Pipeline tool to support local government collaboration on projects and provide portfolio management

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The Local Digital Declaration https://localdigital.gov.uk/declaration/ defines an ambition for the future of local public services which has been signed by 145 organisations since July 2018. Pipeline is a tool that provides project portfolio management and supports councils by allowing them to discover and connect with others that are planning, doing or have undertaken similar work. It makes it easier for connections to be made and for organisations with oversight (e.g. GLA or MHCLG) to identify opportunities to more actively encourage organisations to share or support the scaling of projects to meet common needs. Problem to Be Solved Previous work has shown interest at councils to share information about their work and connections have been made as a result. The usage observed so far has been by those closer to the mission and we are not clear what will incentivise or is required to deliver more widespread use. Pipeline fits within an emerging ecosystem of tools such as the User Research Library (by Hackney at https://research.localgov.digital/) and Patterns & Process Library (https://mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2018/12/07/selecting-the-first-local-digital-fund-projects/). It’s lack of APIs prevents reuse of Pipeline data within other products to act as hub. Who Are the Users As a council employee: I want to find others that have done similar work to me So that I don’t make the same mistakes and make sure my project is successful As a council employee: I want to find others that are planning similar work to me So that I could join their project As an MHCLG Collaboration Manager / GLA Transformation Manager / SME supplier, I need to know where there are common needs or opportunities in the sector So I that I can help support innovation and transformation to help local authorities make better local services for citizens. Early Market Engagement Whilst we have not engaged the supplier community. We have been raising awareness with users across the sector via the Hackney blog https://blogs.hackney.gov.uk/hackit/pipeline, MHCLG blog https://mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/?s=pipeline and the LocalGov Digital Slack community inviting feedback. Work Already Done - LocalGov Digital built a prototype in 2014 that was iterated in 2018 by Hackney - https://pipeline.localgov.digital - Trello from 2014: https://trello.com/b/a80RaQ0s/pipeline - Source code for the current product: https://github.com/LocalGovDigital/pipeline (we are not looking to use this code base for future iterations of the product) - User research by Hackney: https://research.localgov.digital/projects/pipeline-a-portfolio-reporting-tool-supporting-local-government-collaboration/ - Hackney’s application to the Local Digital Fund in 2018: https://localdigital.gov.uk/funding/london-borough-of-hackney-3/ - whilst not successful, it was identified it as a special case to support - https://mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2018/12/07/selecting-the-first-local-digital-fund-projects/ Existing Team As this is a cross-sector product, a stakeholder group is being established to work closely with a Product Manager based at MHCLG to prioritise the backlog of features. The supplier is expected to provide the delivery team to work with this product manager and serve the stakeholder group. Within the Local Digital Collaboration Unit (LDCU) some capacity exists covering content design, service design and user research. However, we expect the supplier not to depend on this support. Rather, we hope our teams can work closely together to help build team capacity. Current Phase Alpha Work Location The primary site is the MHCLG office located at 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF. The intended users of this tool are across the country and we expect rounds of research and testing to take place across the country. Travel/expenses to sites should be included in your costs and will not be reimbursed separately. Working Arrangments The supplier is expected to work onsite alongside existing teams for at least 3 days a week for face-to-face meetings. The supplier should demonstrate effective use of Agile principles and established project management approaches to enable progress to be monitored and issues resolved. The supplier will also be expected to work openly and allow anyone in the sector to have visibility of progress including the open, live broadcasting of show and tells (on Wednesday lunchtimes). The supplier will be expected to engage with local authorities and groups such as LocalGov Digital via user research and online collaboration tools. Security Clearance CTC or above is desirable for suppliers as staff won’t need escorting on site. There is no requirement for supplier personnel to be security cleared. BPSS clearance will be required to access MHCLG's ICT systems. Please make it clear whether staff have CTC security clearance or not when submitting responses. Additional T&Cs 1. All outputs will be owned by MHCLG and published openly where appropriate using a suitable open license that supports reuse. 2. All materials/outputs derived from the contract shall be the property of MHCLG. 3. GDPR requirements will be discussed and agreed once the successful supplier has been notified (as part of discussions to agree the wording of the call-off contract. Skills & Experience Demonstrate (with specific skills and experience) of conducting user research Demonstrate (with specific skills and experience) of where you have used the Government Service Manual Demonstrate (with specific skills and experience) of where you have delivered user-centred web-design Demonstrate (with specific skills and experience) delivering APIs to Government standards - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gds-api-technical-and-data-standards Demonstrate (with specific skills and experience) working with a diverse group of stakeholders Demonstrate meeting skill requirements based on the anticipated composition of the team Nice to Haves Demonstrate experience of successfully working with local authorities Demonstrate experience of being successfully assessed against the Digital Service Standard Demonstrate experience of working in the open and regularly sharing to a wide audience No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria Quality of the technical solution Clarity of approach How the approach or solution meets user needs How they’ve identified risks and dependencies and offered approaches to manage them Team structure, including skills, experiences and relevance of individuals Experience of the method of working from previous projects Timescales to deliver the project Flexible approach from supplier Cultural Fit Criteria Demonstrate how you work as a team with our organisation and other stakeholders Demonstrate how you are transparent and collaborative when making decisions Demonstrate your no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes Demonstrate how you take responsibility for their work Demonstrate how you would share knowledge and experience with other team members Demonstrate how you have worked openly Have you foreseen any risks or challenges to this project and identified any possible mitigations? Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Case study Work history Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 15% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers Budget range a budget range of between £50,000 to £80,000 has been allocated for this requirement.