Developing a "Moving to a new post" FCO public beta digital service

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The FCO is seeking to improve experience for its staff when they move from the UK to a new job in one of the FCO's 280 posts worldwide. The current process of moving to a new post is stressful and inefficient with situation likely to worsen. Our Discovery and Alpha work to date indicates the current service is ripe for digital transformation. This work, to develop a public beta digital service based on the alpha, needs to be completed by the end of this financial year. Problem to Be Solved Creating an efficient digital service to support staff to move to a new post. Where "edge cases" cannot be supported by the service, these will be routed through to the appropriate teams. We anticipate the bulk of the work to comprise: 1. Creating a customer-facing user-friendly interface in GOV.UK style format for staff moving post; 2. Creating a staff-facing user-friendly interface for FCO staff processing post moves; 3. Developing a secure working database in MS Dynamics, linked to source FCO data and with business logic rules operational, to ensure the full functionality of the digital service. Who Are the Users As an FCO or Partner Across Government staff member moving to a new post, I need a simple digital service which lets me know how much expenses and baggage allowance I will receive, what is needed from me at each stage, and manages my expectations of where I am in the process, so that I can have peace of mind and focus on my core work. As an FCO staff member processing moves to new posts, I need a simple digital interface which allows me to access key information about the post move, so I can manage my workflow efficiently. Early Market Engagement Discovery and Alpha phases complete, and soft market testing discussions held with a number of suppliers, though there is no "incumbent" in place. Relevant findings include: - the need for suppliers to be expert in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, as this will be the environment in which the digital service is built; - the need for suppliers to be able to create user-facing forms in MS Dynamics Web Portal which follow GOV.UK style - though we already have the styling code for simple form versions of these; - the need for suppliers to be able create "role-based access control" to the underlying database structures; - the need for suppliers to be fully-familiar with the GDS Service Manual, as the digital service is likely to be run through an internal FCO GDS-style Service Assessment. Work Already Done Discovery and Alpha phases complete. Front-end prototype developed using GOV.UK prototype kit; back-end prototype developed in MS Excel. Initial database logic and business rules developed, as well as data sources identified. GOV.UK format simple style sheets created for the MS Dynamics Web Portal available at https://github.com/UKForeignOffice/Enquiry-Handling. Over 40 hours of user research conducted. The preferred supplier will be expected to use all of these as the starting point for the Beta work. Existing Team The supplier will be working within the Digital Transformation Unit as part of the "Moving to a new post" team which currently has in place: - Product Owner - Senior Business Analyst (who also covers ongoing user research) Suppliers should propose the team and personnel they think will best provide a fully-functional agile team. Not all staff need to be full time on the project. However, to allow us to compare bids fairly, please provide a 2 week sprint price for the following sample full-time team: 1 x Scrum master 1 x Senior developer 2 x Developer 1 x Tester Current Phase Beta Work Location Main location will be FCO's office in King Charles Street, London, although travel will also be required for some working at FCO sites in Milton Keynes where forms are processed and where some developers sit. Working Arrangments The supplier is expected to provide resource which can be on-site in London or Milton Keynes during business hours Monday to Friday. The resource should: be collaborative and work effectively with the existing Product Owner and Senior Business Analyst team members; be expert in agile approaches including sprints, daily standups, retrospectives, and working to agreed definitions-of-done; be comfortable talking to non-technical staff and translating their requirements into technical terms; be a good listener; where appropriate, be innovative and propose changes to processes; be able, unaccompanied, to meet technical and non-technical staff and represent the FCO Digital Transformation Unit well. Security Clearance Staff working on FCO premises must be at least SC cleared. If required, FCO will initiate SC clearance though please account for up to 6 weeks to receive clearance. If relevant, please provide a plan for how this potential delay will not impact on timely delivery of the required outcomes. Additional T&Cs Ideally we would like to pay the supplier on a Sprint or Bi-sprint basis. To assist with terms of IR35, deliverables will be agreed on a per sprint basis. Skills & Experience At least three examples of developing complex database structures, ideally in Microsoft Dynamics CRM At least one example where you have created a MS Dynamics implemenation or development which had a user-centric design/UC experience within the Dynamics environment At least one example where you have created a MS Dynamics implemenation or development which passes data to other applications via both API and Dynamics pdf reports At least one example where you have created a MS Dynamics implemenation or development using the Dynamics Web Portal which had a user-centric design/UC experience Evidence of deployment of role-based access controls in MS Dynamics Evidence of regularly applying automated testing in MS Dynamics environments At least five examples of delivering projects using user-centric agile methods Experience of working in line with GDS Service Manual standards and knowledge of wider industry-standards Experience of successfully delivering public beta digital services in a public sector environment Experience of designing user-friendly interfaces in line with GOV.UK style Evidence of using using prototypes, testing, iterating and user research to inform user-friendly digital services Proven successful development and maintenance of back-end technologies, databases, use of APIs, meeting data standards, search functionality, and experience of GitHub Proven successful development and maintenance of open source CMS including build of responsive templates and site publishing tools that meet the needs of content editors and website managers Technical expertise of front-end, UI web development, building engaging templates and responsive web design that work across browsers and devices Nice to Haves Have a track record in designing and delivering Microsoft Dynamics 365 in a public sector environment Have a wider awareness of GDS direction of travel and 'Government as a Platform' / 1HMG proposals Experience in undergoing and passing GDS assessments 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 FCO's wider goals Estimated timeframes for the work Evidence of the Supplier meeting the technical criteria How the supplier has identified risks and dependencies and offered approaches to manage them Appropriate team structure and resourcing Proposed control the supplier will give to FCO technical staff to maintain the system and how they will achieve the knowledge transfer Cultural Fit Criteria Working in multidisciplinary teams with other suppliers Working with technical and non-techincal staff to understand requirements Building good relationships and trust with teams both with and without departmental sponsors Quickly joining teams and understanding their needs Experience working in an agile manner Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Case study Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 65% Cultural fit 10% Price 25% Questions from Suppliers Budget range