BM.19.002 Collections Online (COL) Middleware Solution

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The current COL infrastructure is over 5 years old and no longer fit for purpose following 1) an upgrade of the Museum's collection database (MI+), and 2) the redevelopment of the Museum's website which acts as the front end of the COL solution. While a separate project is underway to redevelop the COL front end we are here seeking an external company with extensive experience in developing middleware to design and build a solution which provides collection data and information to a public facing web interface. Problem to Be Solved The existing solution uses non-modern and redundant technology components which are not compatible with the Museum's collection database MI+ and has led to a situation where the Museum's front end COL is no longer being updated with object and image data. Who Are the Users The end users of the data provided by this system are the people searching for the objects on the website. However, only the Collection Management, Information Services (IS) and Digital teams within the British Museum will be using the middleware when they need to make changes or updates to the integration Early Market Engagement As part of our discovery work and options appraisal with our internal Business Analyst team, we carried out a series of consultations with peer organisations to identify technological choices and the decisions behind them across the sector. Once we were clearer on our preferred options, a third party agency was engaged to provide technical consultation and validation against our cost estimates and recommendations. This has lead us to conclude that to align with our requirements we want to proceed with cloud-native services to create data ingest functionality and a Collection API which can be consumed by any application that needs it. Work Already Done Proof of concept started on the Collection Management System API Existing Team The supplier will be working with the overall programme team. On this project the BM Team will consist of a Project Manager, Product Owner, Business Analyst and shared testing and content resources. There will also be close links with the website agency who are developing the front end and the supplier of the Collection Management System Current Phase Not started Work Location The BM team is based entirely at the British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG, we do not expect the supplier to deliver the work from our site Working Arrangments It is expected to be a mixture of on-site and off-site working. If on-site, the contractor will be working at the British Museum site in London. We would expect regular weekly progress calls as well as show and tell sessions (pre-scheduled) as the project progresses. The BM team can also spend time onsite at the supplier's location if required. You should include budget for travel in your pricing submission Security Clearance Baseline Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance will be required before commencement of work. The Museum can assist with obtaining this clearance. Additional T&Cs Any additional terms and conditions will be confirmed during final contract negotiations. Skills & Experience Demonstrable experience of developing middleware infrastructure projects to present Museum or Art Gallery object records and data to a website search function. These will have to be live working examples Has in-depth understanding of how museum object records are structured and organised and how this is different to standard databases Has experience in working with web designers and agencies to deliver linked up end product Has experience of Image handling and transformations Has experience of API integration and development Has experience of large search engine implementations Has experience of building site wide searches such as ElasticSearch, Lucene, Solr. Experience in working with large cultural organisations Must be Cyber Essentials or ISO27001 compliant prior to commencement of work and be able to provide copies of certification. Nice to Haves Team passionate about public engagement and cultural institutes No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria Demonstrate the proposed technical solution is fit for purpose and meets the requirements (Further details of criteria and scoring will be provided after shortlisting.) Proven relevant development skills and experience from case studies and references. Demonstrate that the team has relevant individual qualification and skills and capacity to complete work. Demonstrate how the project will be kept on track, meet requirements and delivered to time and to budget. Demonstrate how risks and dependencies will be identified, and managed. Demonstrate outline of approach to testing, quality assurance and training and support. Cultural Fit Criteria Demonstrate an affinity and support for the aims and mission of the British Museum. Will likely to have worked with similar large cultural organisations. Demonstrate experience of working as a team with client organisations and other project stakeholders. Flexibility to work with the Museum’s waterfall project and programme governance framework. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 45% Cultural fit 20% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers Budget range development costs of around £75,000 excl vat