Electronic Range Action Safety Plan (ERASP)

Tender description

Summary of the work The production of software ensuring a stringent planning process for training with ammunition is adhered to, allowing assurance for the individual and chain of command. Ideally this planning process will link to other records, databases and planning tools updating accordingly, e.g. training logs. Expected Contract Length Completion by January 2017 Latest start date 06/06/16 Why the Work is Being Done It is a method of assurance of the safe system of training. Safe person is defined as somebody with the correct knowledge, skills and experience to conduct the work. A written instruction (RASP - Range Action Safety Plan) is to be produced every time small arms blank or live ammunition is used. The application will assure the planning process for the safe person, the range conducting officer. Problem to Be Solved The current system entrusts the planning process to the individual, the only measure of their competence is the production of the paperwork, i.e. the RASP. The range conducting officers are not going through the planning process to achieve their aim, there is greater emphasis on the production of the RASP rather than correct planning and organisation. Greater assurance is required to demonstrate correct procdures have been adhered to. A by-product of that assurance is the production of the RASP (electronic for the purposes of this new application). Who Are the Users As a range conducting officer I need to plan and conduct training with ammunition safely following a set procedure so that the personnel on the ranges are safe. It is crucial this process has to be assured. Early Market Engagement No further market engagement has been sought at present. Work Already Done In house scoping concluded: 'A Microsoft .Net solution is developed because it can be delivered within a suitable time frame with in-hand subject matter expertise. All data reports and files are archived and exploited from the Army Data Warehouse (ADW) where possible'. As we are not developing the product using existing expertise, an alternative to .Net may be more suited, e.g. Oracle. Existing Team The existing team consists of the following: Business owner, Senior user, Request originator, Project Manager. Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Experience in Agile methodology in software production. • The ability to work within the given overall project lifecycle and iteration deadlines. • The ability to adjust planning and stategy in accordance with the working environment. Nice to Haves • Previous experience of working within a defence environment. • Experience of working in .Net and/or Oracle, utilisation of Team Foundation Server (TFS) and Azure. • Previous experience of participating in sprint planning meetings and other Scrum activities. Work Location IAS Army HQ Monxton Road Andover Hampshire SP11 8HJ Working Arrangments An Agile methodology will be adopted therefore on site for 5 days a week for the purpose of daily stand-ups is essential. No expenses will be met. Security Clearance Individuals will need SC clearance prior to commencing work. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 10 Proposal Criteria • How the approach or solution meets user needs, and defence policies. • Proposed technical solution, including solutions to identified risks and dependencies. • Team structure - number and developer to tester ratio. • Estimated timeframe for completion of the application. • Value for money based on the above criteria. Cultural Fit Criteria • The ability to work as part of the scrum team, larger IAS department, however, the ability to remain self manageing is essential. • Respect the ethos of the Army, rank structure and wider defence. • The ability to receive and reciprocate constructive feedback from all stakeholders. • Willingness to on occasions visit other locations for short periods to gain the necessary insight into the product. Payment Approach Fixed price Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 10% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers 1. Does the authority have any existing technical roles that will work alongside the supplier for this task? Is the Authority looking for a supplier to carry out the development of the application onsite with a number of roles deployed or can this be done remotely at the supplier's site with regular site visits to Andover for user requirement/sprint planning/reflection meetings? The existing team members consists of the following:Business owner (non-technical)Senior User (and other non-technnical stakeholders),Project Manager/Scrum Master (non-technical)The suppliers will be required to work from Army HQ, Andover in order to facilitate daily standups etc. 2. is the software aimed primarily at "field" such as on-range use (i.e. a smartphone platform as the target platform) or are there other expectations for the location or other non-typical ways the software will primarily be used? Some offline usage is anticipated but no explicit mention was made of smartphone or tablet – current understanding in the department is cabinet office guidelines rule out the development of native mobile applications but a SPA type html 5 application accessible from a modern desktop browser (eg Chrome and in future IE11 on DII UAD) would enable both mobile and offline use cases to be delivered.JSF is still the target deployment environment and .net is preferred technology. 3. Can you indicate the budget range? Cost is an important factor. The business owner does not wish to disclose the exact budget, however, I can confirm it is less than £100K. 4. How can we sign up for the phone conference on 11th? There are VTC capabilities but these are dependant upon which service the supplier uses. Failing this, questions on the 11th can be directed to the following number 01483 795251 from 1100hrs. Please ask for Maj Kevin Liddell using the reference ERASP application. 5. No answer from 01483 795251 at 11.00 on 11th June If you missed the Q & A session, please still feel free to ask questions via this capability, or as a last resort email them to myself at emma-jane.riddett100@mod.uk 6. We have extensive experience of running successful agile projects with partial colocation and the use of audio and video conferencing to support daily stand up meetings. Will you countenance such an arrangement to broaden the field of potential bidders and increase value for money? The inability arises due to my needing to book a conference room for the daily stand-ups with the correct facilities (we only have two) and your ability to update TFS. 7. What are the next stages? How do I get more information? We plan to conduct a demonstration in order to provide a greater understanding of the required capability. All those suppliers who show an expression of interest/apply for this work will be invited to attend, and we understand that some may withdraw their application after the demonstration if they feel the project isn't right for them.The demonstration will take place on Tuesday 31st May, 1000 - 1200 hours in Warminster. Those applying to attend or requiring further information, please contact me on the following email address:emma-jane.riddett100@mod.uk