Part-time research project approval

Part-time students are a highly diverse group with a significant role in widening participation; the vast majority are mature students (92% in 2011-12), 44% are the first in their family to enter higher education and 29% are from low income groups (Callender 2011). The recent sharp decline in part-time study (down by 61% since 2010-11 (HEFCE 2017)) therefore has potentially serious implications for the fair access to higher education of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups.

The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) wish to place a contract for a principal investigator (PI) to undertake a small scale mixed methods research project to investigate current part-time provision in higher education in England. Please refer to the ITT for detailed description of scope of works.

Additional information: OFFA is using the Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE's) e-tendering system for this process. Tenders should be uploaded to HEFCE's e-tendering system at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/hefce/ by 12 noon on Friday 17 November 2017. Any inquiries about this tender should also be uploaded to the system and cannot be directed to any individual. Responses to any such query will be made available to all bidders through this system to ensure that there is an open and equitable process.

Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No