DVSA Digital Delivery Partner (s)

Tender description

Summary of the work DVSA require Agile delivery capability ranging from Discovery through to Live and C.I. to deliver modern digital applications in line with Digital Service Standards. This includes embracing a culture of collaborative working that leads to successful Service Assessment outcomes and solutions that meet user needs and represent value for money. Expected Contract Length up to 2 years Latest start date First SoWs likely to be issued during May 2017 Budget Range Budget approval is subject to Cabinet Office spending controls, service assessments and DfT/DVSA governance. A pipeline of activity is foreseen over the next 24 months for which the approval process has commenced. The budget is very difficult to determine at present as business cases are still under review. Based on the scope being considered the budget could range from £5m to £25m consisting of multiple SoWs, but that scope could expand or contract. DVSA does not commit to any minimum or maximum spend at this point. Why the Work is Being Done DVSA requires delivery support for strategic transformation and modernisation of a range of legacy applications. Our aim is to exit legacy contracts and technology, with an iterative approach and progressive retirement of those services alongside delivery of new features. We aim to transform the services in line with Digital Service Standards, establishing new user journeys that meet researched user needs and insights from data. We aim to initiate the first phases of delivery work in May 2017. A pipeline of requirements and delivery is expected over 24 months using up to 5 suppliers that will be appointed under this contract. Problem to Be Solved DVSA need suppliers that can deliver outcomes based on user needs and Digital Service Standards. The full range of Discovery, Alpha, Beta and Live disciplines will be needed throughout a 24 month pipeline of work that will : i) Address technology obsolescence and debt by modernising legacy services and applications ii) Deliver business process, efficiency and service improvements to service users based on needs iii) Produce Outcomes that meet Digital Service Standards and user needs iv) Consider Re-use and COTS alternatives v) Provide value for the taxpayer vi) Achieve user satisfaction vii) Generate a culture of trust and collaborative working Who Are the Users As a Service Manager I need to understand user needs; so that I can design and operate efficient digital services that meet user needs and satisfy business requirements. As a Driving Examiner I need to manage my schedule, input and store data; so that I can work more efficiently and safely. As Head of Digital I need modern services that deliver value in terms of being efficient to operate, support and improve; so that I can meet user and business needs. As CEO I need suppliers that can deliver the right quality, at the right time for a fair price. Early Market Engagement A 'Meet the Buyer' event was held on 16th December 2016. The slides and notes from the event can be seen/downloaded by using this link. http://assets.dft.gov.uk/dvsa/Meet-the-buyer-post-event-notes-slides.zip The message at the event was that DVSA has a pipeline of work over the next 24 months that aims to modernise a series of legacy applications, some identified and others to be identified. DVSA has an aspiration to grow and implement an in house capability to deliver this pipeline. It is clear that in the short to medium term (24 months) we will rely on delivery 'partners' to help us develop and implement modernised applications following Digital Service Standards. As well as 'partners' who have the experience and expertise to develop and deliver applications we require knowledge transfer back into the growing DVSA team to be part of the culture in how we work together. DVSA cannot state the exact nature of the work profile, timing, scope or scale but there will be a substantial and ongoing set of requirements. DVSA intend to place a contract that can flex as required to meet any demand placed on it. The appointment of up to 5 suppliers will be part of that 'flexible' solution. Work Already Done Two projects have completed a Discovery (Commercial Vehicle Testing, and Driver & Rider Services). Business Cases for each are being considered. If approved the Alpha phase is likely to start for at least one project in May 2017, with others to follow during 2017 and into 2018. Detailed work breakdown for projects is not available at this point as this will be influenced by the outcome of the Business Case process. The detailed requirements will be included in the statements of work issued under any contracts that are let, using supplier expertise to help inform those detailed statements of work. Existing Team The supplier will be required to work with internal DVSA stakeholders from a range of disciplines, including architecture, security, policy, service and product management, finance, and delivery management. Knowledge transfer back into DVSA will be a requirement to enable DVSA to improve internal capability to build and support applications in future. There may be points in the development cycle where collaboration with other suppliers is necessary, for example data extract, transformation, load and migration and in the setting up of development and testing environments. We may also choose to appoint additional delivery partners in due course through additional procurement Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Have evidence of delivery of complex service transformation projects which incrementally, safely and securely transition to modernised technology, architecture and applications. 3% • Have evidence of iteratively delivering and improving complex transactional digital services in accordance with Agile Development project phases from Discovery/Alpha to Live 4% • Be able to co-locate as part of a blended, multi-discipline team in DVSA offices in Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds and Birmingham or other UK locations as required. 3% • Have evidence of delivering digital services using PHP, Java, iOS development, Amazon Web Services, Google Analytics and Tableau technologies 2% • Have evidence of working with cloud vendor technologies and tools to support cloud adoption and secure communication between cloud providers and integrate Government department legacy estates 1% • Have evidence of Continuous Delivery techniques, so as to deliver both an early and a high frequency of successful incremental releases over a sustained period 1% • Have evidence of working on complex programmes with many dependencies and integrations with backend and legacy applications, and with other Government departments 5% • Have evidence of effective service design in line with Digital Service Standards, entailing thorough user research and performance analysis capabilities in context of modernizing legacy technologies and services 1% • Have evidence of deploying effective multi-discipline teams, able to fulfil required outcomes across all Service Design disciplines from Discovery right through to Live/C.I. 5% • Have evidence of enabling Customer delivery teams, empowering them to successfully deliver Continuous Improvements 1% • Have evidence of working successfully with incumbent legacy vendors as part of service delivery to support service and technology transformation 2% • Have evidence of leading and coaching government departments through the digital transformation process aligned to the Digital Service Standard and Service Assessments process 1% • Be able to supply the full range of roles as defined in Digital Services II Roles 4% • Ensure that all options are considered including Rent, Buy, Make, Re-Use and recommend and support the most appropriate approach 1% • Continuously improve the processes, disciplines and M.I. that give reassurances related to delivery, risk and cost 1% Nice to Haves • Integrate apprenticeship and graduate schemes into their delivery model 1% • Provide evidence of working in a multi-vendor model on complex programmes with many dependencies and integrations 1% • Incorporate Armed Forces Covenant within terms 1% • Scale Up and Down at short notice i.e. Increase or decrease numbers of staff as required by DVSA at short notice 1% • Incorporate tactical or short notice Discovery SoWs as required 1% Work Location For any given SoW the work is likely to be based in either Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds or Birmingham, however research activity may be required UK wide. Regular travel will be required to DVSA's offices in Bristol and Nottingham. The primary base for will be detailed in each Statement of Work (SoW) and expenses will not form part of the cost unless the supplier is asked to work from a secondary location instead during the execution of the work relating to the SoW. e.g. If SoW 1 primary base in Nottingham then no expenses will be paid for Nottingham. Working Arrangments We expect this to be a full time, 5 day per week basis (Monday to Friday). There is scope for remote working (e.g. 4 days per week on-site, 1 day remote). We value co-located, integrated teams and face to face dialogue in the spirit of the service standard. The primary base for the work will be detailed in each Statement of Work (SoW). Expenses will not form part of the cost unless the supplier is asked to work from a secondary location instead during the execution of the SoW. Team size may vary during any given SoW as appropriate. Security Clearance basic Additional T&Cs Standard Framework and Call Off Terms and Conditions. Any expenses shall be submitted in line with DfT standard T&S policy. Primary work location stated in SoW will not attract expenses. Contract and Vendor Management will form a key part of the governance and suppliers will be expected to co-operate in a manner that fosters healthy working relationships and quality delivery. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Proposed Approach, Methodology, Modus Operandi and Work History 5% • Team Structures/Models/Options capabilities 5% • Team scalablity, flexibility, deployment time, and pause capability 3% • Case Study (3) including Reference for each 5% • Contract and Vendor Management Collaboration, M.I. and VFM approach 2% Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers 4% • Share knowledge and experience with DVSA including incorporating DVSA graduates in learning opportunities 4% • Work pro-actively with DVSA Vendor Managers to agree optimum reporting and monitoring of performance 4% • Can work with clients with low technical expertise 4% • Delivery and Value For Money Focussed 4% Payment Approach Capped time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Are you interested in applications from providers such as ourselves, who specialise in providing services and outcomes based around some but not all of the roles on DS2? We fulfil all the essential criteria in our specialist area, but cannot supply multi-discipline teams that fulfil outcomes across all Service Design principles; or provide the full range of roles. Would you still welcome applications from specialist providers, or would we only be able to supply as part of a partnership or special purpose vehicle, covering all the essential requirements? At present we are interested in responses from suppliers that can provide all the roles on DS2 to form skilled teams comprising of particular mixes of those roles under a single management structure that can produce outcomes. DVSA recognise the value that specialist suppliers can bring and should the quality of responses fall below our expectation or we see gaps in skill sets as we move forward we may consider alternative procurement strategies in the future to augment capability. 2. Some questions have many facets to them. Will specific evidence against most of these facets be acceptable, or is 100% compliance expected with each facet of every question? 100% compliance is expected on essentials. DVSA believe the Digital Marketplace has many suppliers that can potentially meet all of our requirements, so we have set the benchmark high. 3. Could you tell us the scoring criteria which will be used to evaluate this opportunity? Most opportunities we have seen have worked on the basis of scoring each criterion 0, 1, 2 and 3 (Respectively criteria not met, partially met, met, exceeded) with a minimum score of 2 expected against each criteria. “Nice to Haves” are considered equal to “Essentials” for this process. Will this system be used here? We will follow the prescribed scoring process outlined in the Digital Services Buyer Instructions. See link.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-shortlist-digital-outcomes-and-specialists-suppliers 4. For the question evidencing the technology stack (PHP, Java, iOS development, Amazon Web Services, Google Analytics and Tableau technologies), are these technologies open to discussion within the project or are they predetermined? If the latter, would experience at an individual level satisfy the requirements? (e.g. if one of our proposed team has the relevant skills gained outside our company.) These technologies are used now in DVSA and will be part of the technology stack along with others as our Digital Services expand. DVSA need to be confident any supplier selected can meet the requirement. This is a competition, so in answer to your question, potentially yes, but if there are others that can provide skills in depth across a range of individuals then they will be in a stronger position to be selected on that particular point, but there are many criteria that make up the requirement. 5. For the Armed Services Covenant, is the wording in the corporate Covenant, submitted as the answer sufficient? Covenant for businessesBusinesses and charitable organisations who wish to demonstrate their support for the armed forces community can sign the covenant. In doing so they make a range of written and publicised promises to set out their support.Find case studies and more on the microsite.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-forces-covenant-supporting-information#covenant-for-businesses 6. For the apprenticeships and graduates question, are you looking for a commitment to upskilling apprenticeships and graduates or evidence of previous upskilling? Ideally both, but commitment going forward would suffice at this point. It is a competition so those that can demonstrate both with have an advantage in this instance, but it is one of many criteria we are evaluating on. 7. Regarding the technology areas, we note the required evidence of delivering digital services using PHP, Java, iOS development, Amazon Web Services, Google Analytics and Tableau technologies.Can you please confirm if DVSA have chosen any technology platforms at this stage e.g. ESB, CRM, CMS etc? With regard to choice of ESB, CRM and CMS. DVSA have no fixed ideas on these at present.