DEFRA Beta/Transition to Live Phases - Earth Observation, Bovine TB, Flood Risk Reporting Projects

Tender description

Summary of the work Beta phase development (including closed and open Beta), transition to live and 1st year support (3rd line) of IT solutions for 'analysis ready' EO data, Bovine TB management and Flood Risk Reporting based on Alpha prototypes. Expected Contract Length 2 (Third line support for 1st year of operation) Latest start date Monday 3 December 2018 Why the Work is Being Done Earth Observation (EO) Outcome: An IT solution that provides reliable, timely and usable access to ‘analysis ready’ EO data and EO data products, so that users can extract value from the data, build it into their evidence processes to facilitate more effective and efficient delivery. Bovine TB Outcome: An IT solution that improves the management of the disease by providing a single view of bovine TB related data for reporting purposes from the underpinning source systems. Flood Risk Reporting Outcome: An IT solution to replace existing manual processes of providing reports on the number of properties at risk of flooding. Problem to Be Solved 1. According to Defra Architecture Principles, update the High Level Solution Designs (HLSDs) ensuring they accurately reflect changes to technical builds established during the Alpha phase 2. Configure supporting Amazon Web Service (AWS) or Azure cloud infrastructure 3. Use agile approach to build, test and deliver working versions of the solutions (Beta Build Stage) including a closed Beta or User Acceptance Test (UAT) phase and open Beta or soft launch phase 4. Transition solutions to production environment working in collaboration with relevant stakeholders ensuring all service management activities have been completed. Provide 3rd line support for 1st year of operation Who Are the Users As a user, For the Bovine project: I want data on the status of Bovine TB so that I can make informed decisions and reports on the impact of interventions and targeting of future interventions For the EO project: I want to access 'analysis ready' EO data so that can I use it in further applications (such as advanced analytics) to produce insights to improve operational efficiency For the Flood risk reporting project: I want to be presented with calculated counts of properties at risk of flooding based on the selection of parameters, so that I can satisfy reporting requirements Work Already Done Discovery and Alpha phases have been completed for all three projects to understand users and their needs, and build working prototypes in accordance with agreed product backlogs, sprint plans and HLSDs. Existing Team Subject Matter Experts and Product Owners from Defra group organisations including the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Environment Agency and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). Staff and contractors from Defra's Data Transformation Programme including Workstream Lead, Project Managers, Business Analysts, Enterprise and Data Architects, and Engagement Lead. Current Phase Beta Skills & Experience • Establish/configure supporting Cloud infrastructure - experience of establishing the necessary AWS or Azure cloud infrastructure including balancing data across the major storage types active, transient and archival. (Weighting = 10) • Data ingestion and integration - experience of working with large datasets and implementation of Change Data Capture mechanisms from Defra’s existing legacy estate. (Weighting = 10) • Access, share, process and analyse data. Experience implementing technical designs to publish spatial/non-spatial data using open standards such as Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) web services, where appropriate. (Weighting = 10) • Design, implement user interfaces. Experience designing, implementing user interfaces, portals for accessing geospatial/non-spatial data. Must include features like authentication, user management, data discovery, map viewer, metadata management. (Weighting = 8) • Design and implement DataMart's and data warehouses - experience of designing data marts/warehouses to optimise performance including the ability to integrate spatial data within these. (Weighting = 8) • Presentation, visualisation, reporting of data. Evidence developing solutions to render geospatial data (maps)/non-geospatial data and use of Business Intelligence (BI) tools to summarise and present relational structures. (Weighting = 8) • Implement more advanced analytical/data science techniques. Experience of application of advanced data science, analytical techniques, particularly combining EO data with other geospatial sources to derive insight. (Weighting = 8) • Access, process and analyse EO data - experience of delivering solutions to select, access, download, process and analyse EO data and to automate the process. (Weighting = 10). • Solution delivery capability - experience of delivering IT solutions to users in critical operational areas. (Weighting = 8). • Agile delivery capability - experience of agile working, prioritising product backlogs, creating/maintaining sprint plans, leading ceremonies, working with product owners to incrementally build, test, deliver IT solutions. (Weighting = 8). • Provision of 3rd line support - experience of providing 3rd line support for IT solutions (Weighting = 10). • Experience of using Jira, Sparx Enterprise Architect, Github and PostGreSQL/PostGIS. (Weighting = 5) • Experience of Geoserver, Geonode, Luigi (automated workflow), European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) toolbox, Atmospheric and Radiometric Correction of Satellite Imagery (ARCSI) software. (Weighting = 6) • Experience of using Oracle for data migration from source systems to Cloud staging areas, Pentaho ETL for data migration, Pentaho Reporting / Saiko Analytics. (Weighting = 6) • Experience of Tableau (Server Core/Desktop Professional), Microsoft Power BI, SSL Certificates and ELB load balancer. (Weighting = 6) Nice to Haves Experience in working in government within a similar context (Weighting = 4) Work Location Defra, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR Working Arrangments On site in Defra offices for majority of time with some scope for remote working upon agreement and adhering to Defra's various processes and policies i.e. security, data protection etc. Security Clearance Disclosure Scotland but there may be some requirement for SC Clearance. Additional T&Cs 1. Where any aspect of the Services is to be carried out at a premises belonging to a third party, the Supplier shall and shall procure that the Supplier Staff shall comply with any and all instructions, policies and directions of such third party. The Supplier acknowledges that: a. Subject to the Clause 33, Losses suffered by a Service Recipient that are caused by a Default of the Supplier shall be deemed to be Losses that have been suffered by, and which are recoverable by, the Buyer. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Approach and methodology to delivering the projects including any added value that your organisation will bring. (Weighting = 10 • Essential skills and experience including quality of submitted CVs. (Weighting = 8) • Identification of risks and dependencies that might impact deliverability of the project, and suggested approaches to manage them. (Weighting = 4) • Team structure - a proposed supplier team with appropriate expertise, capacity and capability to successfully deliver the projects (Weighting = 8) • Value for money - assessment will be on the basis of a costed resource profile which suppliers will return as part of their proposal (Weighting = 6) Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and other relevant stakeholders. • Work in a timely manner. • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions. • Take responsibility for their work. • Share knowledge and experience with other team members. • Challenge the status quo. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. Can you clarify whether this is opportunity is for three different projects ie supplier can apply to deliver one aspect of the requirement or just one project requiring same resource to meet all requirements? We are looking for one single supplier to provide all resource and deliver all three projects to the requirements, hence this a combined single procurement. 2. Can you confirm the duration of the work please. Is it 2 years plus an option for an additional year of support? Up to 2 years. The beta and transition to live phases are currently expected to last up to 10 months. The successful supplier will also provide 3rd line support for the 1st year of operation. 3. Can you give a rough indication of the project budget please? As part of Defra's transformational change programme we are looking for the Supplier to propose the cost to complete the requirements specified and provide value for money, all of which will dictate the final budget. 4. 1. please can you confirm if the Discoveries and Alphas completed were with an incumbent/s? 2.if discoveries and alphas were completed externally, were you satisfied with the project? 3.please can you share any outputs from the Disocvery and Alphas already completed? 4.what are your anticipated timelines for both public and private betas?Earth Observation Project - 1. The Alphas were completed with a supplier (or external delivery partner) but the discoveries were not.2. Defra is satisfied with the project.3. Yes, these will be made available shortly (no later than Tuesday 16 October).4. Closed BetaMay – June 2019Open BetaJune - July 2019Bovine TB Project - Closed BetaJune – July 2019Open BetaJuly - August 2019Flood Risk Reporting ProjectClosed BetaJuly 2019Open BetaAugust 2019 5. Can you confirm who carried out the Alpha phase of the project and what the outcomes were? Scisys was the external delivery partner for the alpha phase, which produced Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) that demonstrated the technical feasibility of solutions for the Earth Observation, Bovine TB and Flood risk reporting projects. 6. please can you confirm if you are going through GDS assessments? The projects are delivering solutions that are internal as opposed to public facing so GDS assessments are not deemed necessary. 7. A number of questions were received regarding budget so we can share the following resource table for each Project separately in the answer section below to aid suppliers in their response Data Programme - Resource Procurement - BTB Data Programme - Resource Procurement - BTB Resource SFIA Level Rate Estimated no. Days TotalData Architect 5 144 Solution Architect 6 85 Developer 1 5 160 Developer 2 5 160 Developer 3 5 160 Scrum/Team lead 6 85 Tester 1 4 160 Tester 2 4 146 Service Designer 5 20 Please note the above will provide a total figure to be used for evaluation purposes. In responding, suppliers acknowledge that the number of days required may fluctuate, and this should not be taken as a commitment of this total resource. 8. A number of questions were received regarding budget so we can share the following resource table for each Project in answer to aid suppliers in their response Data Programme - Resource Procurement - Earth Observation Resource SFIA Level Rate Estimated no. Days Total Scrum Master 6 37 Solution Architect 6 82 Developer 1 5 97 Developer 2 5 82 Developer 3 5 72 Build Management and Release 5 99 Unit Tester 1 3 97 Unit Tester 2 3 37 Service Designer 5 46 Please note the above will provide a total figure to be used for evaluation purposes. In responding, suppliers acknowledge that the number of days required may fluctuate, and this should not be taken as a commitment of this total resource. 9. A number of questions were received regarding budget so we can share the following resource table for each Project separately in the answer section below to aid suppliers in their response Data Programme - Resource Procurement - Flood Resource SFIA Level Rate Estimated no. Days TotalScrum Master 6 20 Solution Architect 6 20 Lead Developer 6 140Developer 5 120 Tester 3 120 Data Architect 5 10 Data Analyst 4 20 Service Designer 5 30 Please note the above will provide a total figure to be used for evaluation purposes. In responding, suppliers acknowledge that the number of days required may fluctuate, and this should not be taken as a commitment of this total resource. 10. For Clarity the tables just provided contain:- Resource; SFIA Level;Estimated no. Days For Clarity the tables just provided contain:- Resource; SFIA Level;Estimated no. Days 11. In question 2 of the Essential skills and experience it states "implementation of Change Data Capture mechanisms from Defra's existing legacy estate", can you advise therefore whether you are looking for a supplier who has knowledge/experience of Defra's legacy systems? If so this would limit bids to Defra incumbent/previous suppliers only. During the Bovine TB Alpha project the design of a daily data capture mechanism from legacy systems was completed. The successful supplier will be required to review that design and implement a daily capture mechanism from legacy systems. 12. Can you provide more information in regards to the data sources of the data being ingested. Earth ObservationRaw satellite data, specifically Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 datasets, from the Copernicus Programme satellite constellation via a data hub. 13. Can you provide more information in regards to the data sources of the data being ingested. Bovine TBCattle breed, age, sex, and movement data will be sourced from a legacy Defra system called Cattle Tracing System which is hosted by IBMCattle TB test data will be sourced from a legacy Defra system called Sam which is hosted by IBMFarm location and land parcel data will be sourced form a system called the Customer and Land Database which is hosted by IBM 14. Can you provide more information in regards to the data sources of the data being ingested. Flood risk reporting Part 1 Flood risk will use a number of datasets, the property points dataset is the main dataset plus flood risk and boundary datasets, many of which are available on gov.uk including:National Receptor DatasetRisk of Flooding Rivers and SeasFlood Map for Planning (Rivers and Seas) – Flood Zones 2 and 3Flood Map for Planning (Rivers and Seas) – Areas benefitting from Defences (ABD)Modelled Flood OutlinesRisk of Flooding from Surface WaterHistoric Flood MapRecorded Flood OutlinesFlood Warning AreasFlood Alert Areas 15. Can you provide more information in regards to the data sources of the data being ingested. Flood risk reporting - continued Part 2 Flood Warnings Direct Info (Properties Warned and Registered)Administrative Boundaries (Environment Agency and Natural England Public Face AreasRegional Flood and Coastal Committee BoundariesAdministrative Boundaries – Partnership and Strategic Overview TeamsRiver Basin DistrictsCatchments/SubcatchmentsFlood Risk Community DatasetsFlood Risk Management SystemsRapid Response CatchmentsLead Local Flood Authority BoundariesLocal Resilience Forum BoundariesPolice Force BoundariesLocal Authority BoundariesAdministrative (Counties/Wards/Parish) BoundariesMP Constituency BoundariesInternal Drainage BoardsIndex of Multiple Deprivation 16. Would you consider splitting the teams to be provided between different suppliers based on skills/capabilities, rather than having one supplier provide all three teams. No. This procurement is for a single prime supplier to provide all three teams. The Framework is also flexible and does allow a consortium, partnering or sub-contracting with the agreement of the Authority 17. Could you clarify the Security Clearance required. The opportunity states "Disclosure Scotland" plus SC, as this is London based is this right? That is correct 18. What is the timeline for evaluation, orals and when a decision will be made about the partner. this will influence the start date in regard to mobilising the right resources for the project? We anticipating that evaluation, orals and decision will made across the month of November and contract award will be 12th December with supplier on-boarding 19th December 2018. Any schedule is subject to change depending on circumstances that prevail. 19. The requirement mentions AWS and Azure. Do you have a preference or experience in one or the other? Experience in AWS and Azure is needed. 20. Was the MVP done in either of these? The MVPs were completed in AWS. 21. Will we have direct access to the DEFRA hosted and IBM hosted data sources from the cloud environment (AWS or Azure)? Bovine TBAccess will be provided to the Defra hosted secure cloud environment. There will no requirement to access the IBM hosted data sources as IBM will build an automated extract which will provide data to the Defra cloud environment. 22. The essential skills require advanced analytical/data science techniques. Is this just simple descriptive analytics or does it require more advanced predictive and prescriptive analytics? Business users of the data will include data scientists who will have knowledge of advanced predictive and prescriptive analytics. The supplier will be required to understand their data needs but not build predictive or prescriptive models. 23. Could you clarify some of the skills that you are looking for in the analytics component e.g. machine learning / artificial intelligence, mathematical and statistical modelling and are these required to a research level or business intelligence level? Business users of the data will include data scientists who have knowledge of machine learning / artificial intelligence, mathematical and statistical modelling. The supplier will need to be credible in understanding those user needs and building solutions to meet those needs to ensure suitable data access and reuse for analytical purposes. A detailed understanding of the suitability of different BI tools to meet user needs is required 24. Can you provide more information in regards to the data sources of the data being ingested. Limited Response within Q&A limit:Bovine TB : There are now huge data sources relating to various aspects of the disease. The Flood and Coastal Risk Management department (FCRM): The process involves manually querying locally-stored copies of source data, then reporting figures back to managers/staff within FCRM. EO: gathers information about the Earth’s surface from space. However, there are significant overheads in processing/getting access to the data in a format that can be easily used in analytics (referred to ‘analysis ready’ EO data).The technical infrastructure and current commercial offering for acquiring, processing and accessing (including download/view) the data is limited.