C14111 National CD Service - Design Assurance Services Transition Partner

Tender description

Summary of the work The Home Office National Communications Data Service require Design Assurance services covering Enterprise, Solution and Business Architecture; Information Assurance; and Technical Design Authority, as it transitions from a programme into service delivery by April 2020. Expertise will be required in blended teams up to and including SFIA level 7. Expected Contract Length 2 years Latest start date Thursday 31 January 2019 Budget Range £4.5M to £9.5M estimated Total Contract Value. Why the Work is Being Done The National CD Service (NCDS) is a new organisation within the Home Office, transitioning from a change delivery programme to a sustained service, delivering vital capability to the UK Law Enforcement Community. Between now and 2020, NCDS will be changing from a programme delivery organisation to a service delivery organisation which delivers consistently high quality services which respond rapidly to changes in operational needs and emerging technologies. The purpose of this requirement is to provide cross-cutting Engineering services, supporting NCDS in setting the right direction and assuring the course that is being taken by the projects and services. Problem to Be Solved The requirement is for a flexible and responsive means of providing Design Assurance, in an environment of change in: (1) How NCDS operates; (2) The services that NCDS provides; and (3) The third party suppliers who underpin these services: while mitigating the impact of these changes. Design Assurance will need to ensure coherence is maintained during transition. This will require capabilities in Enterprise, Solution and Business Architecture; Information Assurance; and Technical Design Authority at up to and including SFIA level 7. Who Are the Users The main customer will be the Head of Engineering of the NCDS who needs to provide a central Design Authority and provide an associated Design Assurance Service to the organisation and its delivery partners. The users of the Design Assurance Service will be the service and delivery teams within NCDS who are required to make technical decisions based upon a core architecture and design that is maintained by a Design Authority. There are also external organisations whose own solutions for the provision and use of data will require assurance to ensure interoperability with the CD Services Platform. Early Market Engagement Early Market Engagement was conducted at an event on 19th July 2018. A Q&A summary together with the day's presentation were shared with all Digital Marketplace/DOS2 Suppliers on 24th August 2018. Work Already Done The programme that has delivered NCDS to Initial Operating Capability (IOC) incorporated a Design Authority and has provided a degree of Design Assurance as part of the delivery process. A great deal of the design and its assurance against a central solution architecture is primarily done by the Lead Project Engineers. The requirement is to formalise this function as an integral part of FOC. Existing Team The existing team is made up of a blend of Civil Servants and third-party supplier subject matter experts. The Design Assurance Services Transition Partner will be expected progressively to replace the third-party supplier subject matter experts, and to collaborate extensively with NCDS and its third party suppliers (current and future) in order to deliver these services. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Provide recent and demonstrable evidence of your experience in each of the following: Enterprise, Solution and Business Architecture; Information Assurance; and Technical Design Authority at SFIA levels 6/7 • Defining interfaces and assuring the coherence across the multiple delivery teams • Defining and implementing Security Architecture in a government environment • Defining Business Architecture preferably in a Law Enforcement environment • Integration and Test across mulitple delivery teams with differen development methodologies • Setting and delivering Engineering Strategy • Providing Information Assurance in a government environment • Operating in cross-functional engineering teams to build supportable, sustainable and reliable services Nice to Haves • Knowledge of the legislative framework and policy requirements under which the Communications Data is collected, processed and analysed • Experience of working in a challenging, complex and regulated environment • Evidence of providing a scalable, SC-cleared including DV-cleared resource pool, whilst maintaining governance and delivery Work Location 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF. Work may be required at other locations nationally from time to time. Working Arrangments We expect team(s) to reflect the roles and capabilities listed in the Essential Skills section. Team(s) will need to be familiar with providing Design Assurance to change projects being delivered through Agile methodology or 'Waterfall', or in a hybrid of both disciplines. Team(s) will typically be expected to be on site at least 3 days/ week, although this will depend on the nature and volume of work being delivered through the contract duration. Security Clearance SC level clearance is required for all Supplier staff working under the proposed contract. Access to a pool of DV cleared staff is also essential. Additional T&Cs 1. We intend to award C14111, C14112, and C14113 Services to three separate suppliers, reflecting our desire to promote supplier diversity and functional separation. 2. We will retain ownership of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) created during the contract. 3. Travel and Expenses will not be paid. 4. Key Supplier staff included at the proposal stage will be expected to work on the contract; replacing resources with Civil Servants is within outcome. 5. We reserve the right to agree fixed price Statements of Work (SoW); the Supplier shall not unreasonably withhold its agreement to such requests. 6. Sub-contracting is permitted. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Approach and Methodology • Value for Money • Ability to plan and anticipate for risks and provide potential mitigations • Team structure and composition (including CVs, technical skill-sets, and key staff) • Mobilisation and service continuity plan Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers • Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes • Share knowledge and experience with other team members • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • Demonstrate engagement of SMEs as part of their supply-chain Payment Approach Time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 20% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. "Provide recent and demonstrable evidence of your experience in each of the following: Enterprise, Solution and Business Architecture; Information Assurance; and Technical Design Authority at SFIA levels 6/7" appears to ask for multiple examples but the response template only allows for a single 100 word response. Is that in-line with your expectations? There is a 100 word limit in responding to this question, but you will need to use this to provide recent and demonstrable evidence covering all of these essential skills and experience. In practice, this may be a list of recent projects and why you feel these to offer strong evidence to this effect. 2. "Given the 30% evaluation criteria for price, please can the Authority confirm how and when pricing information is to be provided.Is the answer for this the same for all 5 lots under this opportunity (C14111-C14115)?" "Home Office will evaluate the Essential Skills & Experience and Nice to Have Criteria to shortlist for the Evaluation Stage up to 5 potential providers for each of the requirement sets (C14111-C14115) on a 'highest scoring' basis.This suppliers taken through to the Evaluation Stage will be provided details of the relevant requirements, and will be invited to submit a more detailed proposal, pricing and presentation for assessment." 3. "From our understanding of the DOS2 framework, the assessment methods proposed in this lot are usually applied to a further evaluation of additional material, e.g. a more detailed proposal and presentation.Can the authority clarify the next steps following the submission of our initial application on 26th September.Will this process be the same regardless of the number of applicants that you receive?Is the answer for this the same for all 5 lots under this opportunity (C14111-C14115)?" "Home Office will evaluate the Essential Skills & Experience and Nice to Have Criteria to shortlist for the Evaluation Stage up to 5 potential providers for each of the requirement sets (C14111-C14115) on a 'highest scoring' basis.This suppliers taken through to the Evaluation Stage will be provided details of the relevant requirements, and will be invited to submit a more detailed proposal, pricing and presentation for assessment." 4. Following supplier questions on the Work Set Up statement/Security Clearance, we are publishing the following clarification: Access to some DV cleared staff may be required from time to time for some statements of work. The HO will work with the supplier to ensure that capabilities dependent for the achievement of such outcomes are understood and planned for, including sponsorship of appropriate clearances where necessary.