C15037 Home Office Network Architect/Engineering Support Service

Tender description

Summary of the work Networking Technical Architects (rough weighting 25%) and Network Engineering (rough weighting 75%) support services are required to support a range of projects within the Digital, Data and Technology area. Expected Contract Length maximum of two years Latest start date Monday 1 April 2019 Why the Work is Being Done The Home Office requires Technical Architecture and Engineering support services offering extensive skills and experience in WAN / LAN network engineering. The balance of work will be roughly 25% architectural and 75% engineering. They will support the Network Engineering area of the DDaT (Digital Data and Technology) Directorate in its ongoing operation of the Home Office's infrastructure, including projects to change / migrate from legacy and implement new network infrastructure solutions. Problem to Be Solved The Network Engineering team supports a range of changes and projects responsible for overhauling corporate technology across the Home Office. The Technical Architects and Network Engineers will be responsible the assessment of requirements, converting a range of technical / non-technical requirements into low level designs and implementing the signed-off low level designs. Some examples of the vendors and technologies to be worked with are given in the skills section below. Who Are the Users Users of internal and external facing Home Office systems and services. Work Already Done The remit covers a range of work with some projects in their early stages (initiation / foundations). During this engagement it is anticipated that further work will be added to the pipeline, requiring end-to-end lifecycle support. Existing Team The successful supplier will be responsible for providing Technical Architect (rough weighting 25%) and Engineering (rough weighting 75%) services, reporting to project and programme managers, working alongside existing Architects and Engineers within the Network Engineering team. The service provider's resources will also be required to engage and collaborate with a range of third party suppliers; internal and external customers. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Cisco routing and switching, including ASR MPLS enabled WAN routers and multi-tenanted platforms • Wireless design and implementation (Cisco Prime, Cisco wireless controllers) • Firewall implementation and management (e.g. Checkpoint, Cisco, Juniper SSG) • Working with virtualised infrastructure • Load balancers (F5, Cisco ACE) • Fortinet proxy / firewall • Cisco ACI Work Location Work will be carried out from a Home Office location, primarily in Salford. Some travel may be required to other Home Office sites. Where resources are based at the Home Office location in Salford, and where infrequent travel is required to other sites, reasonable onward travel expenses will be paid, in line with HO travel policy (excluding subsistence). Working Arrangments The supplier will be required to collaboratively work on site (5 days per week to allow sufficient stakeholder engagement and support to be provided). Supplier costs must be inclusive of all expenses. Supplier will be required to use the current Home Office timesheet system to provide time sheet information to I&P Finance on a weekly basis. The supplier will be required to report to the Network Engineering Programme Manager (or nominated representative), work collaboratively with live service representatives and report progress to the Network Engineering project managers / function. Security Clearance All staff must have SC level security clearance prior to starting work. Staff not in current possession of SC security clearance must be willing to undergo SC security clearance. Additional T&Cs Individual statements of work may be arranged on a fixed price, T&M or capped T&M basis Travel Policy (no subsistence) No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Technical Capability (Organisation and Team) • Approach and Methodology • Mobilisation, including timeframes • How they’ve identified risks and dependencies and offered approaches to manage them • Team structure Cultural Fit Criteria • Ability to function effectively and collaborate in a multi-supplier environment • Works within the spirit of the Civil Service code, as at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-code Payment Approach Capped time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 10% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers 1. What budget figure has been agreed for this requirement? The budget is not provided. 2. Is there a current incumbent supplying this service and if so will they be reapplying? There is no incumbent supplier. 3. With no budget provided, please provide additional detail, to enable suppliers to size / price accordingly. Further detail will be provided in the requirements issued with the Request for Proposal to short-listed suppliers. 4. What are the current capabilities within the DDAT function of the Home Office? The required capabilities currently exist in the team, although demand often exceeds capacity. The supplier’s team is expected to work alongside the existing Home Office Project Managers, Architects and Engineers, in some cases working together on the same projects but in other cases working independently with a PM to deliver solutions through appropriate technical governance. 5. Is there a requirement for any program and project managers to assist with delivery? This procurement is specifically for technical resource. Project and programme management will be procured separately if needed. 6. Does the Home Office have product/technologies owners that the technical resources need to consult during the development of standards, designs and solution implementations? Yes 7. Is there a requirement to have any higher level of security clearance such as DV for the delivery resource? DV clearance is not currently required. All personnel must be Home Office SC cleared before they can start work onsite. 8. Does the Home Office require resources and capabilities for 'service operation' delivery with regards to L1, L2 and L3 capabilities? This procurement is for technical resources to undertake project work. There is no requirement for BAU type resource for service operation. 9. With regards to personnel needing to be Home Office SC cleared prior to working on site, please can you clarify that the Home Office would sponsor and organise this clearance accordingly? Please can you give us a rough idea of timelines for this please? Home Office will sponsor and process the resource clearances. Short-listed suppliers will be provided with the necessary forms for completion so that the clearance process can start as soon as a preferred supplier is identified.Clearance timescales are variable, but usually 1 to 3 months. Whilst the Home Office is aware that mobilisation of the service may need to be staggered as clearances are awaited, we are looking for suppliers to propose ways to minimise the impact of the clearance requirement on an ongoing basis.