PU-17/0103 - Data Collection Delivery Team

Tender description

Summary of the work ONS are looking for a dynamic, highly skilled, collaborative supplier to work on the next generation of its online Data Collection portal. As the work moves into Alpha and beyond we need a supplier capable of delivering significant technical change at pace in a data focused environment using Agile techniques Expected Contract Length 30/08/16 to 31/03/17 as a minimum Latest start date 30/08/16 Why the Work is Being Done ONS Data Collection service is the key enabler for the collection of Business Survey data in the organisation. It is made up of a number of products at varying stages of maturity across multiple technologies. The products that enable user access/authentication and management of user responses now needs overhauling to bring it in line with ONS revised technical and business objectives. User needs are a key focus as is system integrity i.e. secure high volume authenticated transactions, personalised content delivery at scale, high integrity data acquisition and transfer, responsive and performant Problem to Be Solved Scalable, secure user-focussed products are needed to enable login, authentication and case management for - initially - Business Survey Data collection online. Integration with existing products that make up the "Take part in a Survey" Service is essential - some of which are based on modern technologies, some are legacy. Potential to be used as part of the Census 2021 solution. Key info: Evidence of Essential and Non-Essential criteria will be needed for shortlisting, please supply Shortlisting will be done immediately following closure of opportunity Consideration should be given by suppliers to starting proposals at risk to aid assessment pace Who Are the Users External Users: As someone taking part in a survey I need to.... be able to provide an online response to a request for information from ONS (in the form of a survey)... so that... I can comply with legislation and contribute to UK government decisions Internal Users: As an ONS survey manager I need to ....be able to setup and manage a survey for completion online by a Business user ... so that...I can ensure quality data is collected in a cost-effective way with minimal burden on our users Work Already Done A Discovery phase completed on 18th July and the recommendations are for replacement of the existing products to be more in line with user, business and technology needs. A high level view of the needs of each of these has been established during Discovery and these will be further built on as part of Alpha a 4 week Sprint 0 due to commence 25/07 Existing Team There are multiple multi-disciplinary product teams in place with which to collaborate. Each team has a Delivery Manager, Product Owner and Technical Lead and Business Analyst in situ. The teams are made up of 3rd party delivery partners and ONS permanent staff. Continuation of some team members from Alpha will occur namely, some User Research, BA, Tech Lead. Current Phase Alpha Skills & Experience • Expert in delivery of solutions that utilise SOA and micro services - 2 points • Experience of of Cloud Foundry (Python,Scala,Selenium/BOSH/Manifest or docker, GRAILS, Spring) - 2 points • Expertise in the design and delivery of Restful API's(inc: security functional and non-functional requirements) and use of appropriate tooling such as Swagger/RAML. - 2 points • Expertise in Data/Security IT Architecture (both solution and technically focused), particularly identity management solutions, including multiple authentication mechanisms and federated security solutions - 2 points • Expert in cloud technologies: design, planning. security, integration, whilst remaining Cloud provider agnostic - 2 points • Experience of effective identification and use of open source software components - 2 points • Experience in relational and non-relational databases in multiple formats eg Elasticsearch - 2 points • Experience in set up, configure and build images - 1 points • Experience in automation testing environments & continuous integration & deployment, particualrly GitHub and Jenkins - 2 points • Expert in capturing and utilising Performance and operating metrics on product service - 1 points • Expertise in research and analysis of user needs - including those related to Assisted Digital and accesibility - and translating them into product needs - 2 points • Expertise in User experienced based design of web facing products including use and refinement of design patterns and a proven track record of delivering multi-channel, responsive applications - 2 points • Expertise in capturing and chanelling user feedback inclusing use of usability testing techniques - 1 points • Expertise in use of Agile delivery approaches, tools and techniques eg Scrum, Kanban etc - 1 points • Experience of delivery in Data Engineering and Data Management Services, especially in a sensitive data environment - 2 points • Proven track record of delivery of in digital service in 'brownfield' & 'greenfield' estates - 2 points • Expertise in coaching/mentoring less skilled people, leaving a legacy - 2 points Nice to Haves • Experience of the GDS Service Manual - 1 point • Experience of working across government agencies - 1 point • Security knowledge of Cloud Foundry on AWS or local tin - 1 point • Experience of channel shift transformation - 1 point • Expertise in Full Cloudera Stack - 1 points Work Location The work will be based in ONS' Newport (Wales) Office - there is a possibility some travel will be required to ONS' Titchfield site, Fareham, Hampshire. Working Arrangments The team will work alongside existing teams building products to strategic drivers and objectives. They will collaborate with other teams across the service and beyond and will invest time and effort into knowledge share, coaching and mentoring across individuals in order to ensure increased capability of ONS people. They will be co-located with technical and business colleagues, operate using Agile tools and techniques, actively participating in Agile ceremonies including service show and tells. They will be expected to be on-site 5 days per week. Security Clearance All team members must be in possession of a current Disclosure Scotland clearance prior to starting contractual work. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Technical Solutions - 5 points • How the approach or solution meets user needs - 5 points • Approach and Methodology - 5 points • Estimated timeframes - 2 points • How the approach or solution meets the organisation policy or goal - 2 points • Identify risks and dependencies, approaches to manage them - 2 points • Team Structure - 2 points • Value for Money - 2 points Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers - 5 points • Transparent & Collaborative when making decisions - 5 points • Have the user and customer needs at the core of decision making - 5 points • No blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes - 5 points Payment Approach Time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. The brief states "...these will be further built on as part of Alpha a 4 week Sprint 0 due to commence 25/07". Are you looking for a supplier to provide the Alpha team to take on Alpha delivery post the four week Sprint 0? Can you clarify the expected duration of the Alpha phase? The team is needed as soon as possible, if it is possible for that team to be part of Sprint 0 then that would be great. The Alpha runs for 12 weeks from 25/07 ie. 4 week Sprint 0 followed by 8 x 2 week sprints of delivery. 2. Can you confirm which of the following ONS (or 3rd party) team members will be assigned to work with our team: Delivery Manager, Product Owner, Technical Lead, Business Analyst, User Research? There will be a Business Analyst and Tech Lead in place. There will be a novice Delivery Manager in place that we would want to be coached/mentored by a more experienced Delivery Manager from the supplier. We may have a Product Owner in place but would want to explore the possibility of acquiring one from the supplier. 3. Are there any outputs that you can share from the Discovery stage? Delivery PlansThe work will be delivered using Agile tools/techniques and will follow the standard Digital Service delivery approach of Discovery/Alpha/Beta/Live, with plans being refined as progress is made. The following outlines the phases as they are known at this time.Alpha - 26/07/16 (12-15 Weeks)Objectives• Complete a Sprint 0 that properly prepares the team for Alpha, including• Delivery of appropriate environments for digital products (for example infrastructure and development)• Detailed Alpha scope based on further research and analysis• An approach to development and testing (including workflow) 4. Question 3 continued: Objectives Contd.• Confirmation of resource needs (human and non-human).• Detailed user research, exploring areas of uncertainty across the whole service, which feeds into...• … a prototype, thin slice solution which is deployed for public access, ideally on strategic infrastructure• … and non-digital products which better enable the service to meet user needs• Confirmation of approach to implementation and migration, including validation of supporting evidence, service adoption, communications strategy for all users and impact on the existing RRM product 5. Question 3 continued ScopeThere are a number of elements that will be covered in Alpha to meet these objectives:1. User Research to confirm and further explore user needs2. Digital and Non Digital Product development reflecting priority User Needs3. Outline design and test of target Architecture and Technical Stack4. Identification and Resolution of Key Risks, Dependencies and Constraints5. A plan for Beta that identifies timelines and resourcesThe Epics currently earmarked for delivery during Alpha will be traced back to user needs and confirmed during detailed planning. 6. Question 3 continued. Scope contd.These will be built on the technology noted in the objectives, in some cases using skeleton or stub functionality. Focus will always be on the minimum required to deliver a thin slice of the end to end capability needed to "Take part in a survey on behalf of a business".The current high priority business surveys will be assessed to identify one or more candidates for testing of the thin slice - either as a pilot, a true "live" collection or as a form of extended research - to be confirmed as part of Sprint 0. 7. Question 3 continued. ScheduleAlpha will run for 12-14 weeks from 26/07/16• 26/07/16 - 22/08/16 - "Sprint 0" - 4 x 1 week Sprints• 23/08/16 to 10/10/16 - 4-5 x 2 week SprintsResourcesIt's anticipated the Team will include capabilities below, provided by a mixture of ONS and third party personnel. Current Discovery team members will continue into Alpha where possible.Sprint 0 Team Full Alpha TeamDelivery Manager Delivery ManagerProduct Owner Product OwnerBusiness Analyst Business AnalystUser Researcher User Researcher x2Technical Lead Technical LeadSoftware Engineer Software Engineer (x4) UX Designer x2 WebOps Engineers x 2 8. Please note this a clarification for all qualifying bidders. Due to the tight timeframe for this piece of work, suppliers who qualify and can meet our essential skills and experience will be expected to provide evidence of this by 12pm on 04/08/2016 to enable ONS to shortlist suppliers by 08/08/2016.