must include but is not limited to:oInput on the planning, support delivery and provide facilitation (if appropriate) of the event on
29 November 2024.

4. Written report – the following items should be submitted to the British Council in a written report inJapanese, written in plain, accessible language in a manageable and user-friendly format. The main
volume of the report and any appendix volumes should be produced as electronic and editable
documents in Microsoft Word that adhere to British Council brand guidelines. There will be a
maximum of three drafts with the third being the final draft. Copyright for the written report will beassigned to the British Council.
oSummary of services provided, including all findings and recommendations presented to the
British Council throughout the course of the commission.

o

All intelligence collected for the British Council.

oReport for the event on 29 November 2024.

Project timeline
26 August 2024

Bidders notified of selection results

30 August 2024

Contract

30 August 2024

Commission commences, inception meeting

2 September 2024～

Interim progress meetings as necessary

British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

10

29 November 2024

Event

31 January 2025

Submission of final report

BudgetWe have chosen to use this RFP process to select a supplier who can advise us on the best way to achieve
our objectives for this Phase 2 scoping exercise. For this reason, we do not want to constrain proposals andthe scope of support that can be offered by setting a figure for this commission. As a guide, for our budget
forecast purposes we have set an indicative cost for this commission between 500,000 - 1,500,000 JPY (exclusive of Japan consumption tax).
The evaluation criteria against which proposals will be assessed is set out in Section 13. In relation to thebudget, please note that the weighting for Commercial aspects of submitted proposals is 40%. This reflects
our intention to select proposals based on their quality (20%) and the presented methodology and approach(30%), and not purely the submitted overall price.
Proposals
Please provide the following in your proposal:•

Recommended approach to achieve the stated objectives.

•

Outline of proposed methodology for identifying key stakeholders and gaining high-quality
stakeholder input.

•

Outline of project plan with timeline.

•

Cost – please clearly denote which costs are ‘fixed’ or ‘variable’. For variable costs, please identify
if these are ‘estimates’ or ‘optional’ and provide unit rates for costs which are based on quantity.

•

Outline of relevant skills and experience of personnel who will be involved in the delivery of the
proposed project plan.

8

Mandatory Requirements / Constraints

8.1

As part of your Proposal, you must confirm that you meet the mandatory requirements / constraints,

if any, as set out in the British Council’s specification forming part of this RFP. Failure to comply with any
mandatory requirements or constraints shall entitle the British Council to reject a Proposal.

9

Key background documents

9.1

Further relevant background documents / information may be provided to potential suppliers as an

Annex to this RFP and/or by way of the issue of additional documents / links to additional information /documents. Please view list of Annexes at the end of this document.

British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

11

10

Timescales

10.1

Subject to any changes notified to potential suppliers by the British Council in accordance with the

Proposal Conditions, the intended timescales applicable to this Procurement Process are:Activity

Date / time

RFP Issued to bidding suppliers

25 July 2024

Deadline for clarification questions (Clarification Deadline)

4 August 2024

British Council to respond to clarification questions

5 August 2024

Deadline for submission of Proposals by potential suppliers

22 August 2024

(Response Deadline)
Final Decision

26 August 2024

Contract concluded with winning supplier

30 August 2024

Contract start date

30 August 2024

11

Instructions for Responding

11.1

The documents that must be submitted to form your Proposal are listed at Part 2 (Submission

Checklist) of Annex 2 (Supplier Proposal) to this RFP. All documents required as part of your Proposal
should be submitted to < ihe@britishcouncil.or.jp > by the Response Deadline, as set out in the Timescales
section of this RFP.
11.2

The following requirements should be complied with when submitting your Proposal in response tothis RFP:•

Please ensure that you send your submission in good time to prevent issues with technology – late
Proposals may be rejected by the British Council.

•

Do not submit any additional supporting documentation with your Proposal except where specificallyrequested to do so. PDF, JPG, PPT, Word and Excel formats can be used for any additional
supporting documentation (other formats should not be used without the prior written approval of the
British Council).

•All attachments/supporting documentation should be provided separately to your main Proposal
document, clearly labelled and cross-referenced to the Proposal as relevant.

•If you submit a generic policy / document you must indicate the page and paragraph reference thatis relevant to a particular part of your Proposal.

•

Unless otherwise stated as part of this RFP or its Annexes, all Proposals should be in the format of
the relevant British Council requirement with your response to that requirement inserted underneath.

•

Where supporting evidence is requested as ‘or equivalent’ you must demonstrate such equivalenceas part of your Proposal.

•

Any deliberate alteration of a British Council requirement as part of your Proposal will invalidate your
Proposal to that requirement and for evaluation purposes you shall be deemed not to have
responded to that particular requirement.

British Council RFP – Revised May 202212

•

Responses should be concise, unambiguous, and should directly address the requirement stated.

•

Your Proposal to the RFP requirements and pricing will be incorporated into the Contract, as
appropriate.

12

Clarification Requests

12.1

All clarification requests should be submitted to < ihe@britishcouncil.or.jp > by the Clarification

Deadline, as set out in the Timescales section of this RFP. The British Council is under no obligation to
respond to clarification requests and will response if the question is appropriate and received before theClarification Deadline.
12.2

Any clarification requests should clearly reference the appropriate paragraph in the RFP

documentation and, to the extent possible, should be aggregated rather than sent individually.
12.3

The British Council reserves the right to issue any clarification request made by you, and the

response, to all potential suppliers unless you expressly require it to be kept confidential at the time therequest is made. If the British Council considers the contents of the request not to be confidential, it will
inform you and you will have the opportunity to withdraw the clarification query prior to the British Council
responding to all potential suppliers.
12.4

The British Council may at any time request further information from potential suppliers to verify or

clarify any aspects of their Proposal or other information they may have provided. Should you not provide
supplementary information or clarifications to the British Council by any deadline notified to you, your
Proposal may be rejected in full and you may be disqualified from this Procurement Process.

13

Evaluation Criteria

13.1

You will have your Proposal evaluated as set out below:

Stage 1: Proposals will be checked to ensure that they have been completed correctly and all necessary
information has been provided. Responses correctly completed with all relevant information being provided
and all mandatory requirements as outlined in Section 8 met will proceed to Stage 2. Any Proposal notcorrectly completed in accordance with the requirements of this RFP and/or containing omissions may berejected at this point. Where a Proposal is rejected at this point it will automatically be disqualified and will
not be further evaluated.
↓
Stage 2: If a bidder succeeds in passing Stage 1 of the evaluation, then it will have its Proposal evaluatedin accordance with the evaluation methodology set out below.
13.2

Award Criteria – Responses from potential suppliers will be assessed to determine the mosteconomically advantageous proposal using the following criteria and weightings and will be assessed
entirely on your response submitted:

British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

13

Criteria

WeightingSocial Value

10%

Quality

20%

Methodology and Approach

30%

Commercial

40%

13.3

Scoring Model – Proposals will be subject to an initial review at the start of Stage 2 of the evaluation

process. Any Proposals not meeting mandatory requirements or constraints (if any) will be rejected in full at
this point and will not be assessed or scored further. Proposals not so rejected will be scored by an evaluation
panel appointed by the British Council for all criteria other than Commercial using the following scoringmodel:
PointsInterpretation
Excellent – Overall the response demonstrates that the bidder meets all areas of the10requirement and provides all of the areas evidence requested in the level of detailrequested. This, therefore, is a detailed excellent response that meets all aspects of therequirement leaving no ambiguity as to whether the bidder can meet the requirement.
Good – Overall the response demonstrates that the bidder meets all areas of therequirement and provides all of the areas of evidence requested, but contains some trivial

7

omissions in relation to the level of detail requested in terms of either the response or theevidence. This, therefore, is a good response that meets all aspects of the requirementwith only a trivial level ambiguity due the bidders failure to provide all information at thelevel of detail requested.
Adequate – Overall the response demonstrates that the bidder meets all areas of therequirement, but not all of the areas of evidence requested have been provided. This,

5

therefore, is an adequate response, but with some limited ambiguity as to whether thebidder can meet the requirement due to the bidder’s failure to provide all of the evidence
requested.
Poor – The response does not demonstrate that the bidder meets the requirement in one

3or more areas. This, therefore, is a poor response with significant ambiguity as to whether
the bidder can meet the requirement due to the failure by the bidder to show that it meets
one or more areas of the requirement.

0

Unacceptable – The response is non-compliant with the requirements of the RFP and/or
no response has been provided.

British Council RFP – Revised May 2022

14

13.4

Commercial Evaluation – Your “Overall Price” (as calculated in accordance with requirements ofAnnex 3 (Pricing Approach) for the goods and/or services will be evaluated by the evaluation panel for the
purposes of the commercial evaluation, further information on this approach may be available in Annex 3.
In the event that any prices are expressed as being subject to any pricing assumptions, qualifications or
indexation not provided for by the British Council as part of the pricing approach, the British Council may
reject the full Proposal at this point. The British Council may also reject any Proposal where the Overall Pricefor the goods and/or services is considered by the British Council to be abnormally low following the relevant
processes set out under the procurement rules. A maximum offer score of 10 will be awarded to the Proposal
offering the lowest “Overall Price”. Other Proposals will be awarded a mark by application of the following
formula: (Lowest Overall Price/Overall Price being evaluated) x 10 (rounded to two decimal places) =commercial score.
13.5

Moderation and application of weightings – The evaluation panel appointed for this Procurement

Process will meet to agree and moderate scores for each award criteria. Final scores in terms of apercentage of the overall Proposal score will be obtained by applying the relevant weighting factors set out
as part of the award criteria table above. The percentage scores for each award criteria will be amalgamatedto give a percentage score out of 100.
13.6

The Winning Proposal(s) - The winning Proposal shall be the Proposal scoring the highest

percentage score out of 100 when applying the above evaluation methodology, which is also supported byany required verification evidence (to include, without limitation, any updated information) obtained by the
Authority relating to any self-certification or other requirements referred to at any time in this Procurement
Process.

List of Annexes forming part of this RFP (issued as separate documents):
Annex 1 – Terms and Conditions of Contract
Annex 2 – Supplier Proposal
Annex 3 – Pricing Approach

British Council RFP – Revised May 202215