Delivery partner for Welsh Revenue Authority digital tax collection and management system

Tender description

Summary of the work Iteratively design, build and implement a digital system to support the collection and management of devolved taxes in Wales. The devolved taxes are Land Transaction Tax (LTT), replacing UK Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and Landfill Disposals Tax (LDT), replacing UK Landfill Tax (LfT). Expected Contract Length 18 months, with potential scope to extend to 2 years Latest start date 27 February 2017 Budget Range £1.5 - £2m Why the Work is Being Done The Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) will be a new non-ministerial department of the Welsh Government, administering and collecting devolved Welsh taxes - Land Transaction Tax (LTT) and Landfill Disposals Tax (LDT). There is scope for the range of functions undertaken by the WRA to develop and expand over time. The WRA requires an implementation partner to deliver an end to end, digital tax collection and management system (Alpha and Beta phases) by 31 Oct 2017 and fully live by April 2018 . A separate support contract will also be established. Problem to Be Solved The WRA will be responsible for collecting and managing devolved taxes in Wales. To support it in delivering these functions, it requires an end to end, digital tax collection and management system. The strong preference is to base the system on Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) technologies (where possible) and for it to be a cloud-based solution. Welsh Government's current cloud platform is Microsoft Azure. Who Are the Users As a Solicitor, I need to input my login details so that I can access the WRA digital tax service; As a Landfill Site Operator, I want the system to validate my return so that I know it has been completed in full without errors; As WRA I want to be alerted that the self assessed amount is different from the calculated amount so that I can check compliance; As WRA I need the capability to be able to run reports on all data Work Already Done A Discovery Phase has already been completed, generating the user needs that make up the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Initial prototypes have also been constructed, with an expectation these will be used as part of the basis for future phases of work. Please note, information related to the outputs of the Discovery Phase will only be shared with suppliers who are shortlisted. Existing Team The supplier will need to successfully collaborate with a small, in-house team including Project Manager, Product Owner, Business Analysts (x2), Data Architect, policy leads and customers. Minimal agile/digital delivery experience exists. Where integration with other WRA systems is required, you may need to work closely with other suppliers, via the in-house team. Current Phase Alpha Skills & Experience • Have demonstrable experience of successfully configuring and managing secure cloud-based hosting environments for public sector digital services. • Have demonstrable experience of successfully integrating systems via APIs, including on-premise and other cloud-based services. • Have demonstrable experience of successfully delivering digital solutions that collect and manage personal and/or sensitive information with appropriate controls and protection • Have demonstrable experience of successfully developing and delivering digital solutions that manage financial transactions. • Have demonstrable experience of successfully working with other suppliers/3rd parties/other partners in the delivery of public sector digital services; • Be able to mobilise the required multi-disciplined team to begin engaging on 27 February 2017. • Have demonstrable experience of successfully assessing Discovery phase outputs and iteratively developing and improving them using Agile methods and practices. Nice to Haves • Have demonstrable experience of delivering digital solutions that meet Level AA of the W3C WCAG 2.0 accessibility standards • Have demonstrable experience of successfully delivering bi-lingual digital solutions. The solution must be available in both Welsh and English. • Have demonstrable experience of successfully and collaboratively working, coaching and sharing knowledge with Public Sector client teams, particularly those with limited agile development experience. • Have demonstrable experience of successfully integrating digital solutions with Government platforms, such as Government Gateway, Verify and Notify Work Location Welsh Government Offices in the Cardiff area. Working Arrangments We expect a supplier to be flexible to our needs and work with the in-house team, currently based in Cardiff. This may require a mix of on-site working (days per week to be confirmed following contract award) and collaborative/remote working. Travel and expense costs associated with this contract will be the responsibility of the supplier and will not be reimbursed by Welsh Government/Welsh Revenue Authority. Security Clearance All supplier staff, including sub-contractors, undertaking any work related to the contract must be subject to Baseline Personnel Security Standards (BPSS) or equivalent as a minimum. Any supplier staff, including sub-contractors, operating in a system administration function and/or with administration access to live data must have SC clearance. Additional T&Cs Break points will be added to the contract to assess progress, quality and to enable contract termination (if necessary) at the following stages of delivery: Completion of Alpha and Beta phases. Suppliers must apply via Digital Marketplace AND submit a completed shortlist evidence template. Templates must received by 11.59pm on 31 January 2017. Late responses won't be considered and applications won't be reviewed before the deadline. The e-mail should be headed "WRA Delivery Partner - Shortlist Submission". No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 8 Proposal Criteria • Detailed plan to deliver Alpha and Beta phases by 31/10/2017, customer registration by 19/01/2018 and fully live by 02/04/2018 • Proposed delivery team structure, including (but not limited to) scrum master, development and testing roles • How the proposed technical solution meets WRA user needs, stated Cloud and COTS technology aspirations • How well the proposal describes an agile, iterative approach towards delivery of the system • How well the proposal presents evidence of ISO 27001 compliance • Value for money. A detailed breakdown of costs for the delivery of Alpha, Beta and Path to Live phases is expected. Cultural Fit Criteria Explain their proposed approach to working with the client to pre-empt and resolve risks and/or issues to ensure the delivery deadlines are still met. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. No Q and A session planned with this notice. No Q & A session is planned for this notice. However, a slide deck providing additional information on the WRA can be requested by emailing WRAImplementation@wales.gsi.gov.uk. Please use ‘WRA Digital – Slide Deck’ in the subject line of the email. 2. Applying to this opportunity Suppliers must apply via Digital Marketplace AND submit a completed shortlist evidence template. The template can be requested by emailing WRAImplementation@wales.gsi.gov.uk with ‘WRA Digital – Shortlist Template’ in the subject line.** Important information. Completed templates MUST be sent to NPSICTCategoryTeam@wales.gsi.gov.uk by 11.59pm on 31 January 2017. Late submissions and those sent to WRAImplementation@wales.gsi.gov.uk won't be considered and the submission won't be reviewed before the deadline. The e-mail should be headed "WRA Delivery Partner - Shortlist Submission". 3. Discovery phase outputs Detailed information relating to the MVP, along with the prototypes developed during Discovery, will only be shared with shortlisted suppliers. 4. In reference to the recently published digital tax collection and management system project, I was wondering if as an organisation there had been a decision taken around the choice of back-end technology used for the creation of the application? Our company has significant experience across a number of the areas that make it sound like a great fit, but specialise in specific programming languages (predominantly Ruby on Rails). We wouldn't want to waste your time by submitting an application for this piece of work without an understanding of a language you would consider for the back-end aspects of the application Though we have stated our COTS aspiration we would encourage all interested suppliers to submit applications if they feel they are able to successfully deliver a solution. No decisions have been made on any specific back-end technologies. 5. You state that Discovery phase and initial prototypes have been completed. Please can you advise whether an external company helped you deliver these, the name of the company and whether they will bid for the role of delivery partner. Thank you. The Discovery phase was supported by an external company called Kainos. No applications at shortlist stage will be reviewed until after the closing notice closing date. 6. Has a technology stack been done? If yes, what are the details of the technology stack? If no, is there a preference? No specific technology decisions have been made other than the use of Microsoft Azure as a cloud platform. 7. Good Afternoon, Unfortunately we made an error in our application submission under the “Your Details” section. We entered text instead of the required date in the field “The date the supplier can start work”. Please correct our submission by entering the following date in this field: 27/02/17. Please confirm this amendment is made to our submission Kind regards Could you email your organisation details to NPSICTCategoryTeam@wales.gsi.gov.uk in order to note the change in the application. 8. Is there any restriction imposed by the DOS process that will impede WRA purchasing a COTS based solution (as opposed to a completely bespoke built solutions)? Thanks Any COTS products utilised as part of the tax collection and management solution would need to be procured separately through another framework other than the DOS. Whilst we have stated a COTS aspiration, we are aware that the extent to which this is possible could be limited. 9. Have any COTS applications been evaluated as part of Discovery? If so, which applications in particular? No applications have been evaluated 10. Good Morning, Would it be possible to answer the following question: In order to comply with word counts in the response template, can you clarify if any words contained within diagrams included in our response contribute to the word count. Kind regards Any words contained within diagrams will contribute to the word limit 11. Please advise whether the successful provider will be required to procure or otherwise supply any required hardware and software licences to support the delivery of the required solution for subsequent transfer/novation to WRA, or whether WRA will undertake any necessary procurement? The procurement of hardware and software to support delivery is out of scope and shall be undertaken by the WRA 12. Does the Authority consider Microsoft Azure cloud to be secure enough to meet the needs of the solution including the holding and processing of taxpayer data? Yes 13. In regard to software, and COTS packages, would the Authority prefer a solution based on an industry specific COTS package that was developed for and has been deployed for tax and revenue management, or one that is non-industry specific. If it has no preference, will the Authority's evaluation criteria provide a higher score for a solution that is proven in the tax and revenue field? We have no preference. Shortlist evidence will be evaluated against the criteria published with the notice using standard Digital Marketplace scoring 14. Please can you clarify your detailed evaluation criteria and weighting split for technical competence between the essential skills and experience, nice-to-have skills and experience and overall proposal submission? Essential and nice to have skills and experience have not be weighted at shortlist stage.Detailed evaluation criteria have been weighted as Technical Competence - 60%, Price 30%, Cultural Fit 10% 15. Please advise details of any known interface requirements, including specific internal and external services or systems required to support the delivery of the MVP? The following interface requirements have been identified:Electronic document management system Post code look-upNotification service, such as GOV.UK NotifyTax finance systemHMRC systemsID assurance/registration system - New Government Gateway or Microsoft Azure B2B serviceThird party software providers 16. Can you please outline your procurement process plan including the date when suppliers will be informed if they have been short listed. This request is to facilitate our own planning, should we be short listed. Initial application window closes 31st January. Shortlist evaluation will take place on 2nd February, suppliers who progress will be asked to submit detailed written proposals. Discovery output will be shared with shortlisted suppliersThe anticipated timeline is below, all dates are subject to change.Initial application deadline - 31st JanuaryShortlist evaluation - 2nd FebruaryInform suppliers of shortlist outcome - 6th FebruaryWritten proposal deadline - 17th FebruaryDetailed evaluations of proposal - 20th to 23rd FebruaryInternal governance and approvals - 24th to 1st March Contract award - early March (original notice was 27th February) 17. Please confirm our understanding of selection process: Suppliers will provide evidence by the 31st January - WRA will then provide short list suppliers with the MVP, the prototypes developed and other output from Discovery. To be considered for this work, WRA will provide a time window for suppliers to create their final submissions including proposals covering: solution, team structures, details projects plans and cost etc, based on the Discovery material, and a submission deadline at some point after the 31st January? If our understanding is correct, please can you confirm the dates for the short listing and the final submission? Initial application window closes 31st January. Shortlist evaluation will take place on 2nd February, suppliers who progress will be asked to submit detailed written proposals. Discovery output will be shared with shortlisted suppliersThe anticipated timeline is below, all dates are subject to change.Initial application deadline - 31st JanuaryShortlist evaluation - 2nd FebruaryInform suppliers of shortlist outcome - 6th FebruaryWritten proposal deadline - 17th FebruaryDetailed evaluations of proposal - 20th to 23rd FebruaryInternal governance and approvals - 24th to 1st March Contract award - early March (original notice was 27th February) 18. Does the WRA expect the solution to include the functionality for accounting for customer transactions or is it to be limited to the management of transactions? There is a need for the tax collection system to interact with a finance system to reconcile tax payments. The tax collection system will also be subject to audit and therefore has to be auditable