Scotland seeks £30m deal for online education service

The Scottish government has published a tender worth up to £30m for the provision of various online services for learners in Scotland, with the potential for global expansion. According to a notice published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 22 March, the Glow Futures system will build upon the success of the current system Glow. However, the government hopes that the new system will require less administration to get users up and running, "which will greatly improve rollout and usage". "The contract will provide greater flexibility for the definition of 'user groups' and more specifically their role in the use of Glow Futures services which will greatly improve development in the future. It is envisaged that this will include the extension of the scope of the system to those involved in lifelong learning," says the notice. The chosen supplier will be expected to design a system that can be continually refined, which will involve the supplier keeping up to date with the latest technological developments. In December a number of Scottish local authorities posted worked online for pupils using the Glow network after extreme weather forced schools to close. This article is published by Guardian Professional. For updates on public sector IT, join the Government Computing Network here.