Agile and Digital Transformation Coach - PS/17/100

Tender description

Summary of the work Lead an Agile & Digital transformation and provide coaching, mentoring and training to help a team of around 250 master the Agile, Lean and Scientific Methods that will enable them to deliver digital services at pace. To develop at least 3 permanent members of staff to become competent Agile Coaches. Specialist role Agile coach Expected Contract Length 6 months with potential to extend for a further 6 months Latest start date Monday 5 June 2017 Maximum Day Rate Up to £750 per day (this is inclusive of T&S) Early Market Engagement This is one of two similar requirements for an Agile and Digital Transformation coach. The IT Service Creation team needs to be able to deliver digital services at a much greater pace than they currently do. The services they develop must have a much lower cost of operation than they currently do. The basic operating model for IT Service Creation has been asserted and we’re now beginning to prove that it will work. (Please copy and paste the following link into the search bar to view operating model - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9G9nVLumMafUTNheEFSQVhsajQ/view?usp=sharing). This has exposed a substantial gap in knowledge and experience around Agile, Lean and Scientific methods. We intend to have around 15 Engineering squads, each of which is responsible for a particular product or set of services, and 4 Portfolio teams that lead cross squad initiatives to deliver business outcomes. Who Speclialist Work With Primarily the IT Service Creation team in DVLA (which includes Delivery Managers, Business Analysts, Software Engineers, Infrastructure Engineers and Testers) but also the ITS Senior Management Team and the DVLA Executive Team. Reporting progress to Senior management on a weekly basis. What Specialists Work On The IT Service Creation team must learn and master the values, principles and practices that are used by world class Web development companies. This will include Agile, Lean and Scientific methods. Key pivots will include managing Products rather than Projects, managing for business outcomes rather than task completion, using experiments and data rather than big up front specs and empowered teams that make decisions rather than a command and control structure. The IT Service Creation Senior Management Team is leading the changes. This includes the Heads of Software, Infrastructure, Quality Engineering, Portfolio & Program Management and Business Analysis Skills & Experience • Proven track record of delivering substantial productivity improvements in complex organisations by successfully embedding the culture, principles, values and practices that underpin Agile, Lean and Scientific methods • Experience of establishing high performing Engineering squads that can safely release valuable software at will to the web for millions of users using techniques like A/B testing and Blue/Green deployments • Proven track record of establishing effective governance & management systems enabling product delivery at extreme pace. Expertise in transitioning from Project to Product Management and operating Agile at scale • Proven track record of developing deep and sustained Agile, Lean and Scientific method expertise in the client’s permanent staff • Proven track record of educating and influencing senior stakeholders to enable them to provide effective support for the transition • Proven track record of managing large and complex transition programmes • Demonstrable and proven mastery of applying Agile and Lean at scale • Proven experience balancing multiple, and often conflicting, priorities and dealing with ambiguity Nice to Haves • Experience of applying the GDS Service Manual to deliver digital services • Experience of the especial requirements of government around managing IT investments and a proven track record of meeting these in the simplest manner possible • Sound experience of using data to make decisions • Experience of ITIL and PRINCE 2 • Certified Expert in Agile Coaching • Certified Scrum Master or Certified Product Owner Work Location DVLA, Morriston, Swansea, SA6 7JL Working Arrangments We will expect the Specialists to be on site 5 days per week though we can be flexible with regards to start time on Mondays and departure time on Fridays to enable travel. Security Clearance Minimum baseline personnel security standard (BPSS) Additional T&Cs We currently see this role as sitting outside of IR35, as the candidates would not hold a fixed office position and will not have direct day to day direction or supervision. No. of Specialists to Evaluate 10 Cultural Fit Criteria • Able to form effective relationships with people of all seniorities and job types • Self-starters who inspires others to action • Strong bias to shape and simplify systems rather than to accept and operate systems • Excellent communication and influencing skills • Confident but humble, with an ability to listen carefully, challenge the status quo, and advocate for digital delivery in a clear and constructive manner Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. T&S information: T&S charges only apply for staff that commute over a 75 mile journey in each direction. This is based on the distance that would be reasonable to expect a person to commute to the principal location(s). T&S is only applicable at the following maximum rates (excluding VAT): i. For T&S including travel but no overnight stay: Suppliers plain day rate plus £45.00. ii. For T&S including overnight stay: Suppliers plain day rate plus £90.00. 2. Do you consider this role to fall outside of IR35? We currently see this role as sitting outside of IR35, as the candidates would not hold a fixed office position and will not have direct day to day direction or supervision. 3. The maximum day rate states "Up to £750 per day (this is inclusive of T&S)" however there is additional information provided which states there is a T&S allowance in addition to the day rate. Should we ignore "this is inclusive of T&S" ? The information regarding the T&S element shows what rates can be received when staying over night or travelling, providing the individual is situated over 75 miles. £750 is the maximum day rate and this would include any T&S if applicable. 4. To be clear on T&S, if a specialist is located more than 75 miles from Swansea and stays overnight, will the £90/day T&S allowance be in addition to their day rate? Yes the £90 will then be applicable, however DVLA can pay up to a maximum of £750, which will include any T&S. 5. T&S, this is different from previous roles by DVLA where the £90/day T&S allowance was in addition to the day rate, even if the max day rate was submitted. The latest response indicates for specialists located 75+ miles and staying overnight, the max rate is effectively £660/day with T&S of £90/day. In other words £750 including T&S. Why was "T&S Information" even provided if the day rate is inclusive of T&S? We would urge DVLA to allow the T&S allowance to be in addition to the day rate, as stated in "T&S Information", irrespective of what day rate is submitted. The T&S element was highlighted to show how much T&S would be paid on such occasions where an individual is located over 75 miles away. This was not included in the original advert, so to ensure transparency, this was provided so everyone looking at the advert was aware of the T&S rates, prior to submission. 6. DOS call-off contracts, by default, allow for extensions for up to 2 years. Is there a specific reason it is stated "6 months with potential to extend for a further 6 months" or could this role be extended for up to 2 years? The requirement is to deliver a specific piece of work which at this time we have anticipated will take 6 months though we acknowledge this is an estimate which is why the requirement is for a six plus six month extension. 7. We have very substantial, world leading agile experience, experimental design, and lean enterprise architecture, experience, having been involved in the agile movement since it's inception. Unfortunately, we've found huge variability in the evaluation approach on the Digital Marketplace. Some tenders are happy to consider links, others work only with the 100 word limit. We simply can't list what we've done in 100 words, even in bullets, let alone exemplify, leading to false rejections (type 2 error) in the past. Does the evaluation panel intend to only use the 100 word limit or are links to online case studies allowed? In all instances with DVLA procurements, suppliers must align to the word limits and the evaluation will be scored based on the evidence provided within each example. 8. What is the maximum number of specialists a suppler can submit for these roles? CCS have confirmed suppliers can only submit one candidate per opportunity. 9. In response to, "You can stipulate a day rate and if T&S is applicable, however this should not exceed £750." The application process only allows suppliers to submit a day rate (number), we cannot state anywhere whether T&S is applicable. So do you want the day rate we provide to be including T&S or not? For equality of pricing evaluation, it is important all suppliers do the same. Yes, include any T&S claims in the final figure. This way, we can evaluate on the whole cost which ensures a consistent approach. 10. Does the DVLA evaluation have a preference between suppliers providing one in-depth piece of evidence throughout, and suppliers providing several different experiences. In short, how does the DVLA read this? "You should only provide one example for each essential or nice-to-have requirement (unless the buyer specifies otherwise). You can reuse examples across different essential or nice-to-have requirements if you need to." DVLA do not have a preference between suppliers providing one in-depth piece of evidence throughout, and suppliers providing several different experiences, though the evidence provided (in either format) needs to tie back to and address each individual essential and nice to have requirement.