DVSA MOT Service Beta to Live team

Tender description

Summary of the work DVSA require an experienced, multi-discipline Agile delivery capability to deliver functional and non-functional improvements to the MOT service in line with DbD principles and a DevOps culture, leading to a successful Live DbD assessment outcome in Q1 2017 Expected Contract Length We expect this engagement to run for 9months Latest start date 27/06/2016 Why the Work is Being Done The DVSA MOT Service supports high quality MOT testing for 30m MOT tests a year across 22,500 approved garages. It supports the managers of garages and their testers in achieving the right quality. It supports motorists in receiving a consistent MOT service and accessing MOT related data. It makes data available openly to users who provide further services to motorists. It supports DVSA in supervising and supporting garages - providing authorisation of businesses, premises, managers and testers and for enforcement activities. Data is also made available to other government users - notably to DVLA to support vehicle excise duty transactions. Problem to Be Solved The service operates in accordance with the DbD service standard. It is in the public beta phase, aiming to complete a Live digital by default assessment in Q1 2017. An experienced multi-disciplinary delivery team is required to work with the DVSA service team, delivering functional and non-functional improvements aligned to the service backlog, facilitating a successful Live DbD assessment outcome. The team is expected to deliver measurable value, in the form of working software with every sprint, researching user needs and insights from data, and operating in accordance with devops and continuous delivery principles aligned to DVSA's AWS infrastructure. Who Are the Users (examples) As an MOT tester: - I want to have assurance that only I can log a test against me, to ensure that ‘dodgy’ MOTs cannot be logged against me As DVSA: - I want information presented to me that enables risk to be managed As an MOT garage manager: - I want my opportunity to do things wrong to be minimised – so I don’t get into trouble As a motorist: - I want to know when my MOT is due so I don’t get into trouble and so I know my vehicle is safe Early Market Engagement n/a Work Already Done The service has passed both Alpha and Beta DbD assessments, and is preparing for a Live assessment. The service has a backlog. Work is progressing well across several workstreams, including: - service improvement (functional and non functional improvement work based on researched user need and insights from data) - Database re-architecting (to reduce tech debt) - API re-architecting (to reduce tech debt) - Data quality (remediating data related defects and cleansing legacy data) Existing Team There is a mix of existing vendors including Kainos, BJSS and Valtech Our delivery capability is based on multi-discipline, multi-vendor teams operating in accordance with DbD principles and a DevOps culture (i.e. able to output working software with every sprint). Our organisation is broadly aligned around several key workstreams: - application improvement - re-architecting key components (database and API) - web operations improvements Current Phase Beta Skills & Experience • Demonstrate experience in iteratively improving and successfully taking complex, high volume transactional digital services from public beta through to DbD Live service assessments • Be able to co-locate with the Customer in Nottingham, working as part of a blended, multi-vendor and Customer team • Demonstrate experience and expertise in delivering digital services using LAMP stack, Java, Amazon Web Services, Google Analytics and Tableau technologies • Demonstrate experience of delivering effective 3rd and 4th line support for complex, high transaction digital services in public beta and live phases • Demonstrate experience in Continuous Delivery techniques, so as to deliver high number and frequency of successful changes over a sustained period of time • Demonstrate experience of working in a multi-vendor model on complex programmes with many dependencies and integrations, maintaining live services • Demonstrate significant experience of effective service design, user research and performance analysis capabilities, in line with DbD recommendations to iterate and improve services • Be able to hit the ground running and deploy an effective multi-discipline team able to fulfil the required outcomes no later than 27th June 2016 • Demonstrate experience of enabling Customer delivery teams, empowering them to successfully deliver Continuous Improvement post DbD Live Nice to Haves • Demonstrate knowledge of DfT Agencies digital services and data sets • Demonstrate experience of successful agile coaching and supporting business transformation through digital and non-digital channels • Have experience of working with multiple cloud vendor technologies and tools, so as to support platform migration Work Location DVSA, The Axis, Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham, NG16LP It is also possible that work may be required in other DVSA locations, and occasional attendance to other offices is expected to meet delivery requirements Working Arrangments We expect a full time engagement from delivery teams to meet the required outcomes. We expect this to be a full time, 5 day per week basis (Monday to Friday). There is some scope for remote working (e.g. 4 days per week on-site, 1 day remote), however we value co-located, integrated teams and face to face dialogue in the spirit of the service standard Security Clearance Basic Additional T&Cs Standard Framework and Call Off Terms and Conditions. Any expenses shall be submitted in line with DfT standard T&S policy. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • proposed approach and methodology - 10% • proposed team structure (including CVs of key members) - 10% • value for money justification - 15% • similar contract examples, case studies and references - 10% • On-site (Nottingham) presentation of above (1hr) - 10% • Team scalability, flexibility, deployment time, and pause capability - 5% Cultural Fit Criteria • Proposed approach for working with co-located, multi-vendor DVSA team - 10% • Proposed approach for enabling DVSA digital team and capability - 10% Payment Approach Time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. After a supplier has applied for this opportunity, will the client just select 3 suppliers to provide a written submission and presentation? Or will the client be requesting written submissions from all suppliers who apply for this opportunity and then select 3 suppliers to present? Due to urgent nature of the requirement there is a limited time window for DVSA to seek responses, evaluate, and award ready for a contract start date of 27th June. Therefore we require any applicant to submit a written response to the Shortlist Requirements as well as all the Evaluation Questions as part of their application. The closing date is 01/06/16. If there are more than three applications, DVSA will select a shortlist ( max 3) from all the applications. We will then evaluate the 3 shortlisted applications which will include a presentation from each of the 3 shortlisted applicants. 2. In the answer to question 1, it is stated you require any applicant to submit a written response to the Shortlist Requirements as well as all the Evaluation Questions as part of their application. In what format and how should we submit this response? Many thanks. Written response required by 1st June. There are templates on the Digital Marketplace, that you can use for your response templates. Here is a link to various templates. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/digital-outcomes-and-specialists-templates-and-legal-documents. Use Skills Experience Evidence Template to respond to shortlist criteria, shown in Skills & Experience (Technical Competence: Essential Skills & Experience) and (Technical Competence: Nice to Have Skills & Experience) sections. Use Proposal Template and Case Study Template to respond to the Technical Competence: Proposal Criteria, and Cultural Fit criteria, in the How Suppliers will be evaluated section of the Published Requirement. Submit your Fixed Price as part of your submission. 3. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - SEE ADJACENT COMMENTS In consultation with GDS and Crown Commercial Service we have agreed to postpone the request for written submissions to shortlist questions and evaluation questions until we have assessed the initial applications on the portal. This is in fact how the process is set up to work. We apologise for the confusion and inconvenience this may cause. The process going forward after we review the initial applications based on Yes/No answers to Shortlist and Nice to Have questions will be that DVSA will contact those that say they can meet the Shortlist criteria and request written evidence to support those claims. 4. Important Announcement: See Adjacent Comments. Crown Commercial have advised that the weighting structure of the Technical aspects should cover the Essential and Nice to Have criteria as well as the Technical Competence Proposal Criteria section. Therefore please note the revised weightings below. All Essential and Nice to Have requirements will be allocated 1% of technical weighting. (12% in total). Value for Money is reduced from 15% to 10%. Proposed Team Structure is reduced from 10% to 5 %. Similar Contract Examples is reduced from 10% to 8%. Total weighting across whole of Technical remains at 60%. Cultural Fit remains at 20%. Price remains at 20%. 5. Important Announcement: See Adjacent Comment. The latest Start Date for this contract is now 1st September 2016. Not 27th June as previously advertised. 6. Can you advise of the timeframes for further evaluation and contract award? This will enable us to plan a realistic earliest possible start date for our team. As stated in answer to Q5, the latest start date is now 1st September (not 27th June as previously advised). This will give DVSA enough time to carry out evaluation and contract award including internal governance processes. There are variables such as how many applications we receive that may influence the shortlisting window, so it is difficult for us to say exactly when we will be in a position to announce award of contract. We will try and publish a timetable when we send out the proposal template after the shortlisting process. 7. A question regarding expenses: Please can you provide the DfT standard T&S policy? Does the policy support "per diem" payments to software engineers from Central and Eastern Europe that are a statutory right for residents of those countries who are working abroad under legislation in those countries? The portal does not cater for attachments, so I cannot load the full policy. Expenses may be claimed in certain circumstances. The full policy will be made available to shortlisted suppliers in due course. Here is the key information. Public Transport rate 25p per mile One meal indicative level (Five hour rate) up to £5.00 Hotel indicative level London up to £115 per night Hotel indicative level elsewhere up to £90 per night Overnight stay evening meal indicative level up to £15.00. DfT adhere to statutory rights as applicable. 8. Please can you be specific about what roles you need. Currently you have only communicated general capability requirements. How many roles of each skill set do you need to be working on your site? What is the current composition of the team by skill set and quantity? What is the duration of the work? Duration is expected to be around 9 months as set out in the requirement template. DVSA would like potential suppliers to propose the team capable of meeting the requirements as set out, using their experience. The current composition of the team may be of interest but should not influence your proposal as it concerns a different phase and type of requirement.DVSA will issue more detail in the ITT stage where possible. DVSA expects experienced suppliers to have a good grasp of the potential composition of an agile team to meet the requirement as already described & scale if necessary. 9. Which tools are using to perform the "Continuous Delivery" techniques? How is the team team and the business organised to deliver the software? Could you provide an organisation diagram please? Broadly we have:- AWS as host, continuous integration pipeline built of several environments spanning Development > Integration > Test/Accept > Pre Production > Production- SDLC including tooling, process, and guidance- Our Service Team own the backlog and prioritisation, Delivery own the methodology and solution and delivery. We have an integrated approach and model, where teams are co-located.- Organisation - Broadly it is Service Manager & Product Owners; working with Delivery Managers & Agile teams. There is no facility to include diagrams on this portal at this shortlisting stage.