I am in accord too. The 3 quotes system incentivises price cutting (with the cheapest quote winning the work). This doesn’t take into consideration value for money. The role of the Needs Assessor could be crucial to balance things out, hopefully ensuring value is being delivered to Students.
With normal government tendering, lots of factors are considered, not just cost. However, I prefer the 3 quotes + Assessor as ‘surrogate consumer’ model. Its far closer to a normal free market whereby good quality service & goods are rewarded by more business.
However, this does require collecting feedback and an attention to the services that are delivered to Students.
David Baxter-Williams
Assistive Solutions Limited
35 Kingsland Road
London E2 8AA
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Simon Jarvis
Sent: 14 March 2012 09:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: IT training
I agree with you, Penny.
Simon
On 14/03/2012 09:09, Penny Georgiou wrote:
Dear Tim et al,
Those delivering services need to be properly accountable for them. Assessors and Access Centres have a responsibility to become better informed about the
goods and services that they recommend, rather than making formulaic judgements. Where a service is not appropriate to student needs (eg, where students report confusion over comments made over skype and email), they should be able to go back to their assessor (and get a prompt response) for a recommendation to something more suitable to their individual needs rather than practitioner convenience.
Access Centres and Assessors need to be doing active follow up work with students to ensure that they are able to access the services recommended in the course of a needs assessment; not simply as a label but as an experience that enables them to study more effectively.
I am not saying, ‘never’ to such services but, all too often, what is appropriate for particular individuals is then generalised and imposed on all, while claiming to be something else. DSA funding promises bespoke support. We are now in a position, with enough experience and technology, to live up to that promise very well.
Kind regards,
Penny Georgiou
Access 1st
I bring this to your attention. There has been a notice for a conference of support staff advertising the use of Skype. The suggestion is for those who cannot access traditional SPLD sessions and this is to be welcomed. Those who sell dyslexia study support sessions have therefore to address your question of transparent quotations,
It listed, fairly extensively, the strategies that the training ought to cover, but not whether or not it would be delivered remotely or face-to-face. I think that's fair enough - most people reading the needs assessment reports would expect training to be delivered in the traditional sense, i.e. by a person who is there, in the room with you, rather than via an internet connection.
Penny, what is a 'false binary'?
Simon
--
Simon Jarvis
Head of Disability & Dyslexia Service
Queen Mary University of London
Student and Campus Services
Room FB 2.30, Francis Bancroft
Mile End Road, London E1 4NS
Tel:
020 7882 2765
Mobile: 07500 825 597
Fax: 020 7882 5223
www.dds.qmul.ac.uk
--
Simon Jarvis
Head of Disability & Dyslexia Service
Queen Mary University of London
Student and Campus Services
Room FB 2.30, Francis Bancroft
Mile End Road, London E1
4NS
Tel: 020 7882 2765
Mobile: 07500 825 597
Fax: 020 7882 5223
www.dds.qmul.ac.uk
