GLA Development Information Database

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done London Development Database was established in 2004 to monitor the spatial development of London. Data on planning applications, commencements/completions hitherto has been collected manually and entered into a database through a portal. Discovery research around this point concluded that this is labour intensive to operate, and data submitted can often be inaccurate. Consequently, a new relevant, database is required to replace this process as part of a wider project to automate how development data is collected/distributed. The process of monitoring commencements/completions is similarly laborious, and any database will need to be configured to search for datasets that would indicate commencements/completions. Problem to Be Solved There is a lack of consistently high quality up to date planning application data—including the pipeline of development— on which to base decisions and policy development. Who Are the Users • As a Local Planning Authority I need the data about planning applications to be uploaded easily • As the GLA, I need to be able to receive all planning application data from 35 Local Planning Authorities automatically and to be able to access all of the data in the database to extract all data fields • GLA: I need to be able to transfer all of the current data set since 2004 across to the database • As a Local Planning Authority, I need to be able to provide all data on planning applications to the database automatically . Early Market Engagement The GLA has announced this project publically through a launch event and a series of online posts. The tender document is available to view here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/189TSJP4BQZHJBf_vDHX31zlGWjz_x20lKz2XMP843o4/edit?usp=sharing Please note only shortlisted Suppliers will be invited to complete the Request for Proposal. This is being shared for info only at this stage. Work Already Done The GLA working with Plymouth City Council, Southwark, Hackney, Waltham Forest, West Devon and South Hams have been awarded funds through the Local Digital Fund to develop this product as an alpha product with the potential to become a national solution for holding and distributing development related information. The database is central to a wider project around planning data and how it is used for infrastructure planning among other applications. A discovery has been carried out establishing learning about the current data collection systems. For more information there are a number of relevant blog posts: https://medium.com/@SmartLondon/improving-london-wide-planning-data-what-we-found-665de6b27d1a https://medium.com/@SmartLondon/vision-for-a-live-hub-for-planning-data-accessible-to-all-londoners-2901a43271f0 https://medium.com/@SmartLondon/implementing-digital-planning-in-london-how-well-do-it-af3edd735aad Existing Team Chief Digital Officer for London Head of Service Product Owner Delivery Manager Subject Matter Experts representing GLA, Plymouth, South Hams, West Devon, Hackney, Waltham Forest, and Southwark Planning departments responsible for delivering improvements to working practices within their teams Other in-house expertise can be drawn upon: .NET developers, with expertise in developing API integrations Delivery Manager User Researcher Current Phase Not started Work Location In your offices, but must be able to attend bi-weekly meetings at Great London Authority, City Hall, Queens Walk, More London, SE1 2AA And as required (at least twice) at Plymouth City Council, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ Working Arrangments We would like the work to be conducted as openly as possible, involving local authorities (via video) and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) (MHCLG) in Agile ceremonies, where possible. Therefore, whilst onsite at the GLA it would be beneficial to visit other local authorities involved in this project Security Clearance None Additional T&Cs Skills & Experience • Provide a team capable of development of databases with user interfaces and APIs • Demonstrate a track-record of user-centred design and Agile approaches • Have delivered a service that’s been assessed against a government service standard • Demonstrate experience designing services for a wide range of digital skills and confidence • Share their work freely and openly with the GLA and the wider community • Be able to build or design a tool that’s so good, people prefer to use it • Experience of developing design patterns that can be re-used for other services • Be agnostic of any particular software, enabling us to consider a range of options to meet user needs • Have experience developing open-source solutions Nice to Haves • Knowledge of the planning system • Experience of working in collaboration with a number of different organisations No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria • Understanding of user needs from the service • Clarity of the approach • Team structure, including skills, experiences and relevance of individuals • Identification of risks and plan to mitigate them Collaborative and Agile working Cultural Fit Criteria Collaborative and Agile working Payment Approach Time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 5% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers Budget range maximum £80k (ex vat) for the project, followed by (optional) additional support and maintenance costs for the live service