Online repairs service

Tender description

Summary of the work We are looking for an efficient online repairs system to provide an excellent user experience for tenants when diagnosing, booking, amending, cancelling and monitoring repairs. This should include self-fix guidance where appropriate and integrate effectively e.g. with Orchard to follow repairs processes and apply the correct schedule of rate. Expected Contract Length 2 years Latest start date Friday 1 September 2017 Why the Work is Being Done The repairs service is livin’s highest volume service and area of spend. Delivered in partnership with Mears, there is a potential to significantly improve business efficiency/productivity and customer satisfaction. We want tenants of livin to have a positive memorable experience with us when accessing the repairs service online. We want them to find the service accessible, responsive, reliable, helpful and knowledgeable in line with our Customer Experience Strategy. The success of our digital transformation programme is dependent on customers using our online repairs service choosing to continue to use self-serve as their preferred contact method in all interactions with us. Problem to Be Solved The current on-line repairs service does not cater for tenant self-fix, nor does it allow tenants to choose an appointment time , make amendments to repairs already reported or cancel their repair or check progress. Many tenants therefore get a better service via telephone or online chat, despite their expectation to be able to do so via the website. livin’s strategy is to provide accessible, responsive, reliable, helpful and knowledgeable services online to achieve high customer satisfaction ratings and improve business efficiency/productivity. The current repairs service does not achieve this and is a priority area for intervention. Who Are the Users As a tenant: I want an easy to use, accurate diagnosis process, so the job gets done right first time. I want to choose an appointment time that suits me, so I’m in. I want to be redirected for self-fix or non-appointable repairs, so I don’t have to start again. I want to be able to amend or cancel an appointment, so I’m not stuck with one I can’t make. I want to check progress of my repair, so I’m reassured it is being dealt with. As a partnership we want to streamline the online repairs service to improve efficiency/productivity. Work Already Done Discovery phase has been completed, to determine requirements from the different stakeholder perspectives. Existing Team Business Visionary – Alan Boddy, Executive Director Housing and Business Development Business Sponsor - Paul Proud, Head of Property Services Project Manager and User Researcher - Anna Robson, Digital Transformation Manager Business Ambassador - Dave Sayers, Commercial and Contracts Manager Technical Advisor - Dan Evans, ICT Infrastructure Manager Business Analyst and Technical Coordinator - Graham Dutton, ICT Applications Development Manager Content Designer – supplier User Experience Designer – supplier Solution Developer – supplier Solution Tester – supplier Repairs partner – Mears SSP developer – Housing Insight Current Phase Alpha Skills & Experience • Experience of working in the housing sector and private sector • Experience of developing bespoke functionality around repairs • Experience of using Agile PM techniques involving clients • Evidence of content design skills • Experience of implementing user experience techniques • Experience of designing solutions for users with low level digital literacy • Understanding of non-functional requirements and experience of building these into a web project i.e. usability, security, accessibility, interoperability, reliability, maintainability, availability, scalability, portability and compatibility Nice to Haves • Evidence of user research exercises carried out or involved in • Evidence of SEO techniques used in website development • Experience in the setting up and achievement of goal conversions Work Location Farrell House, Arlington Way, DurhamGate, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6NL Working Arrangments Ways of working were agreed at the beginning of the discovery phase as follows: • Sprint length – 2 weeks • Phases – discovery, alpha, beta (private), beta (public), live • Stand-ups – weekly • Show and tells – end of sprint • Retrospectives – end of phase • Face-to-face meetings – end of phase and as required in between • Tools – Trello, IBM Connections No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Technical solution • Approach and methodology • How the approach or solution meets user needs • How the approach or solution meets our objectives • Estimated timeframes for the work • How risks and dependencies are identified and approaches to managing them • Team structure • Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers and partners • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • Take responsibility for your work • Share knowledge and experience with other team members • Challenge the norm Payment Approach Time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 10% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers 1. Based on your current repairs provider, is this new solution a complete replacement for M3 Repairs? Yes. 2. For clarification, will the solution integrate directly into an Orchard Information Systems product? If so, how do you envisage collaboration with Orchard's development team to facilitate integration? We have access to Orchard's full suite of web services so we do not anticipate the need for development work to be carried out by Orchard. 3. Based on the brief, our assumption is that your intent is to create a tailored repairs product rather than customising an off the shelf solution. Is this correct? No - we are happy to buy an off the shelf solution but may require some bespoke development work as we progress through our digital transformation programme. 4. Would you be willing to work with a supplier who has considerable experience of delivering online housing repairs - but where we would look to do engineering work offsite - engaging with all stakeholders locally as and when needed to support an agile delivery? Yes, we would be happy with this approach. 5. What budget has been allocated to this project? We have not specified budget at this stage as it will depend upon the solution. 6. Do you require a bespoke solution or are you looking for something 'off the shelf'? We are happy to buy an off the shelf solution but may require some bespoke development work as we progress through our digital transformation programme. 7. Is there a requirement for the supplier to be co-located with your teams or will there be an ability for the majority of the supplier's team to work remotely? We are happy for the supplier to be located remotely and attend our offices when necessary. 8. You've indicated that the project will involve collaboration with a developer from Housing Insight. Can you shed some light on their planned involvement and how the proposed solution will need to integrate with PanConnect if at all? This solution will provide the repairs functionality of the PanConnect tenants portal and should provide a seamless user experience. Housing Insight will work with us to enable the effective integration, and will be involved remotely and in person as required. 9. Based on the response to Q8, is it correct to assume that the solution will in some scoped way integrate with both PanConnect and Orchard? Also, can you clarify which specific Orchard product the proposed solution would integrate with (Orchard Housing?), please? Thank you. The solution will integrate with Panconnect Portal, Orchard Housing Repairs and MearsAppoint. 10. Are you able to provide documentation for the PanConnect SSP? This will assist with planning out the new repairs solution, and will allow us to understand the integration points and user authentication method/journeys. Unfortunately, documentation for PanConnect is not available at this time. HousingInsight, however, will work with us to enable any necessary integration with PanConnect and the proposed repairs solution. 11. Is it possible to have sight of documentation relating to MearsAppoint, to assist with our planning around integration points. Unfortunately documentation for MearsAppoint is not available at this time. The interface provides a SOAP API with functionality to create, amend and cancel repairs appointments based on NHF SOR codes.