Discovery Exercise for IT System Supporting Regulation of RSHP (Registered Social Housing Providers)

Tender description

Summary of the work To begin development and delivery of the highest priority requirement and the MVP; To carry out thorough research evaluating/comparing off-the-shelf products for the IT System; To sample functionality; To define time/cost estimates for the implementation of the IT system; and to conduct preparation, de-risking and mobilisation activities to progress asap. Expected Contract Length 4 Weeks Latest start date 01/11/2016 Budget Range There is a maximum budget of £15,000 for this Discovery Exercise phase of the new Regulatory Regime. Why the Work is Being Done Housing Regulation serves to protect public funds invested in social housing and ensures that the quality of landlord and tenant services are maintained and delivered to an acceptable level. Furthermore, effective regulation provides assurance to lenders, other funders and tenants that Housing Associations (HAs) are operating to the required standards. The ‘New Regulatory Framework for Social Housing Providers’ contains a set of standards and outcomes that the Department for Communities (DfC) expects Registered Social Housing Providers (RSHP) to meet under the new Regulatory process. An IT system is required to support the new Regulatory Regime. Problem to Be Solved A target date for implementation of the new Standards has been set for 01 April 2017 and there are high expectations across the social housing sector that the new regulatory regime will be in place by that date. In developing the new regulatory regime we need to ensure that the approach is both effective and proportionate and a suitable IT system is in place to support the new Regulatory Regime. The purpose of the Discovery Exercise is start researching the needs to identify a suitable IT system to support the new Regulatory Regime and explore technological and policy related constraints. Who Are the Users Registered Social Housing Providers (RSHP) need to be able to input the necessary evidence to support their justification of meeting the standards; The Department for Communities will need an IT system to carry out their assessment based on the information submitted by RSHPs; The Department for Communities will require an IT system to generate Departmental Judgments along with the necessary documentation; and Members of the public etc need an IT system to monitor the performance of RSHPs. Early Market Engagement It is expected the IT system would be similar to those used by HCA in England and Social Housing Regulator in Scotland. Work Already Done Research visits to England and Scotland have been carried out. Existing Team The provider should work in a collaborative and transparent way with the Project Manager and provide the focus to make the Discovery Exercise happen within the stipulated timeframe. Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Demonstrable experience in delivery of successful Discovery outcomes to support complex service and technology transformation, including undertaking service design • Demonstrable experience of developing an overall delivery approach from solution architect and service design • Demonstrable experience of effectively planning for new user-centric IT digital services • Proposed approach and methodology for undertaking the Discovery Exercise, highlighting dependencies and key project risks • Proposed deliverables and timeline for the Discovery Exercise, including team size, roles and responsibilities which can commence by the stipulated date Nice to Haves • Experience of successful delivery of Discovery within an organization undertaking a complex service transformation programme. • Experience of leading Discovery Exercises within the public sector. Work Location The provider will be expected to work on a full time basis with business users and stakeholders. They will also be expected to travel as required in order to conduct their research and produce findings and recommendations. Working Arrangments The project will be managed through Prince 2 utilising a hybrid approach of both Agile and Waterfall. It is expected that at the end of this contract, the supplier will provide a project plan and suggested ways forward. The SHRP Implementation Branch will have oversight of the entire project and will be kept updated as required. The Supplier will undertake a cross-functional, multi-disciplinary approach and will produce their findings in a clear and concise format. Security Clearance BPSS - Basic Disclosure No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Demonstrable experience in delivery of successful Discovery outcomes to support complex service and technology transformation, including undertaking service design (3%) • Demonstrable experience of developing an overall delivery approach from solution architect and service design (3%) • Demonstrable experience of effectively planning for new user-centric IT digital services (2%) • Proposed approach and methodology for undertaking the Discovery Exercise, highlighting dependencies and key project risks (35%) • Proposed deliverables and timeline for the Discovery Exercise, including team size, roles and responsibilities which can commence by the stipulated date (30%) Cultural Fit Criteria • Demonstrable experience of carrying out user research with a selection of stakeholders (3%) • Demonstrable experience of knowledge sharing and skills transfer with in-house teams in order to build sustainable capability (2%) • Demonstrable experience of leading public sector teams, particularly those with no experience of Agile, in Discovery and iterative development (2%) Payment Approach Fixed price Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 73% Cultural fit 7% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Would working on this first assignment preclude any potential bidders from bidding for any further development work? No, working on this assignment would not preclude potential bidders from bidding on any further work in this area. 2. How many individual stakeholders to envisage being required from an interview perspective? An exact figure of stakeholders to be interviewed is unknown at present. Examples of stakeholders interviews may be with; Social Housing Regulators in other jurisdictions, Housing Associations in Northern Ireland, the Department for Communities and potential suppliers. 3. What current documentation is available? All relevant information should be provided within the Digital Marketplace Documentation. 4. Is there an existing IT solution that the discovery would be additional requirements to or is this a discovery for a new system please? This is a new System with no historical IT System in place. 5. Have you ruled in or out, the possible re-use of the comparable systems you have already looked at - namely the Scottish Housing Regulator's solution and the Homes and Communities Agency solution. No this has not been ruled out and one of things we would like further investigated as part of the Discovery Exercise. 6. With regards the IT Solution already used by the HCA, given its relationship to DCLG, why is it that the DCLG needs its own IT System - different/separate to that already used by HCA? This Discovery Exercise is for the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland which is not part of DCLG. 7. Who/what is the SHRP Implementation Branch ? The Social Housing Reform Programme Implementation Branch are the team within the Department for Communities responsible for implementing the New Regulatory Framework. 8. Please could you provide information on which IT system is currently in use by HCA in England and Social Housing Regulator in Scotland? The following link will provide some information on the Scottish Regulator Providers https://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/news/housing-regulator-develops-new-information-system-scottish-social-housing-charter. Information on HCA's is currently unavailable from ourselves.