Healthy Start Digitisation - Beta stage

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done As part of the drive to transform government services and make them ‘digital by default’, the Department is exploring options for digitising the Healthy Start scheme, which will replace the current paper provisions with an online application form and digital payment card. This will make the service more convenient and flexible for users and realise efficiencies. A discovery phase examined the feasibility of digitising the process of people applying for, receiving and spending Healthy Start vouchers, identifying potential methods for distributing Healthy Start digitally. The Alpha stage has delivered a prototype which requires further testing and evaluation in beta. Problem to Be Solved The recommendations from the alpha service assessment completed by GDS are to explore the digital application and card in further detail as well as to develop the backend management system. The beta will continue testing the online application form and making changes with each iteration to ensure a robust and easy to use application tool. We intend to widen the number of testers to ensure we cover the wide demographic of our users. This will include, cities, towns and rural locations and a range of different sized shops, both chains and independent stores. Also see Google drive for further details. Who Are the Users Users: Pregnant women on qualifying benefits and with earnings below a specified threshold and all pregnant women aged under 18. Parents with children under the age of four, on qualifying benefits and with earnings below a specified threshold. Health professionals (including midwives, health visitors) and Retailers. See Google drive documents for further details: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dB9zUqEyd8jcNa56JYgu-jo2DarhvLsu?usp=sharing Early Market Engagement 1. Users really value the HS scheme 2. The scheme is not reaching all those who are eligible - particularly during pregnancy 3. Awareness relies too heavily on busy health professionals and word of mouth 4. The requirement for a health professional to sign the form adds unnecessary friction to the application process 5. The complexity of the passported benefit arrangement, and the transition arrangements within HS when the child is born, are easily misunderstood by both users and health professionals, sometimes leading to delays in receiving benefit or unexpected stoppages. 6. Requiring pregnant users to call HSIU when their baby is born to continue receiving support is counter-intuitive and inconvenient for many mothers and health professionals 7. Users want control over how they use their Healthy Start benefit value 8. Users want a reliable and stress-free interaction with retailers 9. Users experience issues with the paper vouchers and most are ready for some kind of digital solution 10. Although users often have smartphones there is evidence of degrees of digital exclusion within the HS demographic. We must make sure any solutions work for everyone. Also see Google drive for beta stage pre market engagement information. Work Already Done A successful discovery phase was completed 06 September 2016. Subsequently the Apha phase was delivered successfully on 07 February 2018. Discovery and Alpha conclusion reports, along with further details of the Beta requirement background can be found on the following Google Drive location, for review. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dB9zUqEyd8jcNa56JYgu-jo2DarhvLsu?usp=sharing Alpha stage DOS2 advert can be seen here: https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/digital-outcomes-and-specialists/opportunities/5142 As with the Alpha phase, following shortlisting, the top five scoring suppliers who can meet the beta delivery date requirements will be invited to the evaluation stage. We will request approval from these organisations for the shortlisting scores to be utilised in the final evaluation. Existing Team The service manager role will be provided by DHSC. Current Phase Beta Work Location Leeds, London, Mansfield and remote locations. Working Arrangments The team will be located across Leeds (DH), London (DH) and the NHS Business Services Authority (Mansfield), plus the contractors (location tbc) and so will make use of VC technology and will arrange in-person meetings at key points. Security Clearance To be confirmed. Additional T&Cs Skills & Experience Demonstrate how you will apply your skills and expertise to... Deliver digital services that meet the GDS Digital Service Standard criteria and pass GDS service assessments and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Develop prototypes into functional beta systems (card system, instant reimbursement) iteratively via user testing/research and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Develop digital services using agile methodologies and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Prioritise key content and features using metrics, analytics, and user feedback and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Prioritise product and programme delivery using effective estimation and sizing techniques and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Design and build services which meet user needs, follow GDS design patterns, meet accessibility standards and how this will ensure the successful delivery of this service Nice to Haves Demonstrate experience of successful delivery of digital services from Discovery to Live, involving retirement of legacy services Have experience upskilling client staff No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Approach and methodology Technical solution How the approach or solution meets user needs Estimated timeframes to complete the work Team structure (with roles and responsibilities) Value for money How risks and dependencies are identified and approaches to manage them Approach to maintaining control, transparency and quality Cultural Fit Criteria Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers Transparent and collaborative when making decisions Demonstrate the approch for working with a wide range of service users, including vulnerable persons and those with limited digital skills Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 20% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers Budget range the budget for the beta is up to £1,686,000 spread across two financial years.