Dynamic Purchasing System for the provision of Final Year Veterinary Student Teaching

SRUC intends to establish a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the provision of practical clinical teaching, mentoring and assessment for final-year Bachelor of Veterinary Science students undertaking intramural rotations. SRUC is seeking applications from suitably qualified registered veterinary practices capable of providing high-quality, supervised, work-based clinical learning aligned with SRUC learning outcomes, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Day 1 Competences and relevant accreditation requirements.

SRUC’s School of Veterinary Medicine uses a distributed model of veterinary education. The DPS will enable SRUC to appoint veterinary practices to host final-year students on clinical rotations and to provide practical clinical experience, mentoring and formal assessment. Placements are expected to involve 35 hours of supervised activity per week. Clinical mentors should be MRCVS veterinary surgeons with at least three years’ relevant clinical experience, normally operating at a clinical mentor-to-student ratio of 1:2.

The DPS is expected to comprise seven Lots. Applicants may apply for one, several or all Lots.

The DPS will remain open throughout its period of validity. There will be no limit on the number of practices admitted. Applicants satisfying the applicable selection criteria, mandatory requirements and exclusion checks may be admitted.

Admission to the DPS shall be on a Pass / Fail basis and mandatory requirements are expected to involve:

1. completion of the Single Procurement Document (Scotland);

2. completion of SRUC’s questionnaire;

3. a site visit to verify compliance with the requirement.

Interested parties should note that appointment to the DPS does not guarantee any volume or value of work.

Indicative minimum requirements include RCVS Practice Standards Scheme accreditation at Core level or above, or demonstrably equivalent standards; appropriate supervision, facilities, caseload and staffing; and minimum insurance cover of GBP 5 million for employer’s liability, GBP 250 thousand for professional indemnity and GBP 5 million for public liability, as applicable. Full requirements and evidence are set out in the procurement documents.

SRUC’s indicative tariff is GBP 350 (excluding VAT) per student per week of placement. Where accommodation is provided by the practice, it is anticipated that this will be included within the weekly tariff. The tariff and its annual indexation mechanism will be confirmed in the procurement documents. Contracts will reflect the number of students and rotation types that each practice can accommodate.

The procurement will be conducted electronically in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and applicable Scottish procurement legislation. Individual placement requirements will be awarded in accordance with the rules stated in the procurement documents. Suppliers may apply to join the DPS at any time during its validity.