This opportunity has now closed.
British Council operates four global programmes across international tertiary education (covering higher education, science and research collaboration, and TVET (technical and vocational education and training): Going Global Partnerships, International Student Mobility and Marketing, Insights and Engagement, Alumni UK.
The Alumni UK programme is the new global network for people from around the world who have studied in the UK as an international student. The programme aims to engage with alumni through a portfolio of dedicated services (careers and employability support; networking; showcasing talent and achievements; bespoke training; events).
The main objectives of the programme are to build long-term relationships with students who have studied at UK higher education institutions, to support alumni to advance their own careers and learning, and to build networks and collaborate in addressing global challenges.
In addition to this, the Alumni UK programme presents an opportunity to capture data on international graduates of a UK education. As the Alumni UK programme is designed to maintain engagement with this group, there is an opportunity to capture this data periodically and systematically over time.
The programme currently collects a baseline of information when alumni sign up to membership. Potentially through continued engagement with alumni, a valuable longitudinal dataset could be built.
The British Council recognises that a well designed and executed longitudinal study could be a powerful tool for a. monitoring and evaluating the Alumni UK programme; b. understanding the behaviours and networks of international graduates of a UK education, and using this to understand the value to the UK of international education, how/whether it addresses global challenges, and evidence of any difference that the British Council makes in this space; c. developing a powerful set of data to position the British Council as an attractive partner for research into the behaviour and long term outcomes of international students.
The British Council is therefore seeking independent, external expertise with regard to designing and running a longitudinal data collection exercise. We need a better understanding of the resource and commitment required, and the best practise to employ regarding planning, design, data collection and storage, analysis, and communications.
Study objectives
This consultancy is an exercise to determine and advise on what mechanisms and resources would be required in order for the British Council to build and maintain a longitudinal dataset. What challenges might we face and which we should be prepared for?
The consultancy will deliver a clear view of the resource and commitment which would be required to successfully build and manage a long term data-set to bring value to the British Council, to the UK HE sector, to UK HMG and to a global network of experts and practitioners in international higher education.
Qualifications required:
Organisations or consultants with academic expertise in designing and conducting longitudinal studies with rigour.
Outputs and deadlines:
Outputs will include:
- A detailed report in word
- PPT of the key findings
Please see attachment for details.
Key timelines:
| Activity | Date / time |
| RFP issued to bidding suppliers | 20 January 2023 |
| Deadline for clarification questions (Clarification Deadline) | 29 January 2023 |
| British Council to respond to clarification questions | 01 February 2023 |
| Deadline for submission of proposals by potential suppliers (Repsonse deadline) | 06 February 2023 (1700 GMT) |
| Final decision | 10 February 2023 |
| Proposed contract start date | 15 February 2023 |
| Delivery of final outputs | 24 March 2023 |
How to apply:
A full outline of the proposal request, the instructions for responding and evaluation criteria are available as attachments below.
All completed documents must be submitted to email: researchglobal@britishcouncil.org with ‘Longitudinal Study’ mentioned in the subject line.
Corrigendum (30 January 2023)
A wrong sample of the contract was uploaded earlier. Please check the correct contract template now available here. We regret any inconvenience caused.