Service design team to deliver an alpha for the Buying for Schools Digital Platform (optional beta)

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done We want to help schools save money on procurement. The Department for Education has a Schools Buying Strategy aiming to help schools save £1bn of their current £10bn spend on non-staff costs by 2020. Developing a Buying for Schools digital service will be a critical enabler for work under this strategy, and act as a catalyst for behavioural change in schools to encourage better resource management. Problem to Be Solved Schools can struggle to manage their resources effectively and deliver value for money. During the Alpha phase, we are looking for a service design team to iteratively design prototypes to meet our identified user needs. This may include the following: prototypes to search and compare deals that would provide best value for money for schools; a networking capability that will form part of an end-to-end digital customer journey. Beta will focus on building an end to end service in partnership with a technical delivery team who will be brought on board, going live, and iterating further. Who Are the Users Our primary users are Schools Business Professionals. Others include anyone else involved in the schools buying process. Our users need a single starting point for the buying journey. They need to be able to search for DfE approved deals that meet their requirements. They need to access networks of other schools to work collaboratively, and need specialist help on complex procurements. The goal is to help schools avoid making poor commercial decisions, engage effectively with suppliers, enable aggregation with other schools and access help when lacking specialist procurement expertise. Early Market Engagement Work Already Done We passed an internal Discovery assessment in May. Previously, there were 2 other Discovery phases for this work. We've therefore validated user needs through three rounds of user research. We outlined hypotheses and product vision, and have started to test hypotheses through continuous user research. We have started to map user journeys for access to deals. Existing Team The Digital team is in the Schools Commercial Division. Currently this includes two civil servants (Product manager & fast streamer) and two contractors (User researcher & delivery manager). This team will be in place through Alpha and beyond as required. The supplier will also be expected to work with the wider Department (Engagement, Marketing, Networking, Policy, DFE digital, Digi-comm's and Category teams) and with a wide group of stakeholders up to director level. If the supplier continues to work with us through Beta they will be expected to work with a technical delivery partner. Current Phase Discovery Work Location Department for Education, 2 Saint Paul Place, Sheffield, S1 2FJ Working Arrangments Co-located with the team in Sheffield at least 3 days a week to maximise opportunity for engagement with DfE users and stakeholders. Some travel to other DfE sites and schools to meet users is expected but must be in line with the DfE travel & subsistence policy. Expenses must be included in the contract sum, there will be no separate budget for expenses. We will operate using agile methodology including daily stand ups, sprint planning, sprints, retrospectives and show and tells. Face to face attendance at all Show and Tells is expected. There is some flexibility for remote arrangements. Security Clearance BPSS (Baseline Security Level) BPSS is standard; the level of security needed will depend on the sensitivity of the data the supplier will have access to. Additional T&Cs By issuing this invitation, the Department is not bound in any way and does not have to accept any tender. The Department also reserves the right at its sole discretion to award a contract for the Alpha stage only. The framework operates on a statement of work (SOW), if the final SOW for Alpha is complete, and a decision is taken not to proceed to Beta, the contract can be terminated. Additional contractual clauses expected include: GDPR, Departmental Security Standards (for departmental data) & clauses on issued property and use of premises. Skills & Experience Work to GDS service standards. Use Agile methodologies. Have significant experience of rapid prototype iteration based on ongoing user research. Have significant experience of conducting user research & usability testing sessions (face to face and remote) based on a robust methodology. Have experience of recruitment of user research participants (including users with accessibility and assisted digital needs). Have experience of analysis of existing research, analytics and insight to ensure good understanding of users and their needs. Have experience of delivering high quality content and information architecture design for complex user journeys across multiple touchpoints, that meets user needs. Have experience & capability of creating plans for Beta from both a design and technical perspective. Nice to Haves Show evidence in leading, coaching, mentoring and upskilling people in agile techniques and roles to build agile capability within existing teams. Understanding of the education & schools landscapes. Experience in designing citizen-facing digital services. Experience in taking services successfully through the GDS Service Assessment. Experience of working in partnership with technical delivery teams. Experience of using the gov.uk design system. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria Design solution – recent example of experience working on digital projects that have met user needs and can demonstrate sound knowledge of GDS Digital Service Standards Approach and methodology – examples that demonstrate a solid understanding of Agile and core principles and how these were applied. How the approach or solution meets user needs – an example of where the supplier has tested competing design hypotheses in Alpha to deliver a successful outcome for users. Value for money- examples where the supplier has applied a transparent financial structure and fair pricing for the service Proposed team structure and members, including expected members from DfE, explaining the justification for each member Explain your approach to identifying and managing risk within the project Cultural Fit Criteria Provide an example where the supplier has worked collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team with other service providers. There is a need to be transparent and collaborative when making decisions. Explain your understanding of a transparent and collaborative environment. Provide an example of where applying agile core values has enabled timely delivery of a product. Provide an example of how you would quickly join the team and understand user needs, to maintain continuity between existing discovery work and alpha. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers Budget range please only provide costs for a 12 week alpha. up to a maximum of £140k.