Microsoft Dynamics Consultant

Tender description

Summary of the work Stabilising the Council’s Microsoft Dynamics365 CRM platform and the development of the product’s roadmap. Providing remedial work to Dynamics365 and migration of the ADX My Account and transactions as per the roadmap. Work will also be delivered for online transactions, integrating with back office solutions, and digitally enabling/automating internal processes. Specialist role Technical Architect Expected Contract Length 3 months Latest start date Monday 9 July 2018 Maximum Day Rate Circa £50k 3 months (60 days) Who Speclialist Work With Work will be undertaken with the Council’s ICT team, led by a senior manager in ICT or a senior member of the Architecture team. A jointly agreed plan and delivery dates will be established at the commencement of the contract. It is accepted that the full plan will be developed as the investigation progresses. Progress updates will be provided to the Head of ICT on a weekly basis as a minimum, with more regular updates dictated. It may at times be necessary to attend project or programme board meetings. What Specialists Work On The Dynamics 365 platform captures and manages requests from citizens for services provided . All forms of communication channels are available to citizens, with telephony being the primary channel. Channel shift ambitions have resulted in the development of a citizen My Account with some online transactions, most being payment related. This web portal presence was built using the ADX functionality associated with Microsoft Dynamics, however the ADX functionality will be deprecated from the 1st August 2018. Although the web portal will not fail immediately, the risk of future failures will heighten over time. The proposed work will mitigate this risk. Skills & Experience • Experience of working on full life cycle implementations across multiple versions of Dynamics CRM 365. • Significant Experience of working in Customer Service, and (optional Sales, Marketing) Modules. • Creative thinking with CRM solutions • Dynamics CRM Configuration, Customization, Java Script, Plug Ins, Workflows/Custom Workflow Activity, ASP.Net, C#, WCF, SSIS & SSRS, ADX Portals. • Implementation of MS CRM data migration jobs & custom reports using SSRS, knowledge of Kingsway toolkit is preferred. • Providing in-depth knowledge of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform and evaluating customers business processes against the standard CRM functionality. • Experience in portal development using ADX Studio, Optional Dynamic 365 Portal and Web API’s. • Design & Development of new modules in Dynamics 365 CRM. • Object Oriented Programming and Design experience. • SQL Programming knowledge. • Experience in quick resolution of production issues/bugs in a 24 X 7 support program • Take care of production deployments of New changes/ Enhancements / Bug fixes etc. • Work on production support activities and trouble shoot issues as and when required. • Discuss with business on requirements/ bugs/ changes and prioritize the work item • Work on the application problem management and improve the stability and performance of the application. • Good team working.Excellent communication.Will be required to develop technical documentation and carry out hand over. • Extensive experience of ADX, Dynamics Portals, .net and web technologies, supporting the identification of robust, clear, evidenced based criteria for the appropriate application of each technology • Experience of defining, documenting and communicating technical architectures, technical strategies and specific product roadmaps for an organisation • Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 architecture, product set, best practice development guidelines and roadmap • Demonstrable knowledge and experience of Microsoft Dynamics 365 security and entity models Nice to Haves • Have worked within the UK public sector. • Have worked specifically within the UK Local Government Sector on similar projects. • Business analysis and project management Work Location Onsite work will take place at the Civic Centre in Wolverhampton Working Arrangments The exact nature of the work will be agreed once the roadmap, extent of the remedial work and requirements for new online services are defined. All expenses should be included within the budget envelope of the proposal. Additional T&Cs Please note if you have not accepted the CCS GDPR variation we will not be able to appoint your organisation. No. of Specialists to Evaluate 5 Cultural Fit Criteria Approach and methodology – working with others in the way that is determined by the client Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 65% Cultural fit 5% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. What is the IR35 status and is there an incumbent? The role sits inside IR35 and there is no incumbent i.e. these are new opportunities for some new developments. 2. Compared to the other two opportunities, this one is only for 3 months but with a higher maximum day rate. Is the rate higher because it is fixed for 3 months? Are extensions possible? • The higher rate is due to the strategic aspects of the role requiring investigative skills to support the development of the future roadmap and architecture for the Council’s implementation of Dynamics• Extensions may be possible, but unlikely, as this is a time limited piece of work 3. Please can you confirm if this role is inside / outside of IR35? Inside IR35 4. Is this a new position? Yes, for the duration identified, to undertake a specific scope of work 5. Is this outside of IR35? Inside IR35 6. Is this work already being completed by someone? Albeit through a different framework No 7. Can you please confirm if there is an incumbent and if this role is outside of IR35? • No incumbent undertaking this role, although there is a requirement to work with the internal IT team.• Inside IR35 8. What is the maximum day rate? £833.33? Will day rates over this amount be accepted? This is a guideline, but be aware of the evaluation criteria. 9. It is indicated that on-site work will take place at the Civic Sector in Wolverhampton. Is there an opportunity for a blend of part on-site and part remote working using online collaboration tools as appropriate? The work is on-site at Wolverhampton. In some extenuating circumstances, such as where work is required to take place out of normal office hours, then remoting working arrangements will be agreed. 10. Re IR35 you have stated, "The contract with the company is to provide a resource(s) that match our requirements. We have no say over who the individual is, that is the company’s discretion. They can substitute the individual for perhaps better suited people for particular aspects of work at times during the contract." To be clear, are you saying in the above case, that IR35 will not apply? The public body (not supplier) has to make the IR35 determination. We, as a supplier, need to know the IR35 status in advance of applying. The explanation provided by HMRC regarding off-payroll working rules are:You’ll need to consider the off-payroll working rules if you:• provide your services to a client through your own intermediary• hire people who provide their services through an intermediary to public sector clientsThe intermediary can be:• a worker’s own limited company - known as a personal service company (PSC)• a partnership• another individualIf the above aligns with the intended approach for providing resources to the Council in this instance, then the role is inside IR35.