1. Background

REPSSI (The Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative) has for 15 years developed and provided ready-to-use resources to build the psychosocial wellbeing of children, youth, and communities. This builds resilience, esteem, confidence, and motivation for improved wellbeing, as well as teamwork, conflict resolution skills, and the ability to find opportunities. The organization has done this through:

• Evidence-informed knowledge development on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).
• Knowledge transfer through distribution of easy-to-use resources.
• Capacity building through trainings.
• Monitoring, evaluation, and documentation capacity strengthening for psychosocial support (PSS).
• Advocacy and lobbying for PSS integration into core programming.

As a technical support organization, REPSSI offers training in the use of various resources and tools that range from three to 15 days. To further build the capacity of those that work with children, youth, and other vulnerable groups, the organization has also developed three full qualifications. REPSSI Zambia has successfully accredited the Diploma in Community-Based Work with Children and Youth, Diploma in Child and Adolescent Mental Health with the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA), and Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. All the courses are offered through situated, supported, distance learning. This enables students to continue their vital work, immediately integrating new theory into their practice, and through their regular Community of Practice group sessions, to enrich the theory by integrating their practical knowledge into it.

2. Objective of the SIS & LMS Learning Management System

• To introduce a seamless, user-friendly, and robust cloud-based student information system and learning management system for all users (students, instructors, administrators, trainers, members, etc.).
• To reduce physical contact time for students by taking the courses into their comfortable spaces away from the classroom.
• To manage all the course and training activities of the institution digitally by transforming the classroom-based system to the online-based system.
• To earn revenue by serving students and members of the public through short courses.
• To enhance the learning and capacity-building experience of the target beneficiaries.

3. Scope of the Learning Management System

The SIS and LMS will be a cloud-based software platform that will provide an interactive online learning environment and automate:

• Student admission, administration, organization, delivery, and reporting of educational content and learner outcomes.

The scope of the SIS and LMS can be defined as the range of activities and functionalities that it will offer to its users. The scope of the LMS will include, but will not be limited to, the following:

• Student admission and registration.
• Course management: creating and managing courses, adding course materials, setting up assignments, quizzes, tests, and tracking student progress.
• Content management: creating and managing digital content in a collaborative environment.
• Classroom management: creating and managing digital classrooms on the platform.
• Communication management: facilitating communication between students and instructors through various channels such as email, chat, online discussion forums, etc.
• Assessment & Certification management: creating and managing assessments such as quizzes, online exams, assignments, etc., and tracking student performance.
• Other Learning & Material Tools: other learning tools can be enabled in the same platform to interact between instructor and learner, e.g. e-book, blog, vlog, etc.
• Storage Management: storing the learning materials in the platform, ensuring quick access to the learning materials.
• Question Bank: allow storing questions as prep store-based so that the instructor can generate questions quickly by selecting them (like click and play).
• Question Randomization: help generate multiple sets of questions within a few clicks, eliminating the need to generate questions manually each time.
• Payment Gateway: enable financial transactions for enrolling in single or multiple courses.
• Reporting and Dynamic Dashboard: generate reports on student performance, course completion rates, etc., and provide a dynamic dashboard to offer real-time insights into learner progress and course performance.
• Device Responsiveness: ensure that learners can access educational content seamlessly on various devices, from smartphones to tablets, allowing students flexibility to engage with courses anytime, anywhere.
• Online/Offline Access to the Course: courses should allow offline use, including media files such as graphics, videos, or audios, and transcripts should be available for the learner.
• Integration Capability: ensure the LMS can connect with external tools and systems, streamlining administrative tasks and expanding educational resources, enhancing the overall learning experience.

4. Technical Features

• Option to take online classes (preferably via API linking with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or other online platforms).
• Detailed Dashboard and graphical board.
• Course enrolment (including batch settings, certification, marking, and payment).
• Classroom features (assessment, content, course, dashboard, etc. on a single platform).
• Content creation.
• Question Bank (support for exams, quizzes, assignments, video, image, manual, audio, document, discussion, presentation, interview, survey).
• User and admin management.
• Enrolment verification.
• Option to create tutorials.
• Various reports (learners’ reports, course-wise reports).
• Integrated secured payment gateway.
• Online certification provision.
• Student engagement tracking.
• Course calendar.
• Notifications and alerts for learners.
• Ability to customize features and storage facilities.
• Plug-and-play platform that integrates/enables other modules through API easily.
• Online exam centre.
• Course selling facility (explain how your LMS can help ICMAB).
• Mobile-based app version (if any).
• Seamless platform access on low bandwidth.
• Report generation.

5. Estimation of the SIS and LMS

• Estimated number of accounts initially: 600 accounts.
• Estimated number of concurrent users: 300 users.
• Growth rate per year for the next three to five years: 5% to 15%.
• Estimated number of live classes to be recorded and stored per month: 40 live classes (1.5 hours each).
  • Yearly: 1200 classes x 1.5 hrs x 2000 students = 3,600,000 hours.
• In addition, there might be 30 external courses per year.
  • Total: 20 training x 3 hours per class x 20 classes per training = 1200 hours.

6. Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes from the student information system (SIS) and Learning Management System (LMS) may vary depending on the institution’s needs. However, some of the common expected outcomes are:

• Improved learning outcomes: Provide a more interactive and engaging learning environment, personalized learning experiences, and real-time feedback on student performance.
• Increased efficiency: Automate administrative tasks such as course creation, grading, and reporting, saving time and reducing costs.
• Enhanced collaboration: Facilitate collaboration between students and instructors through communication channels such as email, chat, discussion forums, etc.
• Better accessibility: Provide access to educational content and resources anywhere and anytime, making education more accessible to learners with different needs.
• Improved data analysis: Generate reports on student performance, course completion rates, etc., to help instructors identify areas for improvement and optimize teaching strategies.
• Research and Development: Conduct adequate research and development on online education delivery.

7. Main Task of the Consulting Firm

• Development and implementation of a student information system (SIS) and Learning Management Solution (LMS) for REPSSI Zambia, along with providing necessary training to the different types of users.

8. Job Responsibilities of the Vendor (Consultant)

To achieve the objectives and fulfill the expected outcomes, the responsibilities of the Consulting Firm are as follows (but not limited to):

• Enable LMS with all required features and services for approximately 2000 users within the stipulated time.
• Arrange in-office meetings/training/workshops as needed.
• Fix system bugs, requirements, execution, and collaboration.
• Ensure data security and privacy.
• Provide users with necessary training and support.
• Maintain the platform and conduct quality assurance and testing.
• Provide customization and integration services.

9. Qualification of the Vendor (Consultant)

The Consulting Firm should have the following qualifications:

• Experience: A minimum of 3 years in providing SIS/LMS solutions to educational institutions. Experience in e-learning course development and course selling is an added qualification.
• Expertise: In-depth understanding of online-based learning delivery and experience in working with teachers and government employees.
• Customization: Ability to tailor the solution to meet the institution’s specific needs.
• Support: Excellent customer support and responsiveness to client needs.
• Security: Robust security measures to protect sensitive data.
• Awards and Certification: ISO 27001 certification is an added advantage.
• Client List: Adequate working experience in higher education digital learning in at least 5 institutions.

10. Indicative Schedule

• Project Delivery Period: 3 months.
• Date of commencement will be considered as the contract effective date.

11. Work Station and Office Accommodation

• At the REPSSI Zambia offices.
• Logistics for consultant and personnel (transportation, laptop, desktop, internet, etc.).

12. Payment Schedule

The payment schedule will be as follows:

• 1st Progress Payment: 50% after successful installation and commissioning with initial setup.
• 2nd Progress Payment: 25% after handover of the SIS/LMS with necessary security codes to REPSSI and following training.
• 3rd Payment on Completion: Final payment after full execution of the system (including any new development).

Withholding Tax and any relevant taxes, as per government rules, will be deducted from the contract amount at all stages.

13. Application Requirements

• Submit a detailed technical proposal with clear timelines of execution (email: zambia@repssi.org).
• Proposal should be accompanied by:
  • Trade License
  • Registration
  • CVs of key personnel and 2 references.
• Application deadline: 30th November, 2024, Midnight.

REPSSI Zambia
Country Director
Plot 2, Chikwa Road,
Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross,
Long Acres
P.O Box 34422,

Email: zambia@repssi.org
Website: www.repssi.org