Discovery Exercise - GreatAir Manchester

Tender description

Summary of the work TfGM on behalf of the GMCA are looking to appoint a supplier to undertake a discovery phase on the GreatAir Manchester website. http://www.greatairmanchester.org.uk/ The aim of the engagement is to develop an in depth understanding of the needs of existing and potential users. Expected Contract Length 8 weeks Latest start date Tuesday 1 August 2017 Why the Work is Being Done We believe that Greater Manchester’s Air Quality website is used to improve air quality across Greater Manchester by educating and helping embed low-emission behaviours into our culture, whilst supporting the UK Government in meeting all EU thresholds for key air pollutants. However a need to update and improve the website has been identified in line with the increased focus on Air Quality within the GM region.To ensure the website redesign and potential redevelopment is successful, a discovery phase needs to be undertaken to fully understand the users. Problem to Be Solved Do not use the 'apply' button to respond to this opportunity. To register your interest and apply, please email Procurement@tfgm.com Who Are the Users Users of the GreatAir Manchester website need to be able to find what they want to know about Air Quality within the GM region and easily navigate around the site so there is experience is positive. Work Already Done Whilst we have some useful information about the GreatAir Manchester users and their needs, we now need more in depth research to be undertaken to ensure any future website redesign and development work is effective. Existing Team Small internal team including key IS resource and Air Quality experts Current Phase Not started Skills & Experience adhere to the GDS principles for discovery Work Location Work is expected to be carried out remotely however the work must be carried out with the target demographic which we assume is predominantly the Greater Manchester region. Some on site meetings will be required but the majority of correspondence can be carried electronically/ telephonically. On site will be at TfGM's Head Office in Manchester. Working Arrangments to be agreed No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria adhere to the GDS principles for discovery Cultural Fit Criteria Take responsibility for their work Payment Approach Capped time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 55% Cultural fit 5% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers 1. What is the budget range? Our budget will depend on the quotes received from prospective suppliers for completing our requirements; so no budget information is available at this point. 2. What is the budget for this project? Please see answer re: budget from previous question 3. Are you able to tell us the budget range for this piece of work please? Please see answer re: budget from previous question 4. What are your budget parameters? Please see answer re: budget from previous question 5. What is the agreed budget for this 8 week discovery? Please see answer re: budget from previous question.We anticipate the phase to be a maximum of 4 weeks therefore the contract length is only estimated at this point to be a maximum of 8 weeks. 6. What is the budget for this project? Please see answer re: budget from previous question 7. Who are the key users of this website? This is the basis of the discovery phase to understand who are current and potential users are and what information they are searching for so we can better serve their needs 8. What security clearance is required? Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) would be beneficial however if the supplier can demonstrate thorough and comprehensive records, processes and checks then this will be considered and risk assessed internally. 9. I have expressed interest in the project by emailing Procurement@tfgm.com but have had no response. The deadline for asking questions on the DOS is Friday, so I would like to understand how the procurement would work (as you don't want to use DOS) and if there is any additional brief information which could be made available prior to the deadline for asking questions? We are working our way thorough responding to all interest and due to the vast amount of applicants, this is taking longer than anticipated. If you have still not had a response after several days, please re-email procurement@tfgm.com 10. You mention that you are working your way thorough responding to a vast amount of applicants. What is the next phase going to entail? Will you be selecting a smaller, manageable section of applications or asking the majority of interested parties to submit a proposal? Prior to issue of the tender and the full specification, we request that you complete an expressions of interest document which gives you an outline of our requirements and timings and this will then establish the supplier list for issuing the Invitation to Further Compete (ItFC).Only suppliers who have returned the document and adequately demonstrated via this assessment their ability to meet TfGM 's specific requirements within the timescales outlined will be invited to bid for the contract.The EOI document can be obtained by emailing procurement@tfgm.com 11. DOS says the length of the project should be 8 weeks. This is inline with the GDS guidelines. However the EOI document says 4 weeks which would be very tight given your users are external and does not allow for recruitment and booking of users for user research. Please could you confirm which is correct? GDS guidelines state the discovery phase should take between 4-8 weeks; https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/how-the-discovery-phase-worksTherefore based on our knowledge of previous discovery exercises, we believe 4 weeks is sufficient time in relation to the size of this project.However if the supplier feels that additional time is vital , please provide the justification and relevance; plus the associated costs in your ItFC submission for evaluation. 12. How many website pages are there? Are any of these behind a login? The site has 39 public facing pages and a further 8 admin pages behind a login. 13. How will you go about shortlisting from 7.2 of the EOI? Will you be marking each of the 6 sessions? If so, what is the scoring process? Suppliers who have adequately demonstrated via the EOI assessment their ability to meet TfGM 's specific requirements within the timescales outlined will then be invited to bid for the contract. No down selection can occur if you have returned a capable and fully completed assessment by the deadline. 14. Do you have a word count limit for 6 sessions in 7.2 of the EOI document? To clarify, at this stage we are only looking for a statement of compliance so a Yes/ No and a comment/ brief overview if you need to or wish to provide one. Therefore the word count needs to be appropriate for the information you are submitting.Comprehensive examples do not need to be provided during this EOI assessment as the next stage of the process will require in depth supplier confirmation regarding projects of a similar size, scope and delivery. 15. You have stated on DOS that 4 will be shortlisted. Please could you confirm, that by this you mean only 4 will get the "Invitation to Further Compete" on the TfGM’s e-tendering portal? Suppliers who have adequately demonstrated via the EOI assessment their ability to meet TfGM 's specific requirements within the timescales outlined will then be invited to bid for the contract. No down selection can occur if you have returned a capable and fully completed assessment by the deadline. 16. Your response to question 13 suggests more than 4 (as started in DOS) could be shortlisted to supply a proposal. Is this correct? If so, will you transparent to all suppliers who are invited to Further Compete (complete a proposal) the number of suppliers who have been invited? We will not be disclosing how many suppliers we are inviting to further compete as this detail is not relevant; invitations do not guarantee tender submissions so there is no benefit to the supplier in knowing this information. 17. Hello, Would TfGM have meeting rooms available to use for focus groups (approx. capacity of 9 people) and one-on-one testing (approx. capacity of 3 people)? While not essential, it would help keep the cost as low as possible by avoiding a lab rental fee. Thank you in advance for your time. There is potential we can accommodate this request however TfGM meeting rooms have to be booked/allocated on an ad hoc basis. Please ensure all timings, details and costs are included within your tender submission; with alternative options/ costs in the event we do not have availability. 18. Would you be happy to stretch the discovery over 10 weeks at a discounted rate to allow for staff holidays? We need this project completing as a matter of priority 19. 1) Can you provide access to historical information and insights for the following: • User research - User personas and target user groups • Website analytics including content consumption and device usage • User stories and prioritised user needs • Success measurements and kpis If these documents cannot be provided at this early stage, would GreatAir Manchester confirm which of this information could be made available at project start? 2) What is the size and construct of the GreatAir Manchester Discovery Stakeholder Team? 3) Does the client wish to start the GreatAir Manchester Discovery Phase prior to 1st August 2017? 1) This is the basis of the discovery phase to understand who are current and potential users are and what information they are searching for so we can better serve their needs. Analytics will be provided as part of the ItFC but may prove irrelevant depending on the outcome of the phase.2) The dedicated internal stakeholder team consists of a team of 5 from air quality specialists to IS resource. Additional input can be gained from the wider team on an adhoc basis.3) If we are in a position to start earlier then the phase can be commenced.