Project 20074 - DWP Digital Product Development Unit (PDU) - Design and Implementation

Tender description

Summary of the work Globally recognised supplier to work closely with small in house team and Director level stakeholders to implement and iterate a transformative operating/delivery model and organisation design that embeds Agile at scale to support software and digital product development and product operation for DWP. Discovery-3 months Alpha-6 months Beta-12 months Expected Contract Length This will be a two year contract with an initial Statement of Works for discovery for up to 3 months Latest start date Monday 3 July 2017 Why the Work is Being Done DWP is delivering one of the biggest and highest-profile digital transformation programmes in the world. It will make DWP more responsive and effective, and significantly enhance the service we provide. We are driving cultural and behavioural changes in way we work to become a leading example of agile delivery of software. We’re building teams of digital specialists to make simpler, clearer, faster services that put the people who use them first. This requires implementation and iteration of a new operating/delivery model and organisation design that uses Agile at scale to support digital product development and product operation for DWP. Problem to Be Solved We require global/cross sector experience of internationally recognised best practice to help support and influence our leaders and people using credible expertise to implement a new product-focussed, Agile at scale delivery model across DWP Digital Group. We are seeking a partner with experience of implementing, iterating the design of and managing the delivery of enterprise wide agile capability at scale in large, complex, multi product organisations. Who Are the Users As the lead for implementation and design iteration of our proposed operating model, I need a small expert team (3-4) including a credible partner level lead with extensive experience of organisation change in a complex multi product organisation to help drive implementation of our proposed operating model, advising on best practice design and implementation approaches and working closely with the existing team to identify and resolve implementation blockers and influence senior colleagues in introducing organisational change/new ways of working/behavioral/culture change. Work Already Done Key principles, robust blue prints for organisational change and Technology across DWP Digital Group and new ways of working to incorporate Agile delivery methods have been developed, other strands of work on transition of our people and governance approaches have been developed and are being delivered in parallel. Different parts of Digital Group are at different stages of maturity and we have started to scale up the implementation beginning with "Test and Learn" and iterative design improvement to deliver change across the organisation at pace. Existing Team The supplier will be working alongside a small team of DWP employees with varying levels of Agile experience but with extensive knowledge of the DWP and organisational change. The supplier will be expected to transfer skills and knowledge as the implementation and design iteration progresses. The supplier will be working closely and regularly with senior DWP leaders, including Director level. Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Has global, cross sector experience of implementing and managing the delivery of enterprise wide agile capability at scale in a complex, multi product organisation. • Will provide skilled resources led at partner level with expertise and successful delivery experience of transformation to drive product orientation and agile delivery in multi-product organisations including SAFe and DAD. • Will provide skilled resource with extensive Agile Delivery Manager experience at senior level in an enterprise product environment including recognised certification and delivery experience of Scrum, Kanban and Lean techniques • Will provide highly skilled resource with a good understanding and demonstrable experience of Product orientation, Enterprise Architecture and experience in end-to-end delivery of solution architecture to enable digital services. • Will provide resource led at partner level with deep understanding and expertise in the behavioural and cultural change required to influence and deliver change in large government organisation. • Will ensure that continual knowledge and skills transfer to the DWP team is embedded as part of the approach to build individual and team digital capability. Work Location Benton Park View, Newcastle upon Tyne and Leeds One, City Office Park, Leeds Working Arrangments On site presence is essential to enable close working and co-creation, some travel may be necessary to other DWP Hub locations e.g London, Sheffield and sites in the Northwest of England. However, travel expenses should be kept to a minimum and other methods of engagement are available i.e. Lync, video conference, teleconference. Security Clearance All resources must be Baseline Personnel Security Standard compliant or equivalent, and be prepared to undergo the clearance process to at least Security Check level. Baseline Personnel Security Standard guidance can be found via the DWP eTendering system (see Additional terms and conditions for more information). Additional T&Cs Additional terms and conditions along with guidance on the Baseline Personnel Security Standard can be found via DWP’s eTendering system: 1. Register on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once): https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk & click the link to register - Accept the terms & conditions & click 'continue' - Enter your correct business & user details - Note your chosen username & click 'Save'. You will receive an email with your password (keep this secure) 2. For further Assistance please consult the online help, or the eTendering help desk on Phone 0800 368 4850 or email help@bravosolution.co.uk. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Describe your proposed approach and methodology to meet the Department's requirements. • Describe the team who’ll be doing the work, their specific experience/skills, in relation to implementation of organisation change to deliver digital services. • Describe the expertise in relation to, successfully driving product orientation and implementing cross business working whilst maintaining delivery focus and accountability. How will this expertise be applied to benefit DWP? • Describe the expertise and experience of the team in relation to the successful application of SAFe and/or DAD methodologies. How will this expertise and experience be applied to benefit DWP? • How will you ensure that continual knowledge and skills transfer to the DWP team is embedded as part of the approach to build individual and team digital capability? Cultural Fit Criteria Outline your proposals for driving behavioural and cultural change. Payment Approach Fixed price Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 75% Cultural fit 5% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. How will you assess the suppliers? As well as written proposal, presentation, case study and work history (as advertised above) we will also be requesting CVs for the proposed team . 2. How will the technical weightings be divided? The six essential skills and experience criteria will each be given a 2% weighting. The proposal criteria will be given a weighting as follows in the order advertised above: 20%, 12%, 12%, 12% and 7%. This totals 75% for the technical criteria. 3. Have existing third party suppliers been working with DWP already to help shape DWP's thinking on Agile at scale? If so, who has been involved to date? The design has been developed by an in house team and aligned to GDS Strategy and GDS job role taxonomy, etc. However, DWP have previously worked with a number of partners providing support in a range of areas which includes elements of overall target operating model design, organisational development and new ways of working. We will be sharing completed work to date with the short-listed suppliers on condition a returned signed non-disclosure agreement. 4. above there is reference to some additional terms and conditions on Bravo. We have been unable to locate these please can you confirm if they have been uploaded? You will be able to view the documents by visiting https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml and clicking on “View current opportunities”. 5. "Globally recognised" suppliers only? Your Essential Skills and Experiences (eg Agile Delivery Management, and Enterprise Architecture, etc) aren't the preserve of just those Global DOS registered Suppliers but also of SME organisations. Thank you. In seeking a globally recognised supplier we are reflecting our requirement to leverage best practice and experience from enterprise wide transformation in very large organisations who have successfully moving to new operating models that embrace Product Orientation and Agile methodologies. We are seeking a partner who has demonstrable experience in a wide range of cross sector and international contexts and can bring that deep expertise and knowledge into the Department. The requirement is not limited only to Agile Delivery and Enterprise Architecture although that is a feature. We are actively encouraging proposals from SMEs. 6. Hi there. At stage are you only looking for the 6 questions to be answered on this portal, or are you looking for the mentioned 'written proposal, presentation, case study and work history' to also be supplied at this stage? If so, is this supplied separately by email, or through Bravo etc.? Thanks! For the shortlisting stage, it is our intention to evaluate suppliers based on the six skills and experience questions to be answered on the portal. For the proposal stage, we will be emailing the shortlisted three suppliers directly with a proposal template to be supported by case study and work history. The shortlisted suppliers will also be requested to give a presentation in Newcastle on Thursday 27 June. 7. Does DWP have a repeatable approach to ROI accounting for software and digital product development, or is DWP receptive to suppliers supporting this initiative before any significant investment in technology is made? This will protect DWP’s investment via a business case linked to improvements covering a) revenue generation b) cost reduction c) cost avoidance d) risk reduction and d) customer experience/satisfaction. ROI accounting for software and digital product development is outside the scope of the consultancy support required. 8. Please advise if an overarching project/programme plan is available with indicative timescales for delivery? We will work with the supplier to develop delivery timescales as part of the initial Discovery phase. 9. Please clarify if DWP is looking for a supplier with both Scrum and Lean skills, or if DWP has Scrum/Lean skills within the small in-house team? Scrum & Lean skills experience are essential requirements. There are various levels of experience/skills in the in house team. 10. As part of this process, will we be allowed to meet DWP stakeholders to understand what key decision makers see as a successful outcome for this engagement and how to best approach the project – both technically and commercially? We will consider options to facilitate discussions between shortlisted suppliers and senior stakeholders in advance of the submission of written proposals. 11. Has the process, resources (internal and external) and timescales been agreed with DWP stakeholders at this stage? The process and resources have been agreed with DWP stakeholders. Specific timescales will be developed as part of the initial Discovery phase. 12. Has a specific investment budget been allocated based on the estimated total value of the engagement? A specific budget has been allocated for this work. Suppliers would be expected to offer value for money within that budget allocation. 13. How should the proposal, presentation, case study and work history be submitted, or will this only be required for suppliers that are shortlisted? For the shortlisting stage, it is our intention to evaluate suppliers based on the skills and experience questions to be answered on the portal. For the proposal stage, we will be emailing the shortlisted three suppliers directly with a proposal template to be supported by case study and work history. The shortlisted suppliers will also be requested to give a presentation in Newcastle on Thursday 27 June. 14. In your experience, what makes one external partner more successful than another? How can we add value when working with DWP above and beyond delivering technical skills? e.g. drivers for innovation, shared-risk model, knowledge transfer as organisation moves to self-sufficiency, leveraging investment as a new revenue stream etc. The key skills and experience and evaluation criteria are as listed in the advertisement. However, we would welcome proposals that add value above and beyond this. 15. Does DWP have a preferred format for the proposal response? A proposal template will be sent to the three short-listed suppliers. 16. What level of experience do DWP stakeholders have with SAFe/DAD methodologies? For example, there is typically a period of lower productivity shortly following the implementation of any new methodology. Has DWP already been through this lull and is now looking for ways to enhance delivery, or to avoid these types of pitfalls from day 1? Practical experience of the implementation of SAFe and DAD methodologies within DWP is currently limited. A key role of the consultancy support will be the application of skills and experience to help identify and consider potential pitfalls in implementation and ways to enhance delivery. 17. Is there a clear IT roadmap for products that DWP want to work with e.g. defined solutions covering digital transformation including business process management suites, decision management, artificial intelligence, robotic process automation, cloud platform API’s, Internet of Things? DWP has a digital blueprint that defines the technical road map for digital products but the support required for this contract is focussed more on organisational change and new ways of working required to make Agile at scale a success. 18. Does DWP IT have a clear mandate for Software-as-a-Service or on-premise solutions? This topic appears to be out of the scope of the current requirement. 19. What, in your opinion based on what we know today, is the biggest risk faced by this project? What could stop this project from moving forward? There is currently limited practical experience within DWP of the implementation of Agile at Scale and of increased product orientation. 20. Can DWP outline what roles make-up the current in house team? 1. PDU Design & Implementation Lead2. PDU Design and Implementation team – 5 person, multi-disciplinary team 21. In order to be able to compare bids like-for-like, can DWP confirm whether they would like suppliers to submit proposals based on the the full two year contract or for the initial 3 month Discovery phase? We are requesting that suppliers bid for the Discovery requirement. However, we will be including within the scope the possibility of future work with the successful supplier and will be requesting that rate cards are submitted to be used for any potential extra phases of work. It is only the Fixed Price to cover the 3 month Discovery phase that will be used for the evaluation. 22. Can DWP give more information on the Director level stakeholders that are expected to be involved and how often they expect the supplier teams will interact with them? The transformation and new Delivery Model we are seeking to implement in DWP Digital Group introduces fundamental changes across the organisation and the functional Directors that make up the DWP Digital Group Executive Team will be key stakeholders and accountable for implementation of the model in their functions. The team including suppliers will provide support for functional Directors in implementation so there will be regular and ongoing interaction including regular attendance at Board meetings (e.g. monthly) and ad hoc one to one dialogue on specific issues. 23. Can DWP give any more information about what roles and numbers of these roles they expect the supplier to provide? Our assumption is that a partner led team of 3 – 4 would be required including the range of skills specified in the requirement but suppliers are encouraged to make alternative proposals around roles and numbers based on their experience. 24. Can DWP outline what work has been to date on the proposed operating model? Has this been done following an Agile methodology? Key principles, robust blue prints for organisational change and Technology across DWP Digital Group and new ways of working to incorporate Agile delivery methods have been developed, other strands of work on transition and governance approaches have been developed and are being delivered in parallel. Different parts of Digital Group are at different stages of maturity and have started to scale up the implementation beginning with "Test and Learn" and iterative design improvement to deliver change across the organisation at pace.We will be sharing completed work to date with the short-listed suppliers on condition of a returned signed NDA. 25. Does the proposed operating model mentioned in the 'Who the users are' section already exist? If so can DWP share details of this proposed operating model? Key principles, robust blue prints for organisational change and Technology across DWP Digital Group and new ways of working to incorporate Agile delivery methods have been developed, other strands of work on transition and governance approaches have been developed and are being delivered in parallel. Different parts of Digital Group are at different stages of maturity and have started to scale up the implementation beginning with "Test and Learn" and iterative design improvement to deliver change across the organisation at pace.We will be sharing completed work to date with the short-listed suppliers on condition of a returned signed NDA 26. Is there a dedicated Product Owner for this project? The Product Owner will be the PDU Design and Implementation Lead who reports directly to the DWP Digital Executive Team 27. What is DWP's budget for this program? DWP will not be sharing the budget for this requirement. 28. We note you have asked for a Fixed Price proposal. Can DWP please clarify the rationale for this commercial model? For instance, would you consider moving to Time & Materials or Capped Time & Materials? From our extensive experience of working on similar projects, these commercial models have been more fitting. DWP is requesting a Fixed Price for the Discovery requirement. However, we will be including within the scope the possibility of future work with the successful supplier and happy to look at alternative price models for any future work based on a rate card which we will be requesting alongside the Discovery Fixed Price. It is only the Fixed Price to cover the 3 month Discovery phase that will be used for the evaluation. 29. Are the proposed resources expected to work together on one project or will capabilities be spread across multiple projects? If so, what projects are these? There is only one project that resources would be expected to work together on but different strands of activity may emerge during the discovery phase. 30. Do you intend to run this program in the same way as the recent and very successful GDS exemplar programme? There have been a number of successful GDS programmes but without knowing which is referred to this question is difficult to answer. It can be further explored as necessary during discussions at the appropriate stage in the evaluation process. 31. Do all the staff need to be Agile certified? We expect the supplier to be able to provide skilled resource with extensive Agile Delivery Manager experience at senior level in an enterprise product environment including recognised certification. 32. Hi, is the project using the ERP system SAP during the design and implementation phase? Thanks. This topic appears to be outside the scope of the required work but in general terms DWP uses architecture and systems aligned with the DWP Digital Blue print. 33. Given that DWP have a product-focused agile delivery model in place already for Universal Credit, are the DWP looking at reviewing this model, identifying opportunities to improve the model and rolling that out to other teams, or are the DWP looking to take a fresh look at the way agile delivery can be scaled? We are seeking to leverage experience already gained across all areas of our business, including Universal Credit but also seeking to look more widely to identify and implement an approach that works best for DWP and or customers. 34. Are the DWP looking at a specific project/programme to work with to implement a scaled approach to Agile, getting feedback to ensure the proposed scaled approach to Agile will work within DWP? If so, which project/programme are you planning to use? The implementation approach will be worked up as part of the Discovery phase this could include a Test and Learn approach with specific area(s). We would anticipate suppliers using their experience and expertise to help design and deliver the most effective approach. 35. Can you confirm the approximate expected time split between Newcastle and Leeds, and also would some remote working (i.e. non-DWP office) be permissible where appropriate? This will largely depend on the ways of working that are proposed and what emerges in Discovery, as an assumption the split would be 50/50 although it may be more practical for individuals on the team to be primarily based in one of the locations. We anticipate co-location with DWP colleagues rather than remote working. 36. Would experience of agile methodologies that are SAFe/DAD-like be acceptable or is specific experience of SAFe / DAD required? We expect suppliers to be able to offer a wide range of successful delivery experience of transformation to drive product orientation and agile delivery in multi-product organisations including but not limited to SAFe and DAD. 37. Will all the resources proposed be expected to start at the same time? If so, when is this expected start date? The assumed contract start date is now 10 July, rather than 3 July as originally published, and we would anticipate that supplier proposals will reflect day one readiness. 38. Will the role fall within IR35 legislation? At this time the role has been deemed as outside of IR35 however, should the features of the engagement change, a further assessment will be made which could change the determination. 39. Note from the Buyer Suppliers are requested to inform the Authority if they intend to sub-contract and the IR35 status of any contractors. 40. Can you please outline steps and dates in the procurement timetable, up to and including supplier award, i.e. proposal or presentation dates? The current indicative timetable includes: notifying shortlisted suppliers on 16 June, suppliers to return written proposals by noon 23 June, and presentations to take place in either Newcastle or Leeds on 3 July.