Procurement
What to ask for in a timetabling RFP
Most timetabling tenders ask exhaustively about features and barely at all about the things that determine whether the implementation succeeds. Here is a checklist that covers both.
Scheduling capability
- Can hard constraints and soft preferences be defined separately, and are soft preferences genuinely optimised rather than merely tolerated?
- Can sessions be locked so that automatic generation works around fixed commitments?
- What happens when the constraint set admits no complete solution — does the system report unallocated sessions, or fail?
- How long does regeneration take for a timetable the size of ours? Ask for a figure, not an adjective.
- Can multiple variants be generated and compared before one is committed?
- Is travel time between buildings and campuses a real constraint?
- Is clash detection performed at individual student level, or only at group level? Ask specifically about examinations.
Data and integration
- Which import formats are supported, and can automated import be mixed with manual adjustment?
- Is there a documented REST API for both inbound and outbound connections? Ask to see the documentation, not a description of it.
- Has the vendor integrated with our specific student information system before? If not, what is the scoping process?
- Is single sign-on supported through our identity provider?
- Can our own systems read timetable data in real time, or only via scheduled export?
The question most tenders miss
This is where implementations actually consume calendar time, and most requirement matrices do not mention it at all.
- Can lecturers enter their own availability directly, through a browser, without installing anything?
- Does that submitted availability feed generation directly, or is there a manual transcription step?
- Can administrators see completion rates and send automated reminders to non-responders?
- Can lecturers verify their own timetable before it is published?
Publishing and communication
- Which channels are supported — web, iOS, Android, digital signage, calendar feeds, PDF, Excel, email?
- Do all channels read from one source, or is there a synchronisation step that can leave one stale?
- Are mobile applications included in the licence, and are they free for unlimited students?
- Can published pages carry our branding, and is that included or chargeable?
- Are change notifications targeted at affected individuals, or broadcast?
Commercial and support questions tenders often omit
- What is the licensing unit — per user, per student, per timetable, or per module? Model the cost at our projected size in five years, not today.
- Which modules are included and which are chargeable extensions? Ask explicitly about exam scheduling, room booking, mobile apps and the API.
- Is support included in the licence, or is it a tier? What is the response target, and is there a named account manager?
- Who answers second-line technical issues — a support desk, or the development team?
- Are upgrades included for the life of the licence?
- What is the ongoing internal IT burden after go-live? Ask for a reference customer of comparable size and ask them directly.
- What are the exit terms — can we export our full dataset in a usable format, and at what cost?
Security and compliance
- Does the vendor hold ISO/IEC 27001 or an equivalent certification for information security management?
- Is data encrypted in storage and in transit, and what is the backup regime?
- Is full on-premises installation available if data must not leave our network?
- Where is data hosted, and can we specify a region?
- Will the vendor complete our information security questionnaire, and within what timescale?
Using this
You are welcome to lift these questions directly into your own tender documentation. We will answer every one of them for Wise Timetable in writing, including the awkward ones, and we would rather you asked the same of every vendor you are considering.
Book a call if you would like us to walk through the list against your specific requirements.
Want to see this working?
Book a 45-minute online presentation and we will walk through it against your institution's own scheduling problem.