Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2019-08-22
Buyer: The Open University
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 48000000 | 48730000: Security software package | 48732000: Data-security software package | 48780000

Technical requirements: The Open University (OU) would like to hear from suppliers about their software solutions for cleansing and managing unstructured data.
The OU requires information on software solutions and tools that will enable us to manage a data cleansing project in 3 phases to:
(ii) manage remaining and future unstructured data with the application of metadata and enforcement of deletion in line with the OU Retention Policy;
Suppliers that would like to respond to this pre-market engagement exercise must do so on In-Tend (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/openuniversity), details in Communication above. A RFI pack is available to download on In-Tend. This Prior information notice (PIN) is not a call for competition, for the purposes of Regulation 26(9) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
The OU holds a significant quantity of unstructured and unmanaged electronic data across Shared Drives, SharePoint and Office 365, to include email. In shared drives alone at the end of last year this was estimated at 121 m files (136 terabytes). The entire unstructured data estate is currently estimated at circa 250 terabytes.
The OU is at risk of being non-compliant with the GDPR as it is not known which of this data is personal and/or special category data and whether the OU is storing data no longer required for the purpose for which it was initially processed.
An initial proof of concept determined the policies in place to manage this risk around ownership, access, security classification, retention and metadata require review and enforcement; that a tool could be implemented to assist with automating the application and enforcement of these policies, including the deletion of legacy data no longer required and identification of personal and/or sensitive category data, along with compilation of a data catalogue detailing where the unstructured data is stored and whether it contains personal and/or special category data.
The OU is currently reviewing internal policies and looking to how best to enforce those in order to manage and catalogue its’ unstructured data after an initial mass deletion of legacy unstructured data no longer required.
The OU requires information on software solutions and tools that will enable us to manage a data cleansing project in 3 phases to:
(ii) manage remaining and future unstructured data with the application of metadata and enforcement of deletion in line with the OU Retention Policy;
(iii) compile a data catalogue detailing what unstructured data is stored where and whether it contains personal data and special category data.
Suppliers should complete and return a request for information response document by no later that noon on 24.9.2019. Submissions must be made via the In-Tend correspondence function.
This Prior information notice (PIN) is not a call for competition, for the purposes of Regulation 26(9) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
Suppliers are requested to respond to this PIN via the open University's e-tendering website, In-Tend (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/openuniversity). Suppliers should complete and return a request for information response document by no later that noon on 24.9.2019. Submissions must be made via the in-tend correspondence function.
Suppliers are requested to respond to this PIN via the open University's e-tendering website, In-Tend (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/openuniversity). Suppliers should complete and return a request for information response document by no later that noon on 24.9.2019. Submissions must be made via the In-Tend correspondence function. Note that this is a market research exercise only and no contract will be awarded as part of this process. A separate procurement will take place at a later date at the open University's discretion. The open University reserves the right not to proceed with a procurement.