Rail Portfolio Data Discovery

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done There is a lot of different sources of railway data, which are fragmented and not always complete, which can affect our internal Portfolio decisions. We need to be taking the best decisions possible across the Rail Portfolio of programmes and projects, which take account of possible effects on all parts of the railway management system. To make the case for better use of data to support internal decision-making, identify specific opportunities to do so based on business needs, and outline a proposed plan and method for future work. Problem to Be Solved How to leverage data to make effective Rail Portfolio decisions? To explore: a) how decisions made in the rail portfolio could be better driven by data; b) opportunities to use new data sources; data ownership/licensing limitations; c) opportunities to bring different data sets together to inform Portfolio decisions, e.g. looking at correlations / causations between different aspects of the railway; and/or using past data to run scenarios and model effects of decisions. Focus on internal management and interdependencies in the rail programme and project Portfolio, covering relationships with arms-length bodies, major infrastructure, renewals & upgrades, rolling stock, franchising, and timetabling. Who Are the Users Primary users of the Discovery outcomes will be the Rail Portfolio Office (RPO) and the DfT Analysis and Data Division (which includes the Developing Data Unit and the Data Science team). Ultimate users of any product or model developed as a result of the discovery would be internal DfT users: Data Scientists and Rail Portfolio Office members of staff, seeking more insightful evidence to advise Rail Board of the effects of different decisions made on the railway. Early Market Engagement N/A Work Already Done The DfT is undertaking an ambitious technology transformation programme – a part of which is looking at migrating datacentre infrastructure, underlying applications and data into the Cloud. The DfT is already looking to transform key databases within the Cloud which is expected to offer significant performance gains and cost reductions. The databases in questions will benefit from enhanced query performance, resilience and the rapid ability to build dashboards; supporting policy/DfT officials within their decision-making and legislative agenda. Existing Team Rail Group sets the strategic direction for the rail industry in England and Wales. The Rail Portfolio Office (RPO) sits at the heart of the DfT's 500-strong Rail Group, providing oversight and analysis on the Group's performance and ensuring that the right decisions are made at the right time. Three Rail Portfolio Office staff members will be the key contact points throughout the project. Their specialisms range from policy to governance and programme delivery. A member of DfT’s Developing Data Unit will also be involved in the project. Current Phase Not started Work Location Preference for co-location for at least part of the time, either in Great Minster House or another DfT London property, or with the provider. It’s likely that a number of interviews with DfT staff and possibly other bodies will be needed, which we will try to host at Great Minster House or Windsor House. Working Arrangments We are open to discussions around the best format for delivering the work. As standard, the team in DfT works Monday-Friday, with Fridays a frequent Working from Home day. Tuesdays are often very busy with Rail Board meetings. DfT working policy will need to be adhered to, and timesheets must be retained. Security Clearance Baseline Personnel Security Standard that should be active from when the contract commences Additional T&Cs Standard Framework Terms and Conditions Skills & Experience An understanding of the policy and Project Management context across government Some experience with transport data, but without being limited to the transport sector Experience with data audits and transformations, ideally with some of this experience in the transport sector Practical experience of building models from data Nice to Haves Demonstrable evidence where innovative solutions have been applied to assist in project delivery Demonstrable experience developing systems which combine functionality of multiple systems and open data sources. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 6 Proposal Criteria Approach and methodology (15%) How the approach meets Rail Group’s goal and user needs (10%) How they’ve identified risks and dependencies and offered approaches to manage them (10%) How the approach or solution matches DfT’s existing skill set (5%) How the approach will transfer knowledge to DfT staff (10%) Estimated timeframes for the work (5%) Team structure (3%) CV (2%) Cultural Fit Criteria Experience of working as a team with our organisation and other suppliers (3%) Experience of the idiosyncrasies of the transport sector (7%) Experience of interpreting the brief and applying sectoral knowledge (5%) Experience of transparent and collaborative decision making (3%) Experience of sharing approach, knowledge and skills with other team members and with the department by example (2%) Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Case study Work history Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers Budget range £35k