Discovery into how StreetLink service (rough-sleeping referral) is used

Tender description

Summary of the work The StreetLink service allows users to connect people sleeping rough to services (such as those run by local authorities). We want to run a discovery to find opportunities for improving this service. https://www.streetlink.org.uk/ Expected Contract Length 6 weeks, work must finish at the end of the financial year Latest start date Monday 18 February 2019 Budget Range £40-60k exc VAT Why the Work is Being Done In MHCLG's Rough Sleeping Strategy, we committed to improve the StreetLink service. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733421/Rough-Sleeping-Strategy_WEB.pdf Problem to Be Solved People sleeping rough need to be connected to local services Members of the public (including charities, etc) want to be able to refer people sleeping rough to local services to support them Who Are the Users As a person sleeping rough I want to understand what services are available in my location, So that I can find some support As a member of the public I want to help a person sleeping rough So that they get support Early Market Engagement Crisis have written a report on the service: https://www.homeless.org.uk/sites/default/files/site-attachments/StreetLink%20evaluation%20report_FINAL.pdf Work Already Done The service has been live since 2012. It was moved to the Salesforce platform in 2017. There was some stakeholder focus groups run at this time. Please also see the Crisis report above. Existing Team StreetLink is run by HomelessLink and St Mungos. They have a Product Lead and the application is supported by Salesforce who can be engaged to make changes. In MHCLG, we will have a policy lead (product owner) and subject-matter experts. Current Phase Live Skills & Experience • Have experience of conducting user research on a live service • Have experience of conducting business analysis on a live service • Have experience of running discoveries that meet the Digital Service Standard • Have experience of conducting research with vulnerable people • Have experience of recruiting users for research, including vulnerable users or users with low digital confidence Work Location We expect the successful supplier to work regularly with MHCLG in 2 Marsham Street, London - and StreetLink who are based in Aldgate, London. The supplier may work 1-2 days off site. MHCLG will not fund travel within London, but will fund necessary travel outside of London. Working Arrangments As above - we would prefer the team to be co-located in 2 Marsham Street and Aldgate, but expect travel for user research and other activities. The supplier may work remotely 1-2 days a week. 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 Having considered our timelines, over the Christmas period, we are pleased to agree to a short extension to our timeline. This is shown below: Launch: 20th December Stage 1 evaluations can be extended to Monday 7th January by 23:59 sending responses to Buyer's email address: Mark.Froud@communities.gov.uk using excel to confirm word count. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Understanding of user needs • Technical solution • Approach and methodology • Value for money • Estimated timeframes for the work Cultural Fit Criteria • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • Challenge the status quo • Care deeply about users • Share knowledge and experience with other organisations Payment Approach Capped time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 45% Cultural fit 15% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers 1. Does the SRO for this opportunity have the capacity to attend/partake in agile ceremonies? e.g. show and tells, retrospectives etc. Yes, we will be available to take part in agile ceremonies. 2. Can you please confirm who the people on your selection panel are and their individual roles and responsibilities? Unfortunately, the evaluation panel has not yet been decided. 3. What do you see as the identified risks around the delivery of this work? Not being able to engage all stakeholders adequately or recruit users in the timeframe. 4. Can you please provide details of how much of your teams time is assigned to this project and whether they will be ready to start on the expected start date? We will have 1 full-time policy lead assigned to the project. Time will also be scheduled with subject-matter experts and StreetLink management and operational teams.We will be ready to start on the expected date, if not before.