Tooling, Process Automation and Integration for Defence as a Plaform (Hosting) [DaaP (H)]

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done DaaP (H) is a service that affords customers easy access to a hybrid-cloud hosting solution for defence applications; the aim is to dramatically reduce the current hosting lead times and provide hosting that meets specific security requirements. Alongside core hosting capacity provided by cloud services, part of the customer offering is a variety of supporting curated services; both front-end interfaces and supporting back-end infrastructure will need to be configured or developed to deliver these. A Single Point of Contact will be established if user needs require it. Beta phase for DaaP (H) is expected to begin January 2017, aiming to reach live from late 2017. Problem to Be Solved Work alongside teams delivering Beta service to identify how their work and needs of their users can be better supported (in terms of speed, efficiency and user experience) by tooling and automation. Anticipated to entail a mix of product selection/ configuration, and potentially bespoke development. Functionality is expected to include (but not be limited to) handling customer transactions (including integration with Finance, IT Service Catalogue and Configuration Management systems), information dashboards meeting needs of a variety of stakeholders, and workflow automation. Actual development priorities will emerge based on which transactions/activities turn out to be most frequent or onerous in practice. Who Are the Users "As a ‘customer’ (initially the Armed Forces, with potential for further government departments later), I need a coherent end-to-end service for hosting a new application or similar, including billing and monitoring capability, so that I can quickly and easily meet the needs of my application service. As a member of the cyber team, I want information on the current risk and vulnerability relating to cloud hosted services, so that I may advise and act to protect them. As a supplier of cloud services, I want an easy and coherent way to transact with the MOD as a customer." Early Market Engagement N/A Work Already Done DaaP (H) has just moved into Beta (January 2017). Throughout this phase a select number of applications will become hosted and functional on DaaP (H), and the supporting services will be manually operated. The successful supplier will be joining the team to help automate these in advance of moving into a full capacity Live phase. Existing Team ASDT works in agile scrum teams, each working on part of Defence as a Platform Hosting environment. Sucessful applicants will join the Blue Team which is currently working on processes, automation, and interfaces (Framework Services). Blue Team currently consists of crown servants covering the roles of Scrum Master, Web Developer, Business Analyst, User Researcher, and Community Manager. Team makeup is dynamic and can be altered to suit business needs. Work will fit in with tasks of wider teams which are working on application containerisation, virtual infrastructure and cloud platform creation, and current and future applications. Current Phase Beta Work Location MOD Corsham Westwells Road Corsham Wiltshire SN13 9RA Working Arrangments The team works in a collaborative way, and meets regularly for progress check-ins and priority updates, as is standard with agile working methods. This is currently conducted face-to-face, however if necessary remote working could be accomodated. Security Clearance Due to the urgency of the post and likelihood that successful applicant may come into contact with information regarding SECRET applications hosted on Defence as a Platform, the applicant must already hold SC Clearance. Additional T&Cs N/A Skills & Experience Experience designing services and components that automate DevOps and related IT management and support processes including, but not limited to: Workflow automation; Dashboards; databases; agents; APIs and Portals managing billing, sales, security, and other information. Experience designing and building services that interact with: IT Service Catalogues, Cloud Brokerage, Cloud Deployment, Configuration Management, and Verification Services (whose function is to verify the functional or non-functional performance of a third-party service). Experience designing and building services that are compliant with departmental and legislative security standards. Experience creating user journeys that are tailored to suit the needs of a variety of different audiences, both in form and function. Content design skills, with a focus on the communication of information in the form of visual mediums such as dashboards. Design and implementation skills with regards to search functionality and filtering of data, and displaying this in an audience appropriate format. Data engineering skills to enable the orchestration of the transfer of data from a wide variety of sources, and organize its storage in the manner best suited for later analysis. Ability to create data analytics on a large variety of data from various sources, including the use of public APIs and in-house tools. Experience designing and creating automatic processes for the above analysis of data, and improving the performance of such systems once established. Nice to Haves Has used agile methodologies and worked effectively within such environments, particularly the Scrum framework and ceremonies. Experience leading user research sessions, using data to improve services. This includes identifying user needs, making decisions on what information is most pertinent to a user, and communicating to team. Knowledge and understanding of GDS design principles, and experience implementing these particularly regarding accessibility and readability. A full understanding of why these are important factors for a government service. Knowledge of cloud based application hosting, particularly with regards to the use of Virtual Machines and Containers. Experience developing prototypes (wire frames/coded prototypes/etc.) and iterating these through user testing. Knowledge of technologies (especially Cloud) such as Docker, Cloudify, AWS, Azure would be advantageous. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 8 Proposal Criteria Technical solution How the approach or solution meets user needs Approach and methodology How the approach or solution meets your organisation’s policy or goal How they’ve identified risks and dependencies and offered approaches to manage them Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Evidence of approaching problem solving by putting the user needs first. Has a creative problem solving approach, and a willingness to experiment to create innovative solutions. Communicates with colleagues who do not necessarily have high levels of technical expertise, and has a willingness to share knowledge and experience with other team members. Works in such a way that all interactions build a positive team ethos, and genuinely values the input of team members. Is transparent and collaborative when making decisions. Works effectively within a diverse team, willing to comply with all relevant MOD diversity policies and strategic objectives, demonstrates a wider commitment to diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Understands and works in adherence with the core values and standards expected of civil servants. Has worked effectively within a flat hierarchy. Has a no-blame attitude and fosters an environment in which people can learn from their mistakes. Challenges received wisdoms where these are no longer rooted in valid rationale. Payment Approach Time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Case study Work history Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers Budget range "total budget: £131,000 calculated at; maximum of 4 x sfia level 5 over two months, at 20 days a month"