Data Science agile development - Development, Architecture and DevOps Services

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The Data Science service is undergoing a digital transformation and is looking for agile partners to assist in delivering this. The key challenges are (i) management information less than optimal (ii) user experience is less than optimal (iii) existing technologies to support services are close to end of life. The aim is to build an in-house capability across the four service lines (i) Management Information (ii) Learning Records Service (iii) Data Capture (iv) Digital Insight within Data Science to address the challenges above. To do this we envisage some contracts to cover specific projects to support the programme Problem to Be Solved The Data Science service is going through digital transformation to meet the evolving business, policy and user needs as well as meet the interface requirements of other ESFA systems. To address business, policy and user needs, some of GDS agile roles such as Developer, Technical Architect and DevOps engineer may be required to either support existing teams or potentially form discrete delivery teams to address a specific need. We are looking for a partner to transition knowledge, skills and experience to help build this. Specific roles and skills required are detailed in the GDS Service Manual (https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard#criterion-3) Who Are the Users Our users are both external and internal (business operations, audit, support desk and policy). As an ESFA training provider (audit/finance) I need to see my funding management information, so that I can plan for learner education and busienss continuity As an ESFA internal user (audit) I need to see the training provider management information, so that I can ensure the government funding spent appropriately Early Market Engagement Work Already Done Existing Team The existing teams are comprised of multi-disciplinary agile delivery skills. These teams are involved in continual product improvement as well as providing brand new digital services, going through the standard GDS phases. Typical team size is up to 10 with a skills mix such as product/service managers, delivery managers, business analysts, developers, testing, architecture, user research and design professionals. These teams can have a mix of internal and external staff. The new supplier will be expected to provide resources across developer, technical architect and devops engineer roles according to the business need for the initiative. Current Phase Not applicable Work Location Primary location will be Education and Skills Funding Agency, Cheylesmore House, Coventry, CV1 2WT. Working Arrangments This will be a 5 day per week (Monday to Friday) commitment and detailed working arrangements, including team location, size and make-up, will be contained within each statement of work. Day to day delivery will be governed by standard agile delivery techniques. These could be either a Kanban or a scrum approach (depending on the work) but the standard agile ceremonies appropriate to those will be undertaken. These will be monitored by the Delivery Manager and the Product Owner will be responsible for prioritising backlogs in refinement sessions. Security Clearance Personnel from the Service provider need to have both BPSS and an enhanced DBS check. Additional T&Cs Expenses must be pre-agreed and comply with DfE Travel and Subsistence Policy. Any expenses shall be submitted in line with DfE standard T&S policy. Primary work location stated in SoW will not attract expenses. No parking is available on site. Skills & Experience Experience in delivering Data Science products/services within Public Sector Experience in architecture servcies and ensuring new and updated platforms, products, transactions and system architectures are robust, scalable, open and secure Experience in DevOps services including running production applications, optimising existing applications and design new ones Experience in building scalable server-side cloud-based web applications (preferably Microsoft Azure) detailed knowledge of the C#, .NET, ASP.NET MVC programming languages Experience in building front-end web applications (HTML/CSS/JS) Demonstrable experience of working in multi-team agile delivery programmes Nice to Haves Experience of passing GDS service assessments Experience of Microsoft product suite in the education sector Experience of Cyber Security in the education sector Experience in delivering ESFA's Data Science products/services No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria Demonstrate working experience in delivering Data Science products/services within Public Sector Demonstrate experience of development, Architecture and DevOps in the Microsoft platform Demonstrate understanding/ability to deliver digital products/services to government Digital Service standards Experience and methodology in approach to agile project using both Kanban and scrum Demonstrable experience of working alongside clients in co-located, integrated teams, together with representative CVs of key roles Demonstrate approach to knowledge and skills transfer Technical competence in the identified technologies and agile practices Ability to scale up team and flex resource when needed on-site Value for money Demonstrate understanding of the challenges of implementing user centred design in a government agile environment Cultural Fit Criteria Work as a team – Collaborate, establish good working relationships, generate team spirit Innovate – Act on initiative, drive improvements, balance risks Build capability – Encourage learning, share knowledge, address capability gaps, act on feedback Focus on delivery – Focus on goals, set stretching targets, take responsibility for delivery Approach to developing a "One Team" approach Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers Budget range the budget could range up to a maximum of £4.5m consisting of multiple sows, but that scope could expand or contract. dfe does not commit to any minimum spend at this point. a pricing template will be given at the proposal stage to those suppliers we shortlist.